IATSE tentative agreement reached with studios and banners

Illustration THR/Adobe Stock

On Tuesday night, crew union IATSE reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract covering 13 West Coast locals with Hollywood’s top studios and broadcasters.

Leaders of 13 West Coast locals, which collectively represent about 50,000 crew members, revealed the news to members Tuesday night. The IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents management in collective bargaining, later announced the news. The contract deal, which replaces the so-called basic agreement, is still subject to a ratification vote, which has not yet been scheduled, before it goes into effect.

Although IATSE told members on Tuesday that it would provide more details in the next few days, union leaders revealed some early conditions. The interim agreement will result in wage increases of 7% in the first year of the contract, 4% in the second year, and 3.5% in the third year, according to the union — following the pattern set by SAG-AFTRA with its strike termination contract. in 2023. The new contract will include additional penalties for long work days, including tripling hourly wages for hourly workers when a workday exceeds 15 hours. Meanwhile, “on-demand” workers will receive double their hourly wages on the seventh day of their work in one week. The union added that “additional wage increases will take effect on non-drama productions under the Supplemental Videotape Agreement,” a contract that covers certain reality shows, game shows, award shows, live television and half-hour shows.

AI was a major concern for the working group entering this round of negotiations, given that IATSE represents a wide range of crafts that can be – or are already affected by – technology. In this regard, the union and management agreed to “new protections,” including “language ensuring that no employee is required to file AI claims in any manner that would displace any covered employee.”

When it comes to the union’s health and pension plans, the deal would meet the $670 million the union has repeatedly said is needed to keep those benefits strong. He revealed that the “new waste stream” is one of the financing mechanisms that will help boost the plan.

“We thank everyone who participated in the 2024 Basic Agreement negotiation process,” West Coast union leaders stated in their letter to members on Tuesday. “From start to finish, your input was invaluable and ensured that our negotiating committee was at the negotiating table with clear goals and consensus on how to achieve them.”

Leaders added they looked forward to presenting the “full package” of the deal to members. The Union is scheduled to issue a summary of the agreement within two to three days, while a memorandum of agreement is expected to be issued within the next two weeks. In addition, Union Locals will host town halls for members to explain the deal, while a webinar for all locals will be hosted on 13 July.

IATSE began negotiating its basic agreement on 5 March. While many in the industry initially worried that this year’s negotiations could lead to the industry’s third strike in two years, union leaders generally offered messages of hope over the course of the talks. More importantly, the negotiations came at a time when a wide swath of crew members were still reeling from 2023 strikes and facing fewer job opportunities amid a broader industry-wide downturn.

The union had initially planned to conclude basic agreement negotiations on May 17, but the labor group and management ended up adding two additional bargaining periods as key points remained unresolved. Ultimately, the initial agreement – which came on the second day of the latest extension of bargaining – was reached well before the original agreement’s July 31 expiration date.