[Up to 60,000 behind-the-scenes IATSE workers had been set to
strike from Monday over claims of excessive hours and unliveable wages
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PORTSIDE CULTURE

HOLLYWOOD STRIKE AVERTED AFTER UNION AND PRODUCERS REACH LAST-MINUTE
DEAL  
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Staff and agencies
October 16, 2021
The Guardian
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_ Up to 60,000 behind-the-scenes IATSE workers had been set to strike
from Monday over claims of excessive hours and unliveable wages _

A strike of Hollywood film and TV crews has been called off after a
deal was reached with producers on Saturday., Photograph: Mark
Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

 

An 11th-hour deal between producers and the union representing 60,000
film and television workers has averted a strike that threatened to
cause widespread disruption in Hollywood.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which
includes camera operators, makeup artists, sound technicians and
others, said negotiators agreed to a new three-year contract on
Saturday, ahead of a Monday deadline that would have seen them walk
off the job.

“This is a Hollywood ending,” Matthew Loeb, president of the
union, said in an emailed statement. “Our members stood firm.
They’re tough and united.”

The workers still must vote to approve the deal, but the strike has
been called off with the tentative agreement, avoiding a serious
setback for an industry that had just gotten back to work after long
pandemic shutdowns.

Jarryd Gonzales, spokesperson for the Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers, which represented the studios and other
entertainment companies in negotiations, confirmed the agreement to
the Associated Press.

“Good for @IATSE for standing your ground. And don’t forget we got
your back anytime you need us,” comedian, actor and writer Patton
Oswalt said on Twitter.

Another actor, comic and writer, Yvette Nicole Brown, tweeted
“#UnionStrong!” along with a link to a story reporting the
agreement.

The effects of the strike would have been immediate, with crews not
only on long-term productions but daily series including network
talkshows walking off their jobs.

The union represents cinematographers, camera operators, set
designers, carpenters, hair and makeup artists and many others.

Union members said previous contracts allowed their employers
to force them to work excessive hours
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deny them reasonable rest via meal breaks and sufficient time off
between shifts.

Leaders said the lowest paid crafts were receiving unliveable wages
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streaming outlets including Netflix, Apple and Amazon were allowed to
work them even harder for less money.

Details of the new contracts were not immediately revealed.

The union reported on 4 October that its members had voted
overwhelmingly to authorise a strike, setting off industry-wide fears,
but negotiations immediately resumed between the union and producers.

A Monday strike deadline was set on Wednesday when talks stagnated,
but the union said subsequent negotiations were productive.

It would have been the first nationwide strike in the 128-year history
of the alliance, and would have affected not just the Los Angeles area
and New York but growing production hubs like Georgia, New Mexico and
Colorado.

During negotiations, many prominent names in entertainment spoke out
in favour of the union’s demands, including Octavia Spencer, Mindy
Kaling and Jane Fonda. The Directors Guild of America issued a
statement of solidarity too, signed by the likes of Steven Spielberg,
Christopher Nolan, Barry Jenkins, Ron Howard and Ava DuVernay.

_Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report_

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