Hollywood film and TV productions could soon shut down if contract negotiations aren’t resolved. Production staff in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, …
Hollywood film and TV productions could soon shut down if contract negotiations aren’t resolved. Production staff in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or IATSE, voted to authorize a strike Monday over disputes with studio producers about their schedules, pay and work conditions. The threat of an actual strike could be leverage during any future negotiations, which could happen this week as the two sides sit down again for talks. Members from 13 local unions on the West Coast and 23 other locals around the country — totaling 60,000 workers — voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if needed. That could impact everyone from cinematographers and editors to makeup artists and the food workers who feed the casts and crews. Many of them have complained of having workdays longer than 12 hours with few breaks, rates below $18 an hour and miserable working conditions. Some are asking for more compensation for productions that are streamed online and not released theatrically. Since May, their national union has been trying to hammer out new basic agreements with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). « I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members, » IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said in today’s announcement.
