The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Teamsters unions have threatened the major Hollywood studios with a strike if contract negotiations fail later this year.
Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters, made the threat known when speaking at a rally of more than 2,000 crew members on Sunday.
“We are not afraid to strike,” O’Brien said. “If these greedy corporations — whether it’s Amazon, Netflix, Sony… Disney — if they choose not to reward our members, they are putting themselves on strike. We will put them on their back, on their knees, begging for mercy.”
O’Brien even went as far as to refer to the studios as “white-collar crime syndicates.”
“We have a message for the white-collar crime syndicates known as the studios,” he said. “When you fuck with the Teamsters, or any other union, it’s a full contact sport. Put your helmets on and buckle your chin straps.”
Matthew Loeb, the international president of IATSE, issued a less hostile message, saying, “There’s enough to go around.” He also addressed the ongoing issue of artificial intelligence and whether or not it will replace workers.
“Those advantages need to take the pressure off our jobs, so we can enjoy our families and live these lives, and not have to work 80-hour weeks,” Loeb said. “If that efficiency comes, it needs to come to us and our jobs. And we will use that to do our jobs better. But we want some of the spoils of artificial intelligence.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Produce (AMPTP) and the unions have until July 31 to reach an agreement, with negotiations set to begin on Monday. The Hollywood Basic Crafts union will also be a part of the negotiations, per Variety.
Thirteen IATSE locals work under the Basic Agreement, including the International Cinematographers Guild and the Motion Picture Editors Guild. Another 23 locals around the country work under a parallel contract called the Area Standards Agreement.
The upcoming talks were on the mind of many members at the American Cinema Editors’ Eddie Awards; American Society of Cinematographers’ ASC Awards; and Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards.
DP Amy Vincent — who won the American Society of Cinematographers Presidents Award — emphasized the issue of set safety, which is top-of-mind as the “Rust” trial unfolds in New Mexico, where armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is accused of negligence in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Should the strikes commence, it will be roughly one year after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) union and the SAG-AFTRA union shut the industry down with historic strikes that lasted over 100 days.
As Breitbart News reported recently, blue-collar Hollywood have been facing difficult times as studios undergo massive layoffs, halt spending, and cancel projects.
In a report from Indiewire, crew members revealed that some have been without a full-time job for more than a year, relying on day-playing, the occasional music video, or odd jobs outside of film and TV. Many spoke of people leaving the industry altogether, of colleagues losing their healthcare coverage, and their savings.
“In a report from Indiewire, crew members revealed that some have been without a full-time job for more than a year, relying on day-playing, the occasional music video, or odd jobs outside of film and TV. Many spoke of people leaving the industry altogether, of colleagues losing their healthcare coverage, and their savings,” it said.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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