IATSE Members Vote for Film and TV Production Strikes

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees reports that 60,000 members who work in television and film production across the country have voted -- by a nearly unanimous margin -- to grant IATSE International president Matthew Loeb the authority to call a strike. This is the first time in IATSE's 128-year history that members of the union have authorized a nationwide strike.

Results show 90% of eligible union voters cast ballots, with more than 98% of them in support of strike authorization.

"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."

In the 13 West Coast local unions, where members work under the Basic Agreement, it was required that 75% of members voting in each local union approve the strike vote for that local union to authorize a strike. The same conditions applied to the 23 locals across the nation located in production hubs including Georgia, Louisiana, Illinois, and New Mexico operating under the Area Standards Agreement. That threshold was exceeded in all 36 local unions with none reporting less than 96% voting to authorize a strike.

Overall voter turnout was 90%. Support for strike authorization was more than 98% nationwide. Online voting was conducted by election management services company Honest Ballot.

"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."

Loeb informed the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) of the election results Monday morning, saying he "emphasized the need for the studios to adequately address the union's core issues."

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Loeb said, "We really have four points that are hanging [out] there, and a few other issues that I think will be dealt with, but you're talking about meals and breaks during the day; rest periods between shifts and on the weekends; a living wage for the lowest-paid people; and some appropriate adjustments to new media [streaming] based on its maturity.

"The rest periods and the quality-of-life issues, including the meals and the breaks, are clearly getting a lot of momentum, but I would not diminish the importance of the other issues I mentioned -- they are all priorities."

The industry publication The Wrap adds, "It's typical for Hollywood's labor unions to support for each other during labor disputes, but the support for IATSE during its current contract dispute with film and TV producers goes beyond the usual labor solidarity. That's because the below-the-line workers' union could be setting a standard for all future Hollywood contracts in the streaming era."

According to Variety, "The Directors Guild of America issued a statement of solidarity after the vote tally was announced and called on the AMPTP to reach an agreement. "The quality of life and living wage issues they are fighting for are important to all workers on set," the DGA board said.