HONOLULU, HI – Delegates of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) 70th Quadrennial Convention re-elected by acclamation International President Matthew D. Loeb, General Secretary-Treasurer James B. Wood, 13 International Vice Presidents, three Trustees, and a Delegate to the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) on Thursday. 

Major topics addressed so far during the Convention include strong U.S.-Canada relations, passing worker-friendly policies at the state, national and international levels, celebrating a renewed commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as well as support for members who may face immigration detention during the ongoing military-style raids.  

Convention resolutions passed included (but are not limited to): 

•    Advocacy for a federal film and television incentive (passed unanimously).

•    Support for Canadian members during the U.S.–Canada trade conflict.

•    Advocacy for protections and training to mitigate the effects of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning deployment on entertainment workers.

•    Opposition to discrimination and support for increasing protection for the diverse workers in the entertainment industry.

•    Advocacy for pro-union federal legislation, including the PRO Act.

•    Pledge of support for unionization of the Production Accountant craft in the Motion Picture and Television Production Industry.

Constitutional updates were made to reflect modern, inclusive language and governance, and a new membership designation for Visual Effects (VFX) workers, who have recently won first contracts at Marvel, Disney, and Avatar, and were represented at an IATSE Convention for the first time. 

The IATSE Convention opened with an acknowledgement by International Trustee Tuia’ana Scanlan of Hawaiʻi as an indigenous space whose descendants remain tied to the Land, Sea, and Sky. With 982 elected delegates, the governance body saw the highest participation in the union’s history.  

The duly elected delegates of the Convention were comprised of top IATSE rank-and-file activists and local union leaders, and the in-person attendance has energized the group to make meaningful change for their entertainment colleagues when they return to their jurisdictions.

Since President Loeb’s first election in 2008, the union has grown its membership, strengthened workplace protections, and advanced the interests of entertainment workers across North America. “I am honored and humbled to continue the work we do together,” President Loeb said following his reelection. “Let’s seize this momentum, lock arms and get ready for the fights of the future.” 

Additionally, delegates were addressed by an influential slate of guest speakers which included Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, M.D., Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) President Tino Gagliardi, Johannes Studinger, Head of UNI Media & Entertainment, and more.