U.S. reality TV show workers file overtime claims

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A dozen former workers on some of U.S. television's leading reality shows, including "American Idol," filed state labor complaints on Tuesday seeking $500,000 in unpaid overtime and penalties.

The claims, lodged with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, are part of a broader campaign by the union representing Hollywood writers to end what workers on many such shows have described as sweatshop conditions.

The Writers Guild of America has sought since 2005 to organize reality show workers. And two class-action lawsuits filed that year accused several major networks and production companies of violating California labor laws governing overtime wages and meal breaks.

Those suits, which are still pending, also accused producers of coercing workers to falsify their time cards.

Justin Buckles, 28, a former production assistant and production coordinator on "American Idol," said he routinely put in 12 to 20 hours a day, seven days a week without lunch breaks during his a three-year stint on the show.

When he approached his boss seeking a raise or overtime compensation, he was threatened with dismissal, he said.

"I was told I was completely replaceable, and that if I decided to speak out, I would be blacklisted and would not be able to work in the industry again," he told Reuters. Buckles said he last worked on "Idol" in 2006 and now runs his own Web-based venture.

A spokesman for "Idol" production company FremantleMedia declined to comment.