The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) concluded the first of two scheduled weeks of Area Standards Agreement (ASA) negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Friday. This week focused on classification and wage adjustments, subcontracting, working conditions and benefits enhancements.
ASA Negotiations — which covers 23 local unions and around 20,000 film and tv workers across the U.S. excluding Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago — are scheduled to continue on Tuesday May 28. The ASA Negotiating Committee continues to work hard to address our ongoing bargaining priorities.
International President Matthew D. Loeb stated, “This negotiation is fundamentally about ensuring the employers respect our right to get off our feet and get some rest during a long workday, to get home safely and see our families and have some economic stability. The work will continue next week when we resume our talks with the employers.”
On Tuesday May 22, the union released a member-made video featuring IATSE International Vice President Mike Miller on Deadline’s “Strike Talk” podcast highlighting the skilled work members do day in and day out behind the scenes. This video is relevant to anyone who works in film and tv, regardless of contract or local union.
Meanwhile, IATSE has now officially confirmed Hollywood Basic Agreement Negotiations will resume June 3-5. The Hollywood Basic Agreement covers roughly 50,000 workers across 13 West Coast Studio Local Unions, primarily in Los Angeles, Calif.
While the Basic Agreement Negotiating Committee and the AMPTP have reached consensus on some issues, tentative agreements on individual proposals do not constitute a final deal until all proposals and discussion points are settled. Individual proposals agreed upon can still be subject to change until a full tentative agreement is achieved.
Finally, IATSE is stepping up its calls for ALL film and tv sisters, brothers, and kin, and the broader labor movement to participate in #OneFightFridays and wear union swag each Friday for the remainder of the negotiations to visually showcase our power and unity across the country.
