‘Abbott Elementary’ Production Assistants Vote to Unionize

The production assistants unionization movement has reached Willard R. Abbott Elementary School.

PAs on the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary voted in favor of unionizing with Production Assistants United on Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Eight eligible PAs participated in the in a National Labor Relations Board election, with all voting to join the union.

Twelve workers in total may be impacted by the vote, though the employer may still file objections to union certification in the next few days and the eligibility of one potential member has been questioned and will be decided at a later date.

The show represents the fourth Warner Bros. Television production that the union has successfully organized this year. Production Assistants United previously unionized The Pitt (where it now has a labor contract) and on Dec. 4 won NLRB elections for the shows All American and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.

In addition to Warner Bros. Television, Abbott Elementary is also produced by 20th Television. THR has reached out to both production companies for comment.

“The future of our industry doesn’t seem so bleak when we stand together,” said Abbott Elementary production assistant Deija Zavala in a statement about the news.

The Abbott Elementary group went public with their unionization attempt in mid-September. It was an early and high-profile effort for Production Assistants United, which is backed by the Hollywood laborers’ union LiUNA Local 724.

Abbott Elementary writer and producer Brittani Nichols said in a statement that she started her career as a production assistant and understands PAs to be “some of our industry’s most vulnerable workers.”

Nichols added, “Los Angeles is a city with an affordability crisis and I’m proud of our production assistants for fighting for themselves and each other so they have a better chance of not just surviving but thriving.”