WASHINGTON, D.C. — At the beginning of March, the crew of Sharknado 3 voted for union representation in Los Angeles. Sharknado 2 was the highest rated original movie on the SyFy channel and had been produced under an IATSE contract. Sharknado 3 production company The Asylum responded to the crew by firing them and mocking their desire for union status in the press.
Over the past week, the IATSE picketed the production, and numerous replacement members left the job to join the original crew on the picket line. Followed by large groups of picketers, The Asylum was forced to rewrite a number of scenes, extend their shooting schedule, and scale back production.
This morning, the IATSE met the production in front of the White House when they attempted to resume filming in Washington, D.C. All IATSE members, when notified, honored the strike and walked off the job. Production will be picketed wherever they attempt to shoot in Washington.
“Representatives of the IATSE and its local unions will be present whenever and wherever this production attempts to film in and around Washington, D.C.,” said Assistant Director of the IATSE Motion Picture Department, Dan Mahoney.
“We will not forget how The Asylum treated their employees when they asked for the same union benefits and protections that were provided to the crew on Sharknado 2,” he said. “It is employees working for anti-worker companies like The Asylum who need the enforceable working conditions and protections of a union agreement the most.”
The Asylum is scheduled to shoot in Washington, D.C. for the next three days.
