Negotiators for a union that represents about 60,000 behind-the-scenes employees in the film and television industries announced on Saturday that they had reached a tentative agreement with producers. And it has resulted in averting a strike that would have caused widespread disruption in Hollywood.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which includes camera operators, make-up artists, sound technicians, and others, reached an agreement on a new three-year labor contract.
“This is a Hollywood ending,” the union’s president, Matthew Loeb, stated in an emailed statement. “Our members were strong and together.”
Disruption in the production work due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a backlog. As a result, crews had to start working for up to 14 hours per day to fulfill the needs of programming to streaming services.
If the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) was unable to reach an agreement with the union, the latter threatened to start a strike from Monday.
A work stoppage would have halted film and television production across the United States, the most significant shutdown since Hollywood screenwriters went on strike in 2007-2008.
And it would have adversely impacted various media companies including Netflix Inc, Walt Disney, and Comcast Corp.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees—or IATSE—wanted to reduce working hours and raise pay for members who work on shows for streaming platforms, where lower rates have been in place since 10 years ago when online video was first introduced.
The IATSE, in its statement, said the proposed contract addresses those concerns, including rest periods, meal breaks, a living wage for those at the bottom of the pay scale, and significant increases in remuneration to be paid by new media firms.