Isle union questions Beachbody practices

Unite Here Local 5 is questioning the employment practices of multilevel marketer Beachbody LLC.

California-based Beachbody, known for its P90X and Insanity workout DVDs marketed via television infomercials and other means, has salespeople who are not employees and who must pay upfront and monthly fees to qualify for the chance to make money, the union said.

The union said Beachbody salespeople are not paid hourly wages and are instead paid through a complex system of commissions that are not based on the value of what they sell. Many of the commissions are dependent upon recruitment of other salespeople, and payments are subject to change at Beachbody’s discretion, the union says.

A union-built website, beachbodybummer.org, shares with consumers its findings about Beachbody employment practices, business practices and product pricing. Beachbody officials did not respond to queries.