Reprinted from The Washington Post by Jacob Bogage on October 4, 2021.
Hollywood production [and post-production] workers pushing for better pay and working conditions voted nearly unanimously to authorize a strike, a scenario that could hobble the entertainment industry as companies race to keep up with a surge in on-demand films and TV shows.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) said Monday that its members voted 98 percent to 2 percent to allow union president Matthew D. Loeb to call for a work stoppage, though the group will attempt to return to the bargaining table before actually striking. The union represents more than 60,000 set builders, costume designers, video engineers and other behind-the-scenes workers.
The union has pressed production companies to improve compensation and on-set working conditions to reflect the industry’s rising fortunes. Salaries for off-camera personnel have not grown commensurate with those of actors and writers, say workers, who contend the rush to produce new programs has deprived them of time with their families, sleep and even bathroom breaks. …
Even on the warm and idyllic shores of Oahu, IATSE convention-goers could not escape thoughts about a hotter summer of Hollywood labor unrest and a lack of jobs back home. […]
The WGA West’s political action committee has endorsed Joe Biden for president and Kamala Harris for vice president. The guild’s PAC joins entertainment industry unions IATSE, the American Federation of Musicians, and Actors’ Equity […]
Close to 600 front-of-house cinema workers in Quebec have overwhelmingly ratified a new agreement with Cineplex that will institute some uniformity across 10 cinemas. For the first time, all 10 agreements will terminate at the same point […]