Historic First Contract for Parking Production Assistants

Parking Production Assistants (PPAs), who voted unanimously in February to join CWA Local 1101, voted last week to ratify their first union contract! The life-changing, precedent-setting contract includes:

• Wage increases to $16.20-$17.01 per hour (depending on the production) upon contract ratification; $16.69-$17.52 per hour in November 2019; $17.19-$18.05 per hour in November 2020.

• Healthcare, vision, dental plan

• Pension plan and retirement benefits for the first time

• Equipment allowance

• Minimum shift length of eight hours; four hours notice of shift cancellation

• Shift meals

• Overtime and holiday pay

Once a member has qualified for benefits, this represents about a 75% to the total compensation that PPAs were receiving per shift, as well as a strong foundation to build on for the future for more than 800 workers - one of the biggest first contract settlements in our recent memory.

PPAs are employed by 27 companies, including ABC, CBS, NBC TV, NBC Cable, HBO, and SONY. They reserve parking in the New York City area for film and television productions – usually arriving 12 to 24 hours prior to production and working through the night in their personal vehicles to ensure that parking spaces are secured for production vehicles and equipment. The work requires PPAs to spend long hours alone, overnight, usually without access to a bathroom, and risk altercations with drivers seeking parking. Prior to joining CWA, they were the only group of workers in the multi-billion dollar film and television industry who were not union members.

Members worked hard to mobilize for a contract that provides workers with the respect they deserve and treats them in a similar manner as the rest of the unionized workers in the industry.