Workers in Hollywood are on the verge of deciding whether or not to strike. Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees voted 98 percent in favor of a strike if the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers does not offer them a better contract. With 60,000 IATSE members employed in positions such as makeup artist, set designer, grip, and editor, the entertainment sector may be crippled by a walkout.
Sarah May Guenther, who is a second camera assistant on the upcoming HBO Max limited series Love and Death, adds, “It’s really foreboding.” She is also a member of the International Cinematographers Guild’s national executive board, which means that every ring of the phone might bring news that will alter everything for her and her colleagues. “I was walking out to take a call when my director of photography approached me and asked, ‘Are we going on strike?'” Guenther recalls. “Should I be getting ready for this?”
It’s difficult to see Hollywood being able to fully plan for a walkout of this magnitude, which would include employees from preproduction through postproduction.
“They’re the only union that could go on strike, and it would be really powerful—they’re everything!” says the showrunner of a popular streaming series. “It’d be a disaster,” says Sue Naegle, the chief creative officer of Annapurna Pictures, which produces both television and films. “If there is a strike, we’ll be given advance notice so that we can wrap everyone up and assist our workers.” What is your contingency strategy? “We don’t have a plan B.”
Executives from studios and streaming services are keeping a careful eye on the issue. According to reports, several producers are presently working seven-day weeks in preparation for a strike, rushing to finish filming. Many projects are already running on such tight timelines or with such limited time limits with A-list performers that even a brief walkout might be disastrous.
“We’ve clearly been advised by our union to start saving and be prepared for no income,” Guenther says of IATSE members.
