LOS ANGELES, CA – In the early hours of Sunday, August 11th, the crew of Casting the Net picketed outside of The Gentleman’s Club in Los Angeles, where the production was filming.
The protest follows management’s unfair and unlawful decision to fire and replace the entire crew when the workers wanted to unionize. The IATSE filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB on Thursday, August 8th.
“To blatantly break the law by gathering your hardworking crew together, announcing that they’ve been fired for seeking representation by the IATSE, speaks volumes about this production company and its Producers. It’s no wonder these workers were looking for some protections,” said Michael Miller, Department Director, Motion Picture & Television Production.
Herb Kimble, Executive Producer of Casting the Net, is also the founder and chairman of forthcoming streaming service UrbanFlix, which will be dedicated to diversity and inclusion. In June, Kimble told Deadline his streaming content will feature content “not just for some of us, but for all of us.”
“Diverse, multicultural stories like those Kimble is working on are long overdue and absolutely deserve to be told with the highest caliber production,” said Interim Director of Communications Jonas Loeb. “But Casting the Net’s union-busting behavior denies the crew their right to join together in union and negotiate a fair contract as a group. If Kimble believes in creating content for everyone, why doesn’t that include his workers?”