Film and television crew members have reached a tentative agreement with major Hollywood studios after months of negotiations, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced Tuesday night.
The resolution came before the current contract expired, finally allowing the entertainment industry to breathe a sigh of relief after two marathon strikes by actors and writers. IATSE’s basic agreement with Hollywood spans three years and covers some 50,000 craft workers, mostly based in Los Angeles.
Agreement in Principle Includes Updated Terms Related to Compensation, Pensions and Health Benefits, Work-Life Balance, Job Security, Outsourcing, Streaming Residuals and artificial intelligence.
“From start to finish, your contribution was invaluable and brought our negotiating committee to the negotiating table with clear goals and consensus on how to achieve them,” the team said on Tuesday. IATSE negotiation in a note to members. “The ratification schedule will be available soon and we look forward to presenting the entire file to you. »
A summary of the agreement will be released in the coming days, followed by a full copy of the document in approximately two weeks. The agreement must then be ratified by union members before the MOU can officially come into effect.
So far, the union has revealed that the agreement provides for wage increases of 7%, 4% and 3.5% over a three-year period. It also stipulates that hourly workers are entitled to triple pay when the workday exceeds 15 hours, a union measure aimed at dissuading employers from scheduling marathon filming days.
Additionally, on-call employees would receive double pay on the seventh day of the workweek under the new agreement.
The agreement also includes terms related to artificial intelligence, requiring that “no employee shall be required to provide AI prompts in a manner that would result in the displacement of a covered employee,” according to the announcement from Tuesday.
IATSE and AMPTP returned to the bargaining table this week after failing to reach an agreement in the previous round of general negotiations earlier this month. The last provisions to be put in place were terms related to wages, pensions and health benefits, according to a union source who was not authorized to comment.
IATSE – which advocates for costume designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, cinematographers, set designers, lighting designers, camera operators and other artisans – has been campaigning for a new contract since early March. The current agreement between the labor organization and the major studios took effect in 2021 and was set to expire on July 31, 2024.
As general negotiations on Hollywood’s basic agreement approached, the union sought “significant” wage increases to keep up with inflation, higher penalties for violating rest periods, furloughs improved illness and streaming residual increases, as well as regulations on outsourcing and AI. . The crew members also demanded at least $670 million in funding for their pension and health plans.
Hollywood workers reached general negotiations with AMPTP about seven months after actors resolved their labor dispute with entertainment companies.
The simultaneous strikes by writers and actors were a major blow to workers and employers. The resulting production shutdown disrupted studios’ release schedules, while countless actors, writers, and crew members found themselves out of work.
Since the end of the strikes, production has been slow to resume and many entertainment professionals remain unemployed, particularly in California, amid a long-standing contraction in the brewing industry.
That pushback — driven largely by corporate overspending during the streaming wars of recent years — has manifested itself in sweeping corporate mergers, massive layoffs and reduced production slates.
As such, the IATSE recruitment drive comes at a critical time for the film and television industry. Initially, workers and studios were wary of crew members’ negotiations with AMPTP leading to another potential strike.
IATSE has never gone on strike in its long history. Nonetheless, members and allies prepared for the worst-case scenario by donating cash, groceries, meals, shared transportation, child care, temporary housing and other forms of assistance. help to workers in need.
Before launching its campaign for a collective agreement, IATSE promised that negotiations would result in either a ratification vote or a strike authorization vote.
But it became increasingly clear that IATSE’s relationship with the AMPTP would not culminate in a walkout once the first phase of negotiations – separate bargaining sessions tailored to the specific concerns of each of the 13 sections union’s West Coast studios – reportedly went as planned, without incident.
After the success of trade-specific negotiations, the feeling between the union and the studios was conciliatory and productive as general negotiations approached.
“It’s civil,” IATSE International President Matthew Loeb told the Times in April as trade negotiations were winding down. “Everyone wants to avoid a strike.”
Before the union’s final effort, nearly 400 Hollywood actors, writers, directors and producers signed a letter in support of the crew members. Signatories included Quinta Brunson, Mark Ruffalo, Connie Britton, Ryan Coogler, Amy Schumer, Shaka King, Destin Daniel Cretton, Pamela Adlon, Olivia Wilde, Jonathan Groff, Nick Kroll, Lamorne Morris, Lilly Wachowski, Boots Riley, Gina Prince- Bythewood, Natasha Lyonne, Seth Rogen and Kerry Washington.
The letter urges AMPTP to enter into “a fair contract that recognizes (crew members’) essential contributions to the production and allows these behind-the-scenes artists, craftsmen and artisans to live and retire with dignity.”
“These crew members dedicate their lives to their artistry and their department, working long hours in often difficult conditions to bring stories to life,” the letter continued.
Teamsters Local 399 — which represents drivers, mechanics, warehouse workers, animal handlers and other workers on movie and television sets — is also seeking a new contract and has not yet concluded a provisional agreement with AMPTP.