Maybe you have noticed those yellow signs around Georgia with cryptic names or acronyms on them and a big arrow pointing in the direction of a movie project. Around Atlanta, “Emergency No Parking” signs are regularly seen in neighborhoods as film crews take over streets. Unless something changes soon, those signs might get a lot rarer for a while. This week, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) voted overwhelmingly – 98 percent to be exact – to approve a strike if union leadership cannot come to an agreement with studios.
The vote is the first time since IATSE was founded in 1893 that members have voted to approve a nationwide strike. IATSE President Matthew Loeb defended his members and what they are looking for in negotiations.
“The members have spoken loud and clear,” said Loeb. “This vote is about the quality of life as well as the health and safety of those who work in the film and television industry. Our people have basic human needs like time for meal breaks, adequate sleep, and a weekend. For those at the bottom of the pay scale, they deserve nothing less than a living wage.”
The impact of a strike in Georgia could mean a pretty big hit. The state reported direct spending of $4 billion on productions in the state during fiscal year 2021. And that was despite Covid, as the state took proactive efforts to build and train on Covid protocols for sets and pent-up demand from the Covid shutdown meant a number of projects got pushed to 2021 instead of fiscal year 2020. Numbers of workers in the film industry are notoriously hard to nail down but somewhere around 40,000 workers are involved in projects across the state. Certainly not all of them are in IATSE but a shutdown from IATSE would mean continuing film projects is likely impossible.
The union is arguing for more meals and breaks during the day, rest periods between shifts and on weekends and higher wages for low-paid workers. The crux of the issue though is the streaming services that have quickly become a central player in Hollywood and the entertainment industry in the U.S. Current agreements with some of the major streaming services include a different method of calculating wages and residuals compared to the more legacy studios. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and others are now loaded with funding and IATSE wants to update the terms of its agreements.
The threat of the now-approved strike could mean some extra leverage in negotiations, something Loeb reminded people of in the IATSE announcement.
“I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members,” Loeb said. “The ball is in their court. If they want to avoid a strike, they will return to the bargaining table and make us a reasonable offer.“
