History Timeline

1886

Theatrical Protective Union of New York created

First union members (later Local One) used a strike to win such victories as a $1-a-day wage. Foolish producers in houses such as the Academy of Music tried to hire strikebreakers to perform the work…

1893

First Convention of the National Alliance of the Theatrical Stage Employees

Photo caption: The Elks Hall occupied the first floor of this building, located at 27th Street and Broadway, New York City, and it was here that the first Alliance Convention was held on July 17, 1893.

Seventeen men met in New York City on July 17, 1893, voicing frustration with an industry in which managers and producers held all the high cards.…

1896

Los Angeles theatrical workers union joins the Alliance

Despite pressures from the Merchants and Manufacturers Association and other anti-union forces in the city, Los Angeles theatrical workers union joined the Alliance.…

1898

Canadian Locals welcomed into the Alliance

The first Canadian locals were admitted. Montreal Local 56 and Toronto Local 58 were welcomed into the Alliance in 1898. Gaining admission to the National Alliance was difficult for both unions. Ameri…

1902

The bias against internationalism fading

Delegates to the 1902 convention unanimously voted to apply to the AFL to change the Alliance’s name to “International. “ Although the now-International Alliance did not begin immediate wholesale acce…

1915

Alliance name change to include projectionists

The Alliance acknowledged the importance of projectionists when it voted to change its name to include “Moving Picture Machine Operators.”…

1918

General strike against LA producers

The Alliance, through President Shay’s aggressive efforts, was successful in getting studio jobs for IA members. The International felt confident enough to call a general strike in 1918 against produ…

1921

1,200 Studio Employees Walk Off Job due to Poor Wages and Working Conditions

Producers seized the strike as an opportunity to shut down production for the rest of the summer and avoid paying expensive salaries to stars. Briefly, the building trades union and the Alliance put a…

1921

August: IA wins jurisdiction over cinematographers and lab workers

Photo caption: Orpheum Theatre in Kansas City, showing the entire company: stage employees, actors and managers. The laboratory technicians worked in some of the most dismal conditions in the entire m…

1925

IATSE Welcomes First Hollywood Studio Mechanics Local

A charter was issued by the Alliance for a studio mechanics local in Hollywood.…

1926

November 29, 1926: First Studio Basic Agreement signed

The producers and the unions signed the first Studio Basic Agreement - not so much a contract but a true agreement to negotiate wages, benefits, hours and working conditions, as well as grievances. It…

1933

Screen Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild Emerge

Two other unions emerged that would have a powerful impact on Hollywood: The Screen Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild.…

1945

October 5, “Bloody Friday”

Mass picket lines were set up at Warner Brothers Studios. Variety described the scene: “Strikers and studio police lined up for battle before sunup Friday morning and the skirmishing began when non-s…

1952

IA workers go on strike at four of ten major TV producers

In February, 1952, IA workers went on strike for an hour at four of the ten major producers: Ziv, Crosby, Wisbar and Screen Televideo. All ten producers then signed a contract that was equal to that …

1981

Organized Labor in North America Under Siege During Reagan Administration

A new era of attacks on unions was ushered in when Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers’ organization during a 1981 strike. Business, big and small, saw that as a green light to declare wa…

1993

IATSE Turns 100

Photo caption: IATSE celebrates its centennial. The IA’s 100 years of excellence have not gone unrecognized in the entertainment industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the League o…

1993

IATSE Membership Reaches 75,000

In July of 1993, the Alliance’s membership was 75,000. In June of 1993, the IATSE Pension Fund gave its participants a 6.71% increase.…

1994

NLRB Rules On-call Employees May Vote by Mail Ballot

In 1994, IATSE convinced the National Labor Relations Board to permit on-call employees of Shepard Convention Services, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, to vote by mail ballot. The on-call employees were si…

1996

IATSE and HBO Reach First Agreement

In mid-February, IATSE President Thomas Short and HBO Senior Vice President Richard Waltzer announced that the IATSE and HBO Pictures had reached an agreement on the production of long-form programmin…

1996

IATSE Unveils the Official Website on the World Wide Web

On June 1, 1996, the IATSE unveiled its first official website on the World Wide Web. The site included a variety of materials, including contact information, historical information, safety and membe…

1996

First Low-budget National Agreement for Theatrical Film Productions negotiated with Motion Picture Corporation of America

In late April, the IATSE and the Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA) signed the first long-term, low-budget national agreement for theatrical film productions between $5 million and $7 millio…

1997

Member Benefits