NEW YORK, NY — The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) today announced the successful ratification of a new contract with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, Inc. (AICP) covering Production Department Workers in TV commercials. The agreement is the first of its kind covering job classifications including Production Assistants, Assistant Production Supervisors, Production Supervisors, Line Producers, and Bidding Producers across hundreds of U.S. employers involved in the production of commercials.
It delivers significant gains for members of the newly chartered, national Production Workers Guild (PWG) IATSE Local 111, including strengthening workplace protections, expanding access to healthcare, and securing parity with fellow crew working under the Commercial Production Agreement (CPA). The contract establishes critical baselines in markets where members have historically worked at or below scale. Moreover, nothing in the agreement prevents members from negotiating higher wages or so-called “street rates.”
Key Points in the New Contract:
- No More “Exempt” Classifications: All members are now covered by overtime and holiday protections.
- Overtime and Turnaround Protections: Hourly employees gain stronger rights to rest and compensation.
- Improved Health Plan Access (PHBP): The threshold to qualify is lowered from 100 to 80 days, and for the first time, members working on union signatory jobs outside the AICP now qualify for a full year of health coverage.
- Fiscal Safety Protections: Employers can no longer require personal bank accounts for petty cash, ACH, or wire transfers. Members will not be held liable for crew petty cash discrepancies beyond their control.
- Loan-Out Protections: Members who work as loan-outs now have codified rights to be paid accordingly, with the employer unable to dictate otherwise.
- Reimbursements and Rentals: Daily cell phone reimbursement is guaranteed, and kit rentals secured for qualifying crafts.
- Dues Check Off: Automatic dues deduction improves union efficiency and support for members.
- Multi-Market Work: Members can continue to work in multiple home markets without penalty.
- Travel and Lodging: Employers can no longer mandate room sharing or use members’ rooms as production offices.
Parity with the CPA:
Members now share the same protections as fellow crew covered under the Commercial Production Agreement, including:
- Safety protections
- Meal penalties
- Travel day wages and provisions
- Cancellation of call protections
- Low budget provisions
- Penalties on non-bonafide production companies (higher scale wages and increased pension/annuity contributions)
The Local 111 agreement with the AICP will cover up to 5,000 commercial production department workers employed by signatory AICP companies. While IATSE has long represented crew roles like camera, lighting, and hair and makeup in TV commercials, production department workers were historically not represented.
“This ratified agreement is the culmination of four years of activism and organizing born out of the grassroots “Stand With Production” movement which saw commercial production workers first stand up in the face of deteriorating conditions, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb. “It is a testament to the solidarity, resolve, and resourcefulness of production department workers. This first agreement sets a foundation that we will look to build upon for the future, with talks for a successor agreement just three years away.”
In Fall 2021, Stand With Production’s proposed guidelines for production teams at various commercial production companies garnered thousands of petition signatures. Months later, Stand With Production publicly announced their organizing with IATSE in July 2022, which culminated in an IATSE-AICP Neutrality Agreement and Procedures for Voluntary Recognition in October 2022, with majority support for unionization being confirmed the following year.
This is part of a growing movement of entertainment workers unionizing to secure rights and protections during a tumultuous time in the industry. Workers interested in joining the movement should contact IATSE organizers at IATSE.net/join to get started.
