If a new living wage and better working conditions for film and television employees are not agreed upon by this weekend, the IATSE union has threatened to strike on Monday, October 18th.
Hollywood enjoys telling us stories. But there’s one storey it doesn’t want you to hear right now.
It’s the narrative of the crew members who work below the line. To put it another way, anybody who isn’t the project’s director, producer, actor, or writer. Those who don’t sign up for a big check before the wheels start turning.
These professionals form the backbone of the US film and television business, from camera operators and technicians to costume designers and visual effects specialists. Productions just cannot be created without them.
In the United States, a single union, IATSE, represents about 150,000 of these workers (The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). 90% of its members voted last week on whether to strike over ‘unacceptable working conditions’ for US film and television employees.
A staggering 98 percent of those who voted opted to strike if new terms for 60,000 film and television workers under particular contracts are not negotiated by Monday.
But why is this occurring now, what are the challenges facing film and television employees in Hollywood and across the United States, and what may happen if projects are halted indefinitely? We dissect how Hollywood became the central character in its own real-life drama.
IATSE said this week that its members would go on strike on Monday, October 18 if improved pay and working conditions for film and television crews working in Hollywood and worldwide are not achieved.
It will be the first countrywide strike in the union’s 128-year existence if this happens. Strikes are uncommon among Hollywood employees.
