Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images / Kenneth Meijas/LA City / Insider
- NBCUniversal was fined $250 after trimming trees that helped shade picketing writers and actors.
- Los Angeles' Bureau of Street Services issued the fine for a citation of trimming without a permit.
- NBCU says it trims the trees yearly and didn't mean to take shade away from WGA and SAG-AFTRA members.
NBCUniversal has been given a slap on the wrist for trimming trees that provided shade to writers and actors picketing outside its offices in Los Angeles.
StreetsLA, the Bureau of Street Services for Los Angeles, is issuing a $250 citation to Universal Studios for trimming trees without a city permit, City Controller Kenneth Mejia tweeted last week. The penalty is set at $250 for all first-time offenses, Mejia noted, though fines can increase to $1,000 if there are more violations.
—Chris Stephens (@ChrisStephensMD) July 17, 2023
Mejia had said last week that his office was investigating the tree trimming coinciding with workers' picketing.
In a statement, NBC said the tree trimming was routine.
"We understand that the safety tree trimming of the Ficus trees we did on Barham Blvd. has created unintended challenges for demonstrators, that was not our intention," an NBCUniversal spokesperson said in a statement.
"In partnership with licensed arborists, we have pruned these trees annually at this time of year to ensure that the canopies are light ahead of the high wind season," the statement said. "We support the WGA and SAG's right to demonstrate, and are working to provide some shade coverage. We continue to openly communicate with the labor leaders on-site to work together during this time."
When asked what shade coverage it would give, NBCUniversal said it has provided pop-up tents and water.
Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May. Among other things, they're calling for better pay as residual checks pay them mere pennies, and they're seeking protections against the threat of AI to work in the industry. They were joined on strike by SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, earlier this month.
The $250 fine, of course, amounts to less than a drop in the ocean for the media giant. NBCUniversal's revenue for the 2022 calendar year increased 14.2% to $39.2 billion, and Universal Studios' revenue for the same time period increased 23% to $11.6 billion, with the studio ranking second in worldwide box office for the year, according to an earnings release for Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal.
Los Angeles has seen sweltering temperatures in a heat wave sweeping many parts of the country and world this summer.
StreetsLA and Mejia's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.