Local 600 Members: Report Meal Abuses on the Set

Many Local 600 members have been reporting meal penalty abuses on the set. The most commonly reported violation (at present) is the failure to pay meal penalties to crew members who have a pre-call. Companies may make a note on the call sheet stating that “Any Crew Member With A Pre-Call Must Take An NDB”. It is not enough to simply put this statement on a call sheet; the crew member must actually receive an NDB.

So what is an NDB? Those letters stand for the words “Non-Deductible Breakfast” which is defined in the Basic Agreement as a hot meal, appropriate to the time of day which is given after the commencement of work “without deducting the time spent in eating (30 minutes) from work time”. This means that, after going on the clock, the company tells you to take 30 minutes, on the clock (that’s paid time folks!) to go have a hot meal. That generally means that your next meal will be due at the same time as the general crew. There are exceptions but they are rare.

If you are not receiving an NDB nor getting meal penalties when otherwise payable, please report the violation to a Business Representative at (323) 876-0160

*The Low Budget Theatrical Agreement language varies from the above but states that if given a non-deductible breakfast, a crew member must be given a reasonable opportunity to sit down and eat. Please ask your rep for more information.