Workers for the production company behind shows like Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” will get restitution for overtime hours they are owed, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced. True Entertainment will pay $411,000 in back wages for unlawfully denying production assistants and associate producers overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours. The investigation found that workers often clocked 50 to 72 hours per week without compensation. “My office is committed to enforcing overtime laws, which guarantee fair compensation for putting in long hours, and discourage employers from assigning extremely long workweeks,” Schneiderman said. “Production workers in the entertainment industry routinely work more than 40 hours per week, and I will do everything in my power to defend their right to overtime pay.” Following the investigation, True Entertainment agreed to make changes to ensure it is compliant with the law going forward.
“The union is working with employees to negotiate enforceable contracts that guarantee time and a half pay to APs [associate producers] and other overtime-eligible employees for all hours above 40 in a week,” said Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild of America East.
‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ production company owes workers $411K in back pay: AG
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