The vote sets up an industry showdown over streaming profits.
Hollywood production workers pushing for better working conditions and pay voted nearly unanimously Monday to authorize a strike, a scenario that could hobble the entertainment industry as content companies race to keep pace with the ever-growing demand for new programing. Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees voted 98 percent to 2 percent to allow union president Matthew D. Loeb to call for a work stoppage, though the group will attempt to return to the bargaining table before actually striking. The union represents more than 60,000 set builders, costume designers, video engineers and other behind-the-scenes workers. IATSE members have pressed production companies to improve compensation and on-set work conditions as increasing sums of money inundate the content industry. Salaries for off-camera personnel have not grown commensurate with those of actors and writers, workers say, and the rush to produce new programs has deprived workers of bathroom breaks, sleep and time with family. “I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members,” Loeb said in a news release. “The ball is in their court. If they want to avoid a strike, they will return to the bargaining table and make us a reasonable offer.” A strike could spell disaster for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that employs and dispatches workers to sets around the country.
