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Film and television production in North America is in danger of stalling after backstage workers overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike for the first time in its 128-year history.
The International Alliance of Theater Workers said 99% of registered members who participated, or 52,706 people, voted in favor of a strike over the weekend.
The problem is a standstill on demands for more reasonable terms for artisans, technicians and laborers working for streaming companies such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon, including better pay, reasonable rest periods, safer hours and more. guaranteed meal breaks.
“I hope the studios will see and understand the determination of our members,” said alliance president Matthew Loeb. “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.
The most recent three-year contract expired in July, leading to four months of negotiations with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents studios and streamers in negotiations.
But on September 20, a day after streaming shows like The Crown, Ted Lasso, and The Queen’s Gambit swept the Emmy Awards, conversations broke down.
Loeb said his goal was to reach an agreement, but noted that the vote was on “the quality of life as well as the health and safety of those working in the film and television industry.”
The International Alliance of Theatrical Employees said it was “incomprehensible that AMPTP, a set that includes mass media mega-companies collectively worth billions of dollars, claim that it cannot deliver to teams in behind the scenes basic human necessities like adequate sleep, meals, breaks and decent wages ”.
The union added that its members have worked during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure their business comes out intact. “Now we cannot and will not accept a deal that leaves us with an unsustainable result,” he said.
The Alliance of Film and Television Producers said it remains committed to a deal that will keep the industry going, especially as it is still recovering from the economic fallout from the Covid pandemic.
“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,” he said. .
While unions such as the Writers Guild of America were more frequently on the verge of strike action, and in 2007-08 went on strike for 100 days, Hollywood crews and the International Alliance of Theater Workers do ‘have no significant strike history.
The only other previous dispute was when the decorators left the set for six months in 1945, which resulted in a riot at the gates of the Warner Bros. studio which became known as Bloody Friday. If the deadlock were to lead to a strike this time around, it would be the first national movement in the history of the group of theater workers.
Many prominent Hollywood names have expressed public support for the teams’ demands, including actor and producer Octavia Spencer, who tweeted, “I hope AMPTP does the right thing and sits down. They are not asking for anything unreasonable.
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