Topline:
IATSE negotiations are about to start on March 4, followed by the U.K.'s own actors' Equity guild.
Why it matters: IATSE represents more than 150,000 below-the-line entertainment workers, from costume designers to motion picture editors. About 60,000 workers are affected by the two contracts coming up for negotiation.
In 2021, IATSE threatened to go on strike, producing an overwhelming 98% authorization vote (with a whopping 90% turnout). But the worst was averted with an October agreement. This time around, the talks come on the heels of last year’s historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
What does IATSE want? No proposals have been released yet. During the last negotiation, the union was after higher wages, more manageable working hours (with more rest hours between shooting days), and better health benefits.
Like the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA before them, IATSE members also wanted better pay for streaming projects. Although IATSE made some gains in streaming pay scales, there are members who’d like to see further improvement. AI is also likely to be an issue on the table.
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