RadicalMedia Nonfiction Workers Ratify Their First Union Contract

Nonfiction employees at RadicalMedia, the production company behind This Is a Gardening Show and Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, have ratified their first union contract, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The bargaining unit of about 50 workers in the company's nonfiction division approved the five-year agreement on Friday. According to the report, 95 percent of voting workers backed the deal by Oct. 9, and the union's council signed off on the contract on Thursday. The Writers Guild of America East represents the group, which includes archival producers, story producers, field workers and postproduction workers, among others.

The company, led by Justin Barocas, has also worked on the Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul (..Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Its other credits include the Conversations with a Killer franchise, Ladies and Gentlemen.. 50 Years of SNL Music, The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare and Hollywood Black.

Under the new agreement, minimum wage rates will increase by two percent in each year of the contract. Workers will be able to enroll in the Entertainment Industry Flex Plan, and the employer will make daily contributions for each employee toward the health insurance plan.

The contract includes standard union terms such as paid holidays, bereavement leave, minimum rest periods and comp days. It also contains a provision specific to nonfiction work: the company must pay employees if a particular show is shut down with little advance notice.

Michael Rauch, the WGA East's vice president of film, television and streaming, welcomed the result. "We're thrilled RadicalMedia workers secured their first union contract," he said in a statement. He said the agreement builds on protections that nonfiction production workers have gone without for too long, including rest periods, pay when production is paused on short notice, paid holidays and health care contributions.

Rauch added that with RadicalMedia joining a growing list of organized nonfiction shops, "the message to the industry is clear: union standards are becoming the norm."

The union's bargaining committee described the deal as an "important milestone" in the effort to organize more nonfiction work. The committee said it was especially proud to have won participation in the Flex Plan, noting that health insurance is often out of reach for those working in a freelance environment.

The WGA East has been pursuing nonfiction production companies for some time. It currently has bargaining units at Jigsaw Productions, Story Syndicate, Vox Entertainment, McGee Media, Sharp, Lucky 8, A+E Factual Studios and NBC News Service. The Hollywood Reporter said it has reached out to RadicalMedia for comment.