Three Writer's Guild of America members were surrounded, detained, and handcuffed as they attempted to pass out flyers outside the Hollywood and Highland Center. The members were peacefully passing out flyers about Fremantle Media and its unfair labor practices for its workers, something that has been done by many groups in the past without incident, when the center's security guards handcuffed them. Lame. What makes us think the Idol people put the the guards up to this? A lawsuit is being considered against the security guards, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Vote for the Worst had the pleasure of talking to Justin Buckles, a former staff member for American Idol. His time on the show has led him to help create The American Idol Truth Tour to expose the poor conditions that Idol workers face to produce the country's #1 show. Read on to see the kinds of poor conditions that Justin worked in, why he's speaking up, and if the contestants on the show get the same raw deal.

How did you get a job at Fremantle working for American Idol?
A friend gave the show my name and number and told them I was available to work, so they gave me a call.

What was your exact job title and were you ever given a copy of the description?
I was not given any description of what my duties were, no one is given a description. You are thrown into the office and just expected to know how things work. When I left the show I was the Head Runner, which is nothing more than a production assistant that had been there the longest. I was demoted, in title and pay, when we returned from the audition tour. I was lied to when we went out on the road and told that I would be moving up to another position when we returned from the road, but that never happened and instead they demoted me and brought someone else to fill that position. That was when I started looking for another job.

Check out this video from the tour's first stop in San Francisco.

The Los Angeles Times ran an article today with a response from Fremantle, the producers of American Idol, toward the American Idol Truth Tour (sponsored by the Writer's Guild of America). The Tour asserts that Fremantle does not pay its employees overtime, forces them to work 16 hour days and 7 day weeks, and that no health coverage is given for this work... basically all violations of California Labor Laws. Fremantle executive vice president of business operations David Shall responded that the claims are not true and that "our position is that most of our reality shows and a good chunk of our game shows don't need writers." Good job saying that writers aren't important. See if any work for you again. And that statement says nothing about the labor law violations or the fact that this includes more than writers. Nice job trying your always lame "innocence by omission" tactic, Fremantle. We'd like a quote saying, "We do not violate California Labor Laws" just so it can be used against you in court later. Thanks much.

California Congresswoman Jackie Speier just released a statement today that supports our friends on the American Idol Truth Tour. In the press release we received, Speier says, "Madam Speaker, I have watched “American Idol” with my teenage daughter on many occasions. I am well aware of its impact on society and the enormous profits it generates for Fox Television and its producers and advertisers. In 2007, the show allegedly generated over $200 million in profits for the Fox network, while FremantleMedia’s worldwide profits exceeded $1.8 billion. Why then, are they unable to pay a fair and equitable wage to its employees who provide the written content or other services that make these shows so successful?" We don't know, but we hope this gets picked up by enough media outlets that Fremantle will have to respond. Thanks for the support, Jackie!

Check out this interview in the San Francisco Sentinel with former Idol worker Justin Buckles. He is part of the American Idol Truth Tour, attempting to make sure Idol workers are paid fair amounts for overtime and breaks, as well as receive healthcare benefits. In the interview, Justin outlines how Idol took advantage of him, prevented him from speaking out by threatening to fire any wayward employees, and tried to tell him that California Labor Laws don't apply to reality show workers. Disgusting. It's a great read, so check it out, and support The American Idol Truth Tour. Someone needs to speak the truth, we might as well make sure you hear it!

American Idol may be auditioning delusional hopefuls tomorrow in San Francisco, but it doesn't mean the city is happy about it. San Fransisco City Hall Supervisor Bevan Dufty is introducing a resolution that basically admonishes the producers of Idol for not paying their workers enough. The San Francisco Chronicle says that "the nonbinding measure calls on FremantleMedia North America, which produces "Idol," "Family Feud," "The Price Is Right" and other shows, to provide its employees with industry standard benefits and comply with state wage and hour laws." Ooh, that's gotta be bad publicity for your money-grubbing show, eh, Nigel?

Our friends over at The American Idol Truth Tour have posted this video to inform viewers of Fremantle shows like American Idol and America's Got Talent about the poor working conditions that the writers on these shows face. They routinely work 7 day weeks at 16 hours a day. They aren't paid overtime. And they certainly don't get health benefits. But come on... how could a company like Fremantle, who rakes in gigantic amounts of money each year, afford such unimportant things like health care for its workers? We hope you take the time to watch this video and pass it on to friends and anyone you know in the media. Let's get the word out there that Idol's workers and other Fremantle employees demand fair compensation for the time they put in. And track the American Idol Truth Tour at truthaboutfremantle.com. If you're in the San Francisco area, you can also stop just outside the Idol auditions tomorrow to see the Truth Tour in action. VFTW is the voice of truth, so let's help spread this truth. Let's make this a big story!