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Members of a union representing tens of thousands of television and film production workers announced this week that its members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a nationwide strike after negotiations on several new contracts were blocked. A strike could seriously disrupt production in Hollywood – but only if the union determines that its talks for improved wages on streaming productions and better working conditions do not advance.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Employees (IATSE) announced on Monday that 90 percent of its roughly 60,000 members participated in the vote, with 98 percent of those voting in favor of a strike authorization. This did not mean that a strike was necessarily imminent, but that members allowed IATSE International President Matthew Loeb to call a strike if negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – which represents the big studios – continued to be blocked. .
“I hope the studios will see and understand the determination of our members,” Loeb said in a statement Monday. “The ball is in their backyard. If they want to avoid a strike, they will return to the bargaining table and make us a reasonable offer.”
After IATSE released the results of the vote on Monday, negotiations between the two sides resumed on Tuesday, an AMPTP spokesperson confirmed to The edge.
The authorization vote does not necessarily mean that the IATSE will strike, but if it did, the ramifications would be felt throughout the industry. Hollywood journalist noted this week that one of the contracts being negotiated would impact the production of major studios like Warner Bros. and MGM and most of the major streaming services including Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, etc.
Members of IATSE include people involved in all major behind-the-scenes parts of productions, from make-up artists and animators to broadcast technicians. The IATSE is so important to the film and television industries that the strike authorization was backed with the backing of big Hollywood stars including Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Seth Rogan, Ben Stiller, and more.
The IATSE has negotiated several succession contracts and the union said on Monday that AMPTP had not made a counter-offer to its latest proposal. Problems in the workplace that IATSE is asking to be addressed include unsatisfactory wages for its lowest-paid members, excessive hours it deems unsafe, and a lack of adequate rest and meal breaks.
Another sticking point has been “new media” – or streaming productions – which enjoy “greater flexibility” in terms of remuneration and benefits under the existing contract, based on the idea that they might have to pay less to get the growing industry off the ground, according to IATSE.
Streaming is very different today than this deal was made in 2009, and the union now says some streaming services pay their members less than they should, “even on productions with budgets that rival or exceed those of traditional blockbusters “. The IATSE is negotiating “appropriate adjustments” to new media production payments given the changing space, Loeb said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times Last week.
“Our members work on productions where [producers are] spend disproportionate amounts and [members are] take salary shots. They work on productions with an extremely high production value, ”Loeb told the Los Angeles Times. Loeb also told the newspaper last week that the likelihood of a strike “largely depends on employers and what they are prepared to do to avoid it.”
AMPTP said in a statement to The edge that he “remains committed to reaching an agreement that will allow the industry to continue to operate.”
“We deeply appreciate our IATSE crew members and are committed to working with them to avoid shutting down the industry at such a crucial time, especially as the industry is still recovering from the economic fallout from the COVID pandemic. -19, “AMPTP said. “An agreement can be reached at the negotiating table, but it will take both sides to work together in good faith with a willingness to compromise and explore new solutions to resolve outstanding issues.”
Even still, negotiations have been going on for months, and the fact that the union voted almost unanimously to authorize a national strike – the first time this has happened in IATSE’s 128-year history – should send a fairly clear message to the studios. that union members are ready to take unprecedented action. And if their return to the bargaining table this week is any indication, the studios have heard from union members loud and clear.
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