Hollywood Strike Averted IATSE Producers Reach Deal on New Film TV Contract
Hollywood dodged a bullet. IATSE and the major studios reached a tentative deal just days before a strike that would have shut down film and television production nationwide.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees represents the crews that actually make movies and TV shows happen. Camera operators electricians prop masters set decorators. Without them nothing gets filmed.
Deadline reported the deal includes improved rest periods between shifts and better wages for workers on streaming productions who had been getting shortchanged compared to theatrical releases.
The 14-hour days with minimal turnaround had become normalized. Crew members were driving home exhausted and sometimes not making it. The horror stories from set were piling up.
Streaming has transformed the economics of production but workers hadnt seen the benefits.
Whether the rank and file ratify the deal remains to be seen. Some members felt leadership caved too quickly after getting this close to striking. Others are just relieved to keep working.
The threat of a strike did what years of negotiation couldnt. Funny how that works.
Studios were facing billions in losses if productions shut down. That kind of math tends to focus the mind during negotiations.
The bigger picture is that labor is flexing across industries in ways we havent seen in decades. Hollywood might just be the most visible example.
Deal reached October 2021
