The union representing production assistants on NBC's "Chicago Med" and "Chicago Fire" has staged a public protest, including placing a "Scabby the Rat" inflatable outside production locations, alleging that members lost guaranteed work hours after unionising. LiUNA Local 724 says the shows had previously guaranteed PAs 12- and 14-hour days, providing overtime pay on top of their $19.93 hourly wage, but that these guarantees vanished after production assistants ratified their first union contracts in July 2026, causing some workers' weekly pay to fall by as much as 43 per cent.

The union claims NBCUniversal told representatives the hour guarantees would not be reinstated, partly due to the added cost of union health plan contributions, which it argues may breach federal labour law barring employers from unilaterally altering employment terms without bargaining. Notably, the 12- and 14-hour guarantees were never written into the ratified contracts, and the union has not yet filed a formal unfair labour practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. It also points out that "Chicago P.D.", a non-unionised sister show, has kept its 12-hour guarantees and recently gave PAs a 3 per cent pay rise. Chicago Fire's PAs voted to unionise in late 2025, followed by Chicago Med in February 2026, with both groups ratifying contracts in July that included wage rises, union healthcare and career development committees.