Hollywood Strike: Nearly 60,000 Studio Workers Ready to Start It Monday
Film and television production crews in Hollywood will go on strike if there is no agreement.
Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images
The main trade union of the entertainment industry , the International Alliance of Employees of Theatrical Scenarios (IATSE), announced this Wednesday that its almost 60, 000 affiliates will initiate a strike on next Monday if an agreement is not closed with the studios of Hollywood that improves their working conditions.
IATSE International President, Matthew Loeb, said Wednesday in a statement that the strike would begin at 10: 01 am next Monday (PT), unless an agreement is reached on rest and meal periods and lower paid workers are better paid.
“The rhythm of negotiations does not reflect any urgency. With no end date, we could be talking forever. Our members need their needs addressed now, ”said the group’s president, Matthew Loeb.
However, the current pace of bargaining doesn’t reflect any sense of urgency. Without an end date, we could keep talking forever. @ IATSE film and tv workers deserve to have their basic needs addressed NOW. # IASolidarity
– MDL
– Matthew D. Loeb (@matthewloeb)
October 12, 2021
The union organization IATSE represents a large part of the workers who perform tasks behind the scenes, as technicians of light and sound, camera operators, set designers and makeup artists.
Most of its members chain temporary contracts with the studios, generally linked to a specific project , and the conditions of Their contract is set according to the guidelines agreed between the union and the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), the employer’s association that encompasses the studios and television networks.
For some time now, these professionals have assured who work long shifts, without breaks to eat or get enough sleep, or days off throughout the week.
Likewise, the The union demands that the salaries of employees belonging to the lowest salary scale in the sector be increased and that the contribution of companies to private health insurance and pension plans improves, one of the main problems faced by the self-employed in the United States.
“It is incomprehensible that the AMPTP, a set that includes media megacorporations with a collective value of billions of dollars, claim that you cannot provide teams with basic human needs such as adequate sleep entity, meal breaks and living wages ”, the union assured on Twitter.
The break in filming would greatly harm the major Hollywood studios , that chain countless arrears due to the coronavirus and have invested in platforms such as Disney + and HBO Max, whose business model needs a constant flow of new content to retain their subscribers.
A spokesperson for the employer’s association once again insisted that “they will continue negotiating to find a new contract that allows the industry to continue its work”, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The last strike in Hollywood was called in 1200 by the writers’ union and altered the shootings and television broadcasts during 100 days.
For its part, IATSE, which encompasses a greater variety of professionals, has not called a break in its most 120 years of history.
