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The surge in streaming viewership has been a boon for producers and for companies that are building out direct-to-consumer streaming platforms. But the behind-the-scenes workers that keep Hollywood production running say they aren’t reaping those benefits—and they are threatening to strike to win better working conditions and better pay.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents about 60,000 Hollywood crewmembers through more than a dozen local chapters, voted “by a nearly unanimous margin” to authorize a strike, the union said in a statement Monday. That means that Hollywood workers, including grips, cinematographers, editors, hairstylists, costumers, set builders, prop makers and other behind-the-scenes employees, could walk off their jobs if Hollywood studios don’t capitulate to their demands.
“The members have spoken loud and clear,” IATSE International president Matthew Loeb said in a statement. “This vote is about the quality of life as well as the health and safety of those who work in the film and television industry. Our people have basic human needs like time for meal breaks, adequate sleep and a weekend. For those at the bottom of the pay scale, they deserve nothing less than a living wage.”
IATSE said 89.7% of its members voted—53,411 in all—and 98.7% of those who voted authorized a strike.
The strike authorization doesn’t guarantee that a walkout will happen, but it gives union leaders and members a powerful piece of leverage as they negotiate with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents hundreds of TV and film production companies, including Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Netflix. The contracts up for discussion represent most film and TV production, save for some carved-out exceptions at certain premium cable networks, where a different agreement governs over workers.
If crew members do decide to walk off the job, it could grind new television production to a halt just as many studios have brought their production levels back up to pre-pandemic levels. It could also threaten the nonstop release of streaming television that media companies are using to try to win over consumers, which could in turn slow projected subscriber growth and possibly increase churn.
Any potential work stoppage would represent the largest strike in Hollywood since the 14-week writers’ strike in 2007, and the first strike for behind-the-scenes Hollywood workers since World War II. It’s the first time in IATSE’s 128-year history that members of the union have authorized a nationwide strike, the union said today.
The dispute’s biggest issues
At the center of the ongoing dispute are how crewmembers are compensated for their work on streaming TV and film productions and the quality of life they experience while working on those productions. Workers say that an insatiable demand for programming from streaming services, plus a back-up of production due to the pandemic, has intensified the deterioration of working conditions, including grueling around-the-clock and around-the-calendar working, combined with lower pay scales for streaming platforms, which were first negotiated before those streamers had the market position that they do now.
Other considerations include improved funding for workers’ health and pension plans, more built-in rest periods between workdays, and additional compensation if productions skip meal breaks for employees. Many union members make just a hair over the California’s $14 minimum wage, and they say that they deserve better compensation for their work.
As talks have stalled, IATSE members have been sharing their stories of grueling working condition via an Instagram account, IATSE Stories. Some anonymous messages from that Instagram account say that some productions have seen improved working conditions as the discussions have intensified. One worker said their schedule on a new show was dropped when producers looked for someone who could start sooner.
“They’re trying to hustle things up because they know we’re about to drag them out to the square,” the member wrote.
Union representatives and the AMPTP have been in discussions for weeks to reach new agreements to no avail, but neither side seems particularly interested in seeing a strike happen. With that said, support for using a strike as a leveraging tool is high: overall voter turnout was 90%, the union said, and support for strike authorization was more than 98% nationwide.
“I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members,” Loeb said in a statement about the results. “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.“
