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The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees’ (IATSE) members have voted with 98.6% yes votes to proceed with a strike if a new bargaining agreement isn’t made with studios. IATSE is a labor union representing 150,000 people across the entertainment industry. These workers are commonly referred to as “below-the-line” workers and includes everyone from electricians to costumers to makeup artists to VFX to script supervisors and beyond. Negotiations had been underway with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who are responsible for negotiating “all industry-wide guild and union contracts,“ but have seemingly ground to halt, causing the historic vote.
The strike authorization vote was called for by IATSE on September 21st, which could potentially affect film and TV productions nationwide. Negotiations broke down last week between IATSE and AMPTP, with no changes being made to their core issues, which were outlined as “Excessively unsafe and harmful working hours, Unlivable wages for the lowest-paid crafts. Consistent failure to provide reasonable rest during meal breaks, between workdays, and on weekends, Workers on certain “new media” streaming projects get paid less, even on productions with budgets that rival or exceed those of traditionally released blockbusters.” IATSE sent a letter to California and New York legislators, letting them know that if the strike is approved, it could effectively shut down all film and television production in those regions.
Today, as reported by The Wrap, IATSE held their strike authorization vote, which was approved with 98.68% yes votes and with a turnout of 89.66%. While this does not mean a strike is imminent, it does give the union a stronger bargaining platform for renegotiations with AMPTP to fulfill their list of more favorable terms. This is the first time in the union’s history that such a vote has been held and the first time that a strike has been authorized. Check out the statement from IATSE President, Matthew Loeb, and the tweet from the official IATSE account below:
“This vote is about the quality of life as well as the health and safety of those who work in the film and television industry. Our people have basic human needs like time for meal breaks, adequate sleep, and a weekend. For those at the bottom of the pay scale, they deserve nothing less than a living wage.”
The AMPTP responded to the vote, saying that they “remain committed to reaching an agreement that will keep the industry working,” noting that they value the IATSE crew members and noting how a shutdown at this point would be potentially devastating as the industry is still rebounding from the pandemic. The group said that “a deal can be made at the bargaining table, but it will require both parties working together in good faith with a willingness to compromise and to explore new solutions to resolve the open issues.” IATSE members have organized strongly in support of this endeavor, even sharing their stories on a specially-created Instagram page. Numerous celebrities have come to the defense of IATSE, including Seth Rogen, Bradley Whitford, Ben Stiller, Danny DeVito, Jane Fonda and more.
One of the major sticking points of IATSE’s demands is that of streaming services operating on a lower pay scale, even though budgets and demand are equal to that of blockbuster films. With the pandemic directly affecting the need to create more streaming content, these workers are being stretched thin and paid less, even as the need for them grows. With streamers like Paramount+, Netflix, Apple+, Disney+, Hulu, etc., workers are finding that the budgets are not equaling out a fair wage and the working hours are becoming punishing due to such a high demand for content. As with so many things that have changed as a result of the pandemic, it seems inevitable that this topic would come into play, and it sounds like one that will have to be addressed if Hollywood wants to keep up with supply and demand.
Source: The Wrap
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