Photo: Mario Tama / Google Maps
By: EFE
Photo: Mario Tama / Google Maps
By: EFE
The union of the International Alliance of Stage Employees (IATSE) , which brings together audiovisual technicians, and the giants of film and television reached an agreement this Saturday to prevent a Monday from starting a strike that threatened to stop the in the US in protest of the working conditions of the sector.
“This is a Hollywood-style ending,” said this Saturday in a statement the president of IATSE, Matthew Loeb , after having closed this agreement when the strike was already around the corner.
“We went toe to toe with some of the richest and most powerful entertainment and technology companies in the world, and now we have reached an aqu erdo that meets the needs of our members ”, he added.
IATSE (International Alliance of Stage Employees) represents many of the workers who perform tasks behind the lights, such as light and sound technicians, camera operators, set designers and makeup artists.
Most of its members have temporary contracts with the studios, generally linked to a specific project, and the conditions are set according to the guidelines agreed between the union and the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), the employer’s association that encompasses film studios and small-screen giants such as Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix and Amazon.
Within this new agreement for the next three years, workers have achieved, among other aspects, salary increases for the lowest paid , improvements in working conditions for the platforms of “ streaming ”, or the increase in the hours and days of rest.
The strike had been approved last 1449544996764409860 October 4 by 98% of affiliates and, if it had gone ahead, it would have paralyzed most productions in fundamental states for the audiovisual industry such as California, New York or Georgia.
It would also have been the first strike in the more than 120 years of history of this union of workers of the i n entertainment industry .
IATSE hopes that this agreement, once ratified by its members, will benefit some 40, 000 workers in film and television.