IATSE agreement in principle concluded with studios and streamers

On Tuesday evening, the IATSE crews union reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract covering 13 West Coast locals with Hollywood’s top studios and streamers.

Leaders of the 13 West Coast locals, which collectively represent about 50,000 crew members, announced the news to members Tuesday evening. IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents management in collective bargaining, then jointly announced the news. The agreement for a successor contract to the so-called basic agreement is still subject to a ratification vote, which has not yet been scheduled, before it can enter into force.

Although IATSE told its members on Tuesday that it would provide more details in the coming days, union leaders revealed some preliminary terms. The tentative agreement will increase wages by 7% in the first year of the contract, 4% in the second year and 3.5% in the third year, according to the union – following the model established by SAG-AFTRA with its end-of-year contract. strike in 2023. The new contract will include additional penalties for long workdays, including triple hourly pay for hourly workers when a workday exceeds 15 hours. “On-call” workers, meanwhile, will earn double hourly wages on the seventh day of work in a week. The union added that “additional wage increases will take effect on non-drama productions under the Videotape Supplemental Agreement,” a contract that covers certain reality shows, game shows, awards ceremonies, live TV shows and half-hour shows.

AI was a major concern for the union group during this round of negotiations, given that IATSE represents a wide range of occupations that could — or already are — be affected by the technology. In this regard, the union and management agreed to “new protections,” including “provisions ensuring that no employee is required to provide AI prompts in a manner that would result in the displacement of a covered employee “.

As for the union’s health and retirement plans, the deal will raise the $670 million the union has repeatedly said is needed to maintain those benefits. The “new broadcast residuals” are one of the financing mechanisms that will help strengthen the scheme, the union revealed.

“We thank everyone who participated in the negotiation process for the 2024 Basic Agreement,” West Coast union leaders said in their message to members Tuesday. “From start to finish, your contribution was invaluable and allowed our bargaining committee to be at the bargaining table with clear goals and consensus on how to achieve them.

The leaders added that they looked forward to presenting members with the “full package” of the agreement. The union is expected to release a summary of the agreement in two to three days, while a memorandum of understanding is expected in the next two weeks. Union locals will also hold town halls for members to explain the deal, while a webinar for all locals will be held on July 13.

IATSE began negotiating its basic agreement on March 5. While many in the industry initially feared that this year’s negotiations could lead to the industry’s third strike in two years, during the negotiations union leaders generally offered messages of hope. Importantly, the negotiations took place at a time when a large portion of crew members were still reeling from the 2023 strikes and facing fewer employment opportunities amid a broader industry-wide contraction. the industry.

The union had originally planned to conclude negotiations on the basic agreement on May 17, but the union and management ended up adding two additional bargaining periods because key points remained unresolved. Ultimately, the interim deal, reached on the second day of the latest extension of negotiations, was reached well ahead of the basic agreement’s July 31 expiration date.