Hollywood film-crew union reaches tentative deal, averting strike
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[October 18, 2021]
By Lisa Richwine and Bhargav Acharya
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A union that
represents about 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in film and television
reached a tentative deal with producers on Saturday, averting a strike
that threatened to cause widespread disruption in Hollywood, negotiators
said.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which
includes camera operators, make-up artists, sound technicians and
others, said negotiators agreed to a new three-year contract.
"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."
Shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic had caused a production backlog
that led to crews working up to 14 hours a day to feed programming to
streaming services.
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The union had threatened to strike starting Monday if it was unable to
reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television
Producers (AMPTP).
A strike would have shut down film and television production around the
United States in the biggest stoppage since the 2007-2008 strike by
Hollywood screenwriters. It would have hit a wide range of media
companies including Netflix Inc, Walt Disney Co and Comcast Corp.
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![](../images/101821PIX/news_c39.jpg)
The adorned windows of the car belonging to script coordinator Amy
Thurlow, a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage
Employees (IATSE) Local 871 since 2018, are pictured the day after
90% of its members cast ballots and more than 98% of the votes
returned were in favor of authorizing a strike in Glendale,
California, U.S., October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
![](../images/ads/current/centraldirect_lda_SPONSOR_2021.png)
IATSE was seeking to reduce working hours and raise
the pay of members who work on shows for streaming platforms, where
lower rates were set 10 years ago when online video was in its
infancy.
IATSE, in its statement, said the proposed contract addresses those
issues, including rest periods, meal breaks, a living wage for those
on the bottom of the pay scale, and significant increases in
compensation to be paid by new-media companies.
The new labor agreement is subject to approval by IATSE's
membership.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
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