Production assistants on CBS’ Elsbeth have taken a formal step toward union representation, filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board that seeks to bring 28 workers on the series into a bargaining unit represented by LIUNA Local 724.

The October 15 filing is the latest development in a growing effort to organize production assistants across the television and film industry, a segment of the workforce that has traditionally remained outside the union structure covering much of a production's crew.

The organizing campaign is backed by Production Assistants United, a grassroots effort working with LIUNA Local 724 to bring production assistants, assistants and production secretaries into the labor movement. The Elsbeth workers are seeking representation by the same local that has helped organize production assistants on a number of other television productions.

According to the NLRB filing, the proposed bargaining unit covers full-time and regular part-time production assistants employed on the CBS series. The positions identified include office, art department, key, first team, paperwork, background, walkie, construction, costume and unit production assistants, among other PA classifications. Managers, supervisors, guards and other employees are excluded.

The NLRB docket identifies CBS Studios as the employer and lists the case as open. The agency's records show that a signed representation petition was filed October 16, followed by a notice of election on October 26 and a stipulated election agreement dated October 27. The latest available docket does not yet show an election tally or a final certification.

The workers' stated concerns reflect issues that have become central to the broader campaign: long hours, financial insecurity and limited access to healthcare. Production assistants have often been treated as entry-level employees, even when they bring years of experience to the job and carry significant responsibilities on set.

Production Assistants United has identified higher wages, access to health coverage, guaranteed turnaround times, grievance procedures and clearer career pathways as key goals. The group also argues that production assistants frequently work alongside union-represented crew members while lacking comparable workplace protections.

The effort comes as PA organizing has gained traction on a growing number of television productions. Production assistants on HBO's The Pitt voted unanimously to join LIUNA Local 724 in 2025, in what the AFL-CIO described as the first major television production to organize its PA workforce through the campaign.

The organizing effort has since expanded to shows including Abbott Elementary and NBC's Chicago Fire and Chicago Med. Those campaigns have helped establish a precedent for production assistants seeking collective representation on individual television productions.

For LIUNA Local 724 and Production Assistants United, the Elsbeth campaign also represents an important expansion of the movement into New York production. The group has described the city's active production community as an opportunity to build support among workers who have historically had few formal avenues for negotiating wages, hours and benefits.

The outcome could have implications beyond the CBS series. Production assistants are often among the first workers aspiring filmmakers and television professionals encounter when entering the business. But the traditional expectation that these jobs are temporary stepping stones has increasingly collided with an industry in which workers may remain in PA positions for years while facing inconsistent employment and limited benefits.

The Elsbeth filing puts those concerns before the NLRB. The next milestone is the representation vote. If the workers secure union recognition, negotiations over a first collective bargaining agreement would follow.

For now, the campaign is another test of whether a workforce long regarded as an entry point into the entertainment business can gain the same kind of collective bargaining protections that cover many of the colleagues working beside them.