LionDen
04-17-2015, 11:03 PM
Brian Fritz of The Sporting News reported today that TNA's pay issues of late have also included members of the TNA Production team. The claims fall in line with what PWInsider.com has heard over the last several days from one source, although we had not been able to confirm with additional sources.
Fritz reports that production staff are still owed pay from the One Night Only PPV tapings in February. One source, who spoke with Fritz under condition of anonymity, claimed they were told checks were cut on 4/3, but "no one has received them yet."
Fritz' story also notes that production workers (the majority of whom are considered third party contractors by TNA, not full-time employees) did not receive checks for their work on the January UK tour until early April. That aspect of the story also fits with what PWInsider heard earlier this week.
Fritz's story also states that there were a number of excuses given as to why checks were late given to production staff including the weather and that the checks were "in the mail."
Article:
Pay issues within TNA Wrestling include delays in paying production staff
While a recent report said that TNA Wrestling was behind on paying its talent, those are not the only people the company has been slow to compensate.
Multiple freelance workers — each of whom has a long working relationship with TNA — have told Sporting News over the past two weeks, on the condition of anonymity, that the wrestling company is well behind on paying the production staff and has shorted them on past dates.
http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/2/57/316374/316374-650-366.jpg
Those workers are still owed money for the One Night Only pay-per-view tapings which took place Feb. 13-16 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., which concluded 60 days from publishing date.
The industry standard in television is that freelance workers should be paid within 30 days. Bigger entertainment companies such as ESPN and Fox pay within 14 days.
One member of the production team was told by the company accounting department that the checks for the One Night Only shows were cut on April 3, but no one has received them yet.
"They are just blatantly lying to us all of the time,” he said. “They’re probably still on the floor in Dallas at the office of Panda Energy.”
Panda Energy is the parent company of TNA Wrestling.
PWInsider.com reported that TNA was at least several weeks behind on paying its talent but is now catching up with checks being sent out and received. It is also believed that a pay issue played a part in Taz parting ways with the company earlier this week after a six-year run as the color commentator for the “Impact Wrestling” show, which airs on Destination America.
These same freelance workers have been dealing with pay issues from earlier this year, receiving late payment for the TNA UK tour which took place Jan. 29-31. Most of them did not receive their checks until early April, anywhere from 65 to 70 days after the shows concluded. Plus, all of them — more than two dozen workers — were shorted payment on average more than $1,000 each.
Several people have said the accounting department has used a variety of excuses on why pay is always late. The most common is that the check has already been cut and was in the mail, only for people to not receive it for weeks on end or at all. Another excuse used is that the checks were delayed due to weather.
The production team member said that this is the third year in a row he and others have had to wait more than 60 days to receive payment. He and others are now telling other freelance personnel to not work for TNA.
“We are tired of being treated like this,” he said. “It’s the lack of respect more than anything.”
Original article can be found by clicking here (http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2015-04-17/tna-wrestling-pay-issues-production-staff-taz-dixie-carter-panda-energy).
Fritz reports that production staff are still owed pay from the One Night Only PPV tapings in February. One source, who spoke with Fritz under condition of anonymity, claimed they were told checks were cut on 4/3, but "no one has received them yet."
Fritz' story also notes that production workers (the majority of whom are considered third party contractors by TNA, not full-time employees) did not receive checks for their work on the January UK tour until early April. That aspect of the story also fits with what PWInsider heard earlier this week.
Fritz's story also states that there were a number of excuses given as to why checks were late given to production staff including the weather and that the checks were "in the mail."
Article:
Pay issues within TNA Wrestling include delays in paying production staff
While a recent report said that TNA Wrestling was behind on paying its talent, those are not the only people the company has been slow to compensate.
Multiple freelance workers — each of whom has a long working relationship with TNA — have told Sporting News over the past two weeks, on the condition of anonymity, that the wrestling company is well behind on paying the production staff and has shorted them on past dates.
http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/2/57/316374/316374-650-366.jpg
Those workers are still owed money for the One Night Only pay-per-view tapings which took place Feb. 13-16 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., which concluded 60 days from publishing date.
The industry standard in television is that freelance workers should be paid within 30 days. Bigger entertainment companies such as ESPN and Fox pay within 14 days.
One member of the production team was told by the company accounting department that the checks for the One Night Only shows were cut on April 3, but no one has received them yet.
"They are just blatantly lying to us all of the time,” he said. “They’re probably still on the floor in Dallas at the office of Panda Energy.”
Panda Energy is the parent company of TNA Wrestling.
PWInsider.com reported that TNA was at least several weeks behind on paying its talent but is now catching up with checks being sent out and received. It is also believed that a pay issue played a part in Taz parting ways with the company earlier this week after a six-year run as the color commentator for the “Impact Wrestling” show, which airs on Destination America.
These same freelance workers have been dealing with pay issues from earlier this year, receiving late payment for the TNA UK tour which took place Jan. 29-31. Most of them did not receive their checks until early April, anywhere from 65 to 70 days after the shows concluded. Plus, all of them — more than two dozen workers — were shorted payment on average more than $1,000 each.
Several people have said the accounting department has used a variety of excuses on why pay is always late. The most common is that the check has already been cut and was in the mail, only for people to not receive it for weeks on end or at all. Another excuse used is that the checks were delayed due to weather.
The production team member said that this is the third year in a row he and others have had to wait more than 60 days to receive payment. He and others are now telling other freelance personnel to not work for TNA.
“We are tired of being treated like this,” he said. “It’s the lack of respect more than anything.”
Original article can be found by clicking here (http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2015-04-17/tna-wrestling-pay-issues-production-staff-taz-dixie-carter-panda-energy).