Hollywood Union Ratifies Deals With Streamers and Studios, Ending Strike Threat

The face-off that nearly caused a work stoppage, which could have ground most television and film production to a halt, has finally come to an end. Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union that represents 60,000 workers including cinematographers, costumers, editors, hairstylists, set builders, prop makers, grips and other behind-the-scenes employees, voted to ratify the agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the organization that represents hundreds of TV and film production companies including Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Netflix. The groups had come a tentative agreement last month, averting a potential strike, and on Monday the union voted to ratify two contracts: the basic agreement, and the area standards agreement. “From start to finish, from preparation to ratification, this has been a democratic process to win the very best contracts,” said IATSE international president Matthew Loeb, in a statement. “The vigorous debate, high turnout and close election, indicates we have an unprecedented movement-building opportunity to educate members on our collective bargaining process and drive more participation in our union long-term.” The union uses an electoral college style system. The combined vote was 359 (56%) to 282 (44%), out of 641 total delegate votes from the 36 local unions eligible. The popular vote was far closer, with a combined 50.3% voting yes and 49.7% voting no for both contracts. Studios and Hollywood Union Reach Tentative Deal, Averting TV, Film Strike The new deal includes 10-hour turnaround times between shifts, retroactive scale wage increases of 3% annually and “improved wages and working conditions for streaming,” the IATSE officials said. The union said that both three-year contracts “dramatically lift those at the bottom of the pay scale,” and contain provisions that “guarantee adequate rest at the end of the workday and on the weekend.” Negotiations for the agreements first began in May but fell apart in September. In October, two days before the union was set to strike, the groups reached a tentative agreement. The primary driver behind the strike threat hinged on disagreements over how crew members are compensated for their work on streaming TV and film productions, as well the quality of life they experience while working on those productions. Workers wanted higher pay from streaming platforms, pay scales for which are lower due to being negotiated before streamers had the market position they do now. “Our goal was to achieve fair contracts that work for IATSE members in television and film—that address quality-of-life issues and conditions on the job like rest and meal breaks,” said Loeb. “We met our objectives for this round of bargaining and built a strong foundation for future agreements.”