IATSE negotiators this week moved on to the next stage of contract negotiations with major Hollywood studios and streamers after concluding negotiations with all 13 local unions on the West Coast on technology-specific aspects of new master agreements. We are preparing for it.
IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Monday will focus negotiations on wages, residual benefits, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production. These are thorny questions for the unions that represent the majority of bottom-line workers in television and film.
Matthew Loeb, president of IATSE International, said the goal is for member states to approve a new three-year agreement by July 31, when the current agreement expires. The industry is watching the IATSE talks with nerves after months of strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA last year. There are hopes that a further shutdown of the industry can be avoided due to the fact that both sides began the negotiation process in early March, giving ample space to discuss difficult issues without feeling pressured by the passage of time.
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So far, IATSE International Vice President Matthew Miller has brought about a positive change in the atmosphere at the negotiating table at AMPTP's headquarters in Sherman Oaks. This is in contrast to the controversy at last year's WGA and SAG-AFTRA talks that IATSE leaders observed as they prepared to take the table.
“While issues specific to our local craft have required attention from employers, we are seeing improved engagement and dialogue at the table,” Mr Miller said. “This shows that studio negotiators are giving different marching orders in this contract cycle. This approach will help us as we continue to negotiate.
In the coming weeks. ”
On Friday, IATSE confirmed that its affiliate Real Estate Craftsman Local 44 reached a tentative agreement with AMPTP on April 25th. Studio Teachers, IATSE Local 884, reached a tentative agreement on April 19th. We now have a list of 13 local companies that have reached tentative agreements on issues specific to their areas of expertise. Next up is formal general negotiations on the basic agreement, which are scheduled to begin on April 29th and continue until May 16th. The contract covers approximately 40,000 workers in 13 local regions on the West Coast.
Negotiations on the IATSE Regional Standards Agreement are scheduled to take place from May 20th to May 31st. The agreement covers approximately 20,000 workers in 23 local locations across the United States, including nearly every location where TV shows and movies are produced, excluding New York.
IATSE leaders have so far kept the saber-rattling to a minimum, despite major concerns about negotiations within an industry desperate to avoid another debilitating work stoppage. But the stakes are high, with pressure on Mr. Loeb and Mr. Miller to deliver significant contract benefits to union members who are essential to the television and film production process. In its latest negotiation message to member states, IATSE reminded them of the need to show determination and unity.
“IATSE calls on all our film and television sisters, brothers and relatives, and the broader labor movement, to join us in #OneFightFridays and wear our union souvenirs every Friday for the remainder of the bargaining period to fight for the world. We continue to call for a visual demonstration of our strength and unity across the nation,” the message read.