Mark Burnett‘s Island Post Productions agreed to union representation for Survivor’s editorial crew yesterday evening, after employees walked off the job Wednesday morning.
Postproduction work was underway on the 90-minute premiere of season 29 of the series, which is scheduled to air on Sept. 24.
The Emmy-nominated team officially notified their employer of their intent to obtain a union contract with health and retirement benefits on Tuesday.
Employees returned to work this morning, as contract talks have been scheduled to begin Friday.
“This show has no hidden immunity idol,” said A.J. Catoline, a reality television editor and member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild board of directors.
For each episode in the series, Survivor‘s postproduction crew is responsible for distilling approximately 250 hours of raw footage down to one hour of on-screen entertainment. Over the years their work has netted a total of 16 Emmy nominations in the category of outstanding picture editing for a reality series, including a nomination for the 2014 Creative Arts Emmy Awards taking place this Saturday.
