"Naked and Afraid" No More

At a little after 12 noon, word reached us on the picket line that agreement had been reached on Discovery Channel's "Naked and Afraid" labor dispute ...

Last week, 12 of 14 editor's on Discovery's new reality series walked off the job and picket lines were put up around the work site (see above.)

The Animation Guild was out on the line in support of Local 700, as were several other unions. Picketing went on all day from last Monday until ... well, until about 2 1/2 hours ago.

Our understanding is that the producer had a difficult time finding replacements for its absent editors, although the company gave it the old college try. (The picket line, we're told, helped dissuade possible scabs.) Complicating matters for Discovery was a tight schedule and the necessity of getting a "Naked and Afraid" special ready for air. (That pesky old leverage thing again. Local 700 had good traction, and the company was unable to break the half-nelson it found itself in.)

The result? A tentative contract between the employer and the editors. The company's attorney and the IA still need to do a final review of deal points, but assuming those things check out, the job action is over. Congrats to the IA and the Editors Guild!

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