Hollywood could undergo yet another shutdown following the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) recent vote to authorize a nationwide strike if negotiations fail with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

With an 89 percent turnout, the IATSE union overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike with 98 percent in favor, putting the AMPTP in a difficult position as the deadline to renew a contract looms.

According to Deadline, the two contracts being contested are “the Hollywood Basic Agreement, which covers 13 West Coast studio locals, and the Area Standards Agreement, covering 23 locals outside Los Angeles.”

IATSE president Matthew Loeb hailed the vote as a sign to the AMPTP that the union has the resolve to fight for “basic human needs.”

The members have spoken loud and clear. 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.

I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members. The ball is in their court. If they want to avoid a strike, they will return to the bargaining table and make us a reasonable offer.

The IATSE union represents 140,000 technicians and artisans throughout the entertainment industry, below-the-line workers who have been sounding the alarm in recent weeks about workplace abuses, including elongated hours, reduction in pay, dangerous on-the-job demands, and lack of meal breaks.
Though the AMPTP has largely kept quiet, issuing carefully worded statements on occasion, the organization had a markedly different tone when responding to the strike authorization.

We deeply value our IATSE crew members and are committed to working with them to avoid shutting down the industry at such a pivotal time, particularly since the industry is still recovering from the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. A deal can be made at the bargaining table, but it will require both parties working together in good faith with a willingness to compromise and to explore new solutions to resolve the open issues.

Prior to the vote, Loeb told his members that the AMPTP turned the situation into a “struggle about power, not reason.”

“We are at a stage where the employers have made this struggle about power, not reason,” said Loeb. “Therefore we are initiating a strike vote to authorize me to call one if necessary. It is crucial that every member understand the seriousness of this matter and return their ballot in favor of the strike vote. A clear decisive message will be sent.”