IATSE Members Vote to Authorize a Strike With Over 98 Percent Support

IATSE Members Vote to Authorize a Strike With Over 98 Percent Support

Source: Hollywood Reporter

OCTOBER 4, 2021 11:12AM


Signaling overwhelming support for its union’s battle with producers over two expiring contracts, as widely expected, IATSE members have voted to authorize an industry-wide strike. This marks the first authorization of a nationwide strike in the union’s history.

Over 98 percent of eligible members from 36 Locals voted to authorize a strike in the momentous contest for the union — which bargains on behalf of over 150,000 crew members internationally, including cinematographers, operators, grips, editors, costumers and writers assistants, among others. This strike authorization vote concerns around 60,000, or about 40 percent, of those workers. Meanwhile, about 90 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot. Members voted simultaneously between October 1 and October 3 via ballots that were emailed to them, a little under two weeks after international president Matthew D. Loeb announced to members that the union would take the step amid stalled contract talks.

“The members have spoken loud and clear,” Loeb said in a statement on Monday. “This vote is about the quality of life as well as the health and safety of those who work in the film and television industry. Our people have basic human needs like time for meal breaks, adequate sleep, and a weekend. For those at the bottom of the pay scale, they deserve nothing less than a living wage.”


According to the union, during negotiations the AMPTP did not satisfactorily budge on critical issues including “excessively unsafe and harmful working hours,” “unlivable wages for the lowest paid crafts,” “consistent failure to provide reasonable rest during meal breaks, between workdays, and on weekends” and “workers on certain ‘new media’ streaming projects get paid less.” With the vote, the union was hoping to demonstrate its workers’ solidarity and gain more leverage in these talks.


Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/iatse-strike-vote-results-1235017990/


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