Hollywood production workers pushing for better working conditions and pay voted nearly unanimously Monday to authorize a strike, a scenario that could hobble the entertainment industry as content companies race to keep pace with the ever-growing demand for new programing.
Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees voted 98 percent to 2 percent to allow union president Matthew D. Loeb to call for a work stoppage, though the group will attempt to return to the bargaining table before actually striking. The union represents more than 60,000 set builders, costume designers, video engineers and other behind-the-scenes workers.
IATSE members have pressed production companies to improve compensation and on-set work conditions as increasing sums of money inundate the content industry. Salaries for off-camera personnel have not grown commensurate with those of actors and writers, workers say, and the rush to produce new programs has deprived workers of bathroom breaks, sleep and time with family.
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“I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members,” Loeb said in a news release. “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.”
Hollywood faces new crisis in strike threat from off-screen workers who keep productions running
A strike could spell disaster for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that employs and dispatches workers to sets around the country. The alliance said it offered a “generous comprehensive package” during negotiations that included improvements in rest periods, and nearly $400 million to address a pension and health plan deficit. Officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
IATSE rejected that offer, and experts say the strike-authorization vote gives the union more leverage to negotiate a better deal with the alliance. In 2007, when TV and movie writers walked off set for 14 weeks, ratings tanked and networks responded by launching a slew of unsuccessful reality shows.
With demand for streaming content continuing to soar during the pandemic, a work stoppage could cause major headaches for production companies. Experts say a strike would slow production and potentially interfere with seasonal start dates or airtimes.
“In the short run it would shut everything down,” Glenn Williamson, a producer and former studio executive who teaches at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, told The Washington Post last week. “The people in the guilds — they’re the lifeblood of a production.”
At the heart of the dispute is how workers are compensated for the content available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.
These streaming services have dramatically altered the Hollywood landscape in recent years, turning production into a year-round endeavor with no downtime, instead of a seasonal one with slow periods built in. The pressure on the workforce has grown intense.
Crew members say their contracts haven’t caught up with the new reality in Hollywood, where major streaming services reap billions and pour big money into high-end productions — yet some of the workers make just at or slightly above minimum wage. Pay scales for streaming platforms tend to be lower than traditional media productions because of terms that were negotiated before streaming services established the dominant position they now hold in Hollywood.
Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees voted 98 percent to 2 percent to allow union president Matthew D. Loeb to call for a work stoppage, though the group will attempt to return to the bargaining table before actually striking. The union represents more than 60,000 set builders, costume designers, video engineers and other behind-the-scenes workers.
IATSE members have pressed production companies to improve compensation and on-set work conditions as increasing sums of money inundate the content industry. Salaries for off-camera personnel have not grown commensurate with those of actors and writers, workers say, and the rush to produce new programs has deprived workers of bathroom breaks, sleep and time with family.
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“I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members,” Loeb said in a news release. “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.”
Hollywood faces new crisis in strike threat from off-screen workers who keep productions running
A strike could spell disaster for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that employs and dispatches workers to sets around the country. The alliance said it offered a “generous comprehensive package” during negotiations that included improvements in rest periods, and nearly $400 million to address a pension and health plan deficit. Officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
IATSE rejected that offer, and experts say the strike-authorization vote gives the union more leverage to negotiate a better deal with the alliance. In 2007, when TV and movie writers walked off set for 14 weeks, ratings tanked and networks responded by launching a slew of unsuccessful reality shows.
With demand for streaming content continuing to soar during the pandemic, a work stoppage could cause major headaches for production companies. Experts say a strike would slow production and potentially interfere with seasonal start dates or airtimes.
“In the short run it would shut everything down,” Glenn Williamson, a producer and former studio executive who teaches at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, told The Washington Post last week. “The people in the guilds — they’re the lifeblood of a production.”
At the heart of the dispute is how workers are compensated for the content available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.
These streaming services have dramatically altered the Hollywood landscape in recent years, turning production into a year-round endeavor with no downtime, instead of a seasonal one with slow periods built in. The pressure on the workforce has grown intense.
Crew members say their contracts haven’t caught up with the new reality in Hollywood, where major streaming services reap billions and pour big money into high-end productions — yet some of the workers make just at or slightly above minimum wage. Pay scales for streaming platforms tend to be lower than traditional media productions because of terms that were negotiated before streaming services established the dominant position they now hold in Hollywood.
