In January, the National Weather Service issued a wind warning impacting Burbank, where the West Coast Office is located, and much of the surrounding areas. Residents were cautioned that winds would start on Tuesday, January 7th at 10:00 am and last through Wednesday, January 8th. Forecasters cautioned that these Santa Ana winds could reach up to 100 miles per hour.
Quickly, the IATSE initiated the first wave of disaster response. The Walsh/ Di Tolla/Spivak Foundation Disaster Relief Fund application form was sent out by the IATSE West Coast Office and Locals to members. This long-standing Foundation has provided scholarships to children of IATSE members, makes charitable contributions and provides financial assistance to members impacted by national disasters across North America. Never had the Foundation seen a need like this before.
For financial assistance and updates, IATSE launched the Los Angeles Fires Relief and Response resource page. For more information, please visit: iatse.net/socal-fires/
In March 2025, Atlantic Theater Company and The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced a tentative agreement covering nearly one-hundred production workers employed by the company. The proposed agreement included significant compensation increases, including comprehensive benefits that both parties believe reflect the essential contributions of the production crew to Atlantic Theater Company’s success. Ultimately, after extensive discussions and dialogue (and a strike that began in January), the Atlantic Theater Company became the first not-for-profit theater company producing solely Off-Broadway in history to have a union agreement covering production classifications.
In May, Visual Effects (VFX) workers for Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, and movie franchise Avatar voted overwhelmingly to approve their first collective bargaining agreements since unionizing in 2023, the union announced on May 16th.
After successfully organizing, negotiating, and ratifying first agreements, winning the same benefits and rights as their co-workers in other union crafts, these three bargaining units are representative of a growing movement to unionize VFX workers in North America.
Details of the ratified contracts are available here (Marvel and Disney) and here (Avatar).
IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said, “I want to congratulate the member of these VFX bargaining units on negotiating fair contracts that earned such strong support. From when they started this process until today, the leadership and determination shown by these members has been an inspiration.”
For more information about the ongoing efforts to unionize VFX workers, please visit vfxunion.org.
In July, Animation workers at WildBrain voted overwhelmingly to ratify their collective agreement with IATSE Local 938, The Canadian Animation Guild. After over a year of bargaining, these workers joined their peers at Titmouse Vancouver, who already have the benefits of representation through the IATSE. The over 300 workers at WildBrain not only retained the benefits and perks they already enjoy, but also built on that foundation to strengthen the Canadian animation industry as a whole.
The Collective Agreement that WildBrain workers ratified codified many important aspects of their workplace, as well as adding a paid pregnancy leave top-up benefit, increasing worker’s pool of sick and flex days by 80%, and introducing AI protections that are on par with IATSE agreements across North America.
“The success of this vote is a testament to what workers can achieve when they work together,” said Matthew D. Loeb, IATSE International President. “All animation, VFX and video game workers across Canada deserve strong union representation and the IATSE has a long history of doing just that. We encourage all workers to contact us so the gains made at WildBrain can be made across Canada.”
In August, 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 during the Convention included 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.
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.”
In September, Studio Technicians at the Big Ten Network (BTN) in Chicago, IL, officially ratified their first union contract with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 762. The near-unanimous ratification vote (28-3) adds approximately 45 new members to the union.
The bargaining unit includes Pilots/Technical Directors, Audio Mixers, Capture Playback Operators, Jib Operators, Floor Directors, Pedestal and Steadicam Operators, Ticker, Ingest, and Transmission Technicians. The crew is responsible for producing BTN’s daily shows, including The BIG Show and BIG Today, which deliver Big Ten Conference coverage for one of the nation’s most prominent college sports conferences.
With their first contract now finalized, workers will receive significant wage increases of 8–15% over its 4-year term in addition to comprehensive health and retirement benefits. These improvements will finally bring long-awaited parity with other studio crews in the Chicago market.
“This was a long fight, but this first contract represents the future and the product of several years of solidarity, perseverance, trust, and an unwavering belief in each other,” said IATSE International Representative Justin Conway. “I am inspired to see this group of younger workers unite and win their shot at upward economic justice.”
In October, The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) 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.”
In October, the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) announced the winners for its 2025 Labor Media Awards, with IATSE being recognized across fifteen categories, including, just to name a few:
First Place – Saul Miller Award, Social Justice (Note: only one award given in this category): Encore AV Workers in Las Vegas Face Union-Busting, Launch Public Campaign in Response.
First Place – Political Action/Social Justice/Campaign: Best E-Mail, Mail Piece or Persuasive Letter: Your IATSE Kin are counting on you.
First Place – Social Media: Best Organic/Owned Social Media Live Event Coverage: The future of the American film and television industry is in the balance in our ongoing negotiations with the film and tv studios.
First Place – Writing: Best News Story: Saturday Night Live Visual Effects Workers Unionize, Win Recognition with Unanimous Support.
To see additional recognitions IATSE earned as part of the 2025 ILCA Labor Media Awards, click here.
