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No Joke: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Editors Set Strike Deadline

A group of post-production editors plan to walk out on April 1 if their demands aren’t met.

Saturday Night Live could be headed for a post-production editors’ strike by the end of the month. Per Variety, a group of 12 to 20 editing crew members are planning to walk out if their demands for a new contract are not met by April 1, putting that evening’s episode of SNL in jeopardy. The crew members—who edit the pre-filmed segments for the NBC sketch comedy series—have been trying to get a new contract since October, when they unionized with the Motion Picture Editors Guild. And while conversations between NBC brass and the employees have been happening over the past few months, some sticking points around health benefits and fair industry pay remain unresolved. In recent weeks, some cast members have shown solidarity with the group of editors, including Colin Jost and James Austin Johnson, who wore “Contract Now” T-shirts at the end of the Feb. 3 episode.