IATSE strike averted, the fight isn't over

Courtesy of IATSE

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) arrived at a last-minute contract deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) late last week. This agreement blocked what would have been a strike by over 60,000 film and television workers.

Hollywood may have narrowly avoided a screeching halt from nearly all its productions; however, the fight for fair labor among film crews is far from finished.

Early October, 98% of all IATSE union members voted to strike from their sets on the tentative date of Oct. 18, 2021. They were citing the need for fair wages and an ending unsustainable working conditions. Had it commenced, it would have been a momentous occasion, being the first major hollywood production worker strike since WWII and the first strike in all of IATSE’s 128-year history.

Courtesy of Deadline

The most notable changes for the deal include a 3% yearly wage increase, better pay for streaming platform productions, and 10-hour daily turnaround times with 54 hour weekends for five-day workweeks.

This deal is not set in stone; it still needs to be voted and accepted by the IATSE members before the new negotiations are ratified. The fate of that vote remains up in the air.

While this deal without a doubt includes improvements upon the current conditions, there is a possibility it will be shot down by members feeling that it does not go far enough.

IATSE union leadership votes using an electoral college-style system for ratifying new contract agreements; if this new deal is thrown out, it goes back to table negotiations with AMPTP to draft up a new deal. Until a new contract is agreed upon and implemented, the industry will continue to operate under the same unsustainable conditions, which initially prompted the strike vote.

The 98% agreed strike vote remains; a strike will probably follow if this new deal is thrown out. This is likely the hope of many of the workers pushed to the brink, believing that a strike and the subsequent hollywood standstill may be the only thing that will pressure higher-ups to provide basic needs.

The most damning section of the new deal, which has left many IATSE feeling betrayed by their leadership, is how it does little address the long and grueling hours. The 10-hour turnaround leaves room for productions to continue pushing 14 hour days. Allowing for six-day workweek schedules and of limited time use loopholes to reduce the 54 hour weekend still provides ways in which the workers can be pushed to the edge.

Courtesy of @ia_stories

A 10-hour turnaround with a 1-hour commute and a very generous 30 minutes morning and night routines quickly turns those 10 hours into seven — which is only enough time to be healthily used for sleep. This new agreement does little to address the lack of work-life balance and, for some, provides near-identical work conditions.

Film sets are a complex amalgamation of many moving pieces; injuries are inevitable without a crew capable of being 100% present focused on their jobs. After 14 hours, complete focus is nearly impossible. The recent tragic death of Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins and injuries to Director Joel Souza on the set of Rust proves that stakes are so high.

Courtesy of Deadline

Details of the incident remain under investigation, but it still serves as a morbid reminder of how dangerous sets can truly be. Unfortunately, freak accidents will occur, but providing the basic needs of film workers with reasonable hours is the first step in creating a safe environment and a critical line of defense against on-set injuries and death.

Any assumption that any of these 60,000+ film workers are fighting out of a mere selfish want or money-grubbing greed is entirely misplaced and unquestionably false. IATSE members are fighting not only for living wages, for lives and families outside of work or sustainability in the career they love. They fight because these negotiations will mean the difference between life and death.