Production assistants on NBC’s Chicago Med have voted to unionize, according to reporting by The Hollywood Reporter.
Crew members on the long-running medical drama voted 11–1 in favor of joining Production Assistants United during a National Labor Relations Board election held Wednesday. Five ballots were challenged and will be reviewed at a later date.
“We’re not saying ‘fuck the studios,’ we just want a seat at the table too,” Chicago Med production assistant Evelyn-Mariah Johnson said in a statement shared with THR.
An anonymous campaign organizer added, “PAs are the only assistants in Hollywood that are on the ground making the movies and shows we all love. They deserve a seat at the table to collectively bargain. Studios investing in a PA union will better safeguard the next generation of talent for this industry.”
THR reports that it has reached out to Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment, which produce the series, for comment.
The vote follows a similar move by production assistants on Chicago Fire, who unionized with the same labor group in December. Chicago Fire became the first Chicago-based production to organize with Production Assistants United, which is affiliated with LiUNA Local 724, a Los Angeles-based laborers’ union.
Production Assistants United secured its first union contract at The Pitt in September 2025 and has since organized crews on series including The Four Seasons, Abbott Elementary, All American and George & Mandy’s First Marriage.
Created by Dick Wolf, Chicago Med follows the doctors and nurses of a high-pressure emergency department in a fictional Chicago hospital. The series stars S. Epatha Merkerson and Oliver Platt and is currently in its 11th season.
The vote marks another significant labor development within Chicago’s robust television production community, signaling continued organizing momentum among below-the-line workers in the Windy City.
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