Study Shows Realty TV Breaks Labor Laws

Reality TV shows break California's labor laws by ignoring overtime and meal break rules for most of the writers who work on them, according to a new survey commissioned by the Writers Guild of America, West.

The survey, conducted by Goodwin Simon Victoria Research, states that reality production companies and payroll service firms improperly classify writers who work in the industry as exempt from state and federal overtime pay requirements, depriving them of more than $30 million a year in lost wages.

Among 303 writers who responded to the online survey, 91% said they received no overtime pay and 59% said their time cards didn't reflect the hours they worked.

On average, writers worked 16 hours of unpaid overtime a week. That's an average loss in annual wages of $38,400, according to the report to be released next week by Goodwin Simon Victoria, aCulver City firm that conducts research for a number of unions and other organizations.

"It's clear to us that the wage and hour violations are massive," said Jeff Hermanson, assistant executive director of the Writers Guild of America, West.

The survey is the latest effort by the Writers Guild of America to raise pressure on producers and networks involved in the highly profitable reality TV sector to extend union pay and benefits to more than 1,000 writers who work in so-called unscripted television.

During the 2006-07 television season, nine of the top 15 highest-rated hours of prime-time programming were reality or game shows, the report states, including such hits as "Survivor" and "Dancing With the Stars."

State law requires that employees be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week or more than eight hours during any workday.

The law exempts salaried employees who are also executives, professionals and artists who exercise "discretion and independent judgment" over their work. Yet the survey found that 95% of respondents did not meet those exemptions.