LOS ANGELES.- The union that represents the majority of the workers film and television technicians reached a agreement tentative with the studies that affects some 50,000 members, which makes it unlikely that another strike will arise to stop production after a year of labor unrest in Hollywood.
Both parties announced the three-year agreement in a joint statement issued Tuesday night, June 25.
The union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), said in an email to its members that they still must vote to approve the agreement, which includes wage increases and protections against the use of Artificial Intelligence for which they had fought.
The contract, known as the Basic Agreement, affects about 50,000 crew members who belong to 13 different local unions based on the West Coast, including art directors, set painters, editors, camera technicians, costume designers, hairdressers and makeup artists.
A separate agreement that affects about 20,000 technical workers across the country is still being negotiated.
Strikes in Hollywood
Last year’s grueling strikes by writers and actors, and the 2021 Iatse negotiations that stretched well beyond contract expiration and nearly turned into a walkout, had raised fears that 2024 would bring more work stoppages in an industry that has yet to fully get back on track after being shut down for much of 2023.
Actors including Mark Ruffalo and Kerry Washington sent a letter to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) last week urging a fair contract for technical workers.
Various individual branches had already reached separate agreements on their own issues. The Basic Agreement affects workers in different branches.
Iatse reached an agreement Tuesday night with Amptp, which represents studios, music services streaming and production companies such as Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon Prime. It is the same alliance that delayed reaching an agreement with writers and actors during last year’s prolonged strikes. The tentative Basic Agreement comes almost a month before the previous contract expired.
hollywood huelga afp: Frederic J. BROWN
AFP/ Frederic J. Brown
The letter to Iatse members says that more details about the tentative agreement will be released later in the week, but that it includes new protections around Artificial Intelligence, including language ensuring that no employees are required to provide indications. IA in any manner that would result in the displacement of any union-represented employee.
It also includes increases to minimum wage rates of 7%, 4% and 3.5% over the three-year term, triple time pay for workers who work more than 15 hours in a day, and tuition payments to help make up for a shortfall. in the union’s health insurance budget, according to the letter.
FUENTE: AP
