Production Assistants on CBS’ “Cupertino” Vote to Unionize, Back LiUNA Local 724

Production assistants working on CBS Studios’ series “Cupertino” voted to unionize and declared unanimous support for joining Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 724, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter on July 29. The organizing effort targets the labor group’s first victory on a CBS Studios series, organizers said, marking a new foothold for LiUNA in the television production workforce.

The workers involved are production assistants based in New Jersey, the report said. While the broader labor process was not detailed in the report, the publication said the group of production assistants “unanimously” supported affiliating with LiUNA Local 724, indicating a unified stance among the participating employees.

In labor organizing, “support” for unionization typically reflects a formal statement of backing for collective bargaining rights, but the exact procedural steps and timeline in the report were not described. The Hollywood Reporter framed the vote as a decisive moment for a bargaining unit that seeks greater representation during negotiations over working conditions and related workplace policies.

LiUNA Local 724’s role in the effort centers on representing workers in contract negotiations and workplace rules. The report characterized the “Cupertino” outcome as LiUNA’s first success on a CBS series, underscoring that the organizing drive took place within a major broadcast studio environment where unions and employers frequently negotiate the scope and structure of representation.

CBS Studios was not described in the report as agreeing to any changes immediately following the vote. The publication also did not specify whether the series is already under a particular collective bargaining agreement that covers production assistants, or whether the unionization will require additional steps before the bargaining process begins for the unit.

The “Cupertino” effort adds to a broader pattern of labor organizing in the entertainment industry, where production staffing roles are sometimes organized separately depending on the job classification and the bargaining unit’s boundaries. In that context, the “Cupertino” vote is likely to be monitored by other workers and labor organizations seeking clarity about how organizers can establish representation on mainstream studio productions.

For production staff and the communities where they work, unionization can affect scheduling norms, wages, and workplace procedures, though the specific contract terms at issue were not laid out in the report. If the bargaining process proceeds, the next milestones would generally include confirming the bargaining unit and moving into negotiations, but additional details would depend on further filings and communications not included in the July 29 report.

The Hollywood Reporter’s account positions the vote as both a workplace change for the “Cupertino” production team and an institutional development for LiUNA Local 724. Any subsequent reporting will likely focus on whether the parties move from an organizing win to formal bargaining and how that process shapes work practices for production assistants on the series.