Topline
Hollywood crew members in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) narrowly voted Monday to approve union contracts with film and television producers, the final step averting a labor strike that would have shut down film and television production nationwide after union leaders reached a deal last month.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees’ office building in Burbank, California.
Key Facts
IATSE members voted to approve two contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a Basic Agreement that covers union locals in Hollywood itself and an Area Standards Agreement for union workers outside of Los Angeles.
The vote was done through an electoral college-style system in which delegates voted on behalf of individual union locals, and the final delegate vote had 56% in favor of the contracts and 44% opposed.
The popular vote of individual union members was much narrower, with 50.3% voting in favor of both contracts and 49.7% voting no.
The new three-year contracts include provisions that the union had bargained for like wage increases—particularly for lower-level workers—and guarantees for adequate rest periods and meal breaks, with financial penalties for producers that don’t comply.
While union leaders had pushed members to support the contract, many IATSE members were opposed to it and said the contract didn’t go far enough to improve working conditions, making it uncertain the vote would pass.
If union members had voted against the contract, it would have forced IATSE leaders to go back to the bargaining table with the AMPTP, and could have resulted in a strike if another agreement could not be reached.
Big Number
73%. That’s the percentage of the 63,029 IATSE members eligible to cast ballots that voted in the election.
Crucial Quote
“Our goal was to achieve fair contracts that work for IATSE members in television and film—that address quality-of-life issues and conditions on the job like rest and meal breaks,” IATSE International President Matthew Loeb said in a statement. “We met our objectives for this round of bargaining and built a strong foundation for future agreements.”
Key Background
IATSE represents more than 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in film and television, ranging from technicians to creative roles like designers and cinematographers. Union members were on the verge of striking in October as negotiations stalled between IATSE and the AMPTP, and the two sides reached a deal less than two days before workers were set to walk off the job. The strike would have been one of the biggest in Hollywood history and marked the first time Hollywood crew members had striked since World War II, shutting down most film and television production across the country. The push for the labor strike was the result of mounting discontent among crew members for better working conditions and wages, with the Covid-19 pandemic and recent boom in streaming service content exacerbating long standing issues like long working hours and the need for higher compensation. Members had overwhelmingly backed the union calling a strike if a deal wasn’t reached, with nearly 98% voting to authorize a strike.
Further Reading
IATSE Deal Could Be Rejected by Members: ‘Our Leadership Let Us Down’ (Variety)
An IATSE Strike Would Be One Of The Biggest In Hollywood History — Here’s How Past Ones Measure Up (Forbes)
Weary Workers Threaten Hollywood’s Biggest Shutdown Since WW II: ‘People Are Tired’ (Forbes)
