The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) pickets and strikes against the live-action second season of YouTube children’s series “CoComelon: The Melon Patch.” Multiple outlets report that crew members represented by IATSE walk off the production on a set in California. The dispute centers on the absence of a union contract for the upcoming season and workers’ allegations that working conditions are worsening.
Workers say they have not been provided what they describe as fair wages and benefits, and that staffing and workload issues leave them understaffed and overworked. Deadline and other reports also describe claims that the producer is attempting to hire non-union labor (“scabs”) for the ongoing production.
The reported goal of the picketing and walkout is to pressure the production to sign a union agreement for the second season. The reporting describes the show as a toddler-focused YouTube program and places the production in Sun Valley, California, where the walkout occurs.
