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Hollywood crew members reach tentative deal with major studios

Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times on

Published in Business News

Film and TV crew members have reached a tentative contract deal with the major Hollywood studios after months of bargaining, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced Tuesday night.

The resolution arrived before the current contract’s expiration date, finally permitting the entertainment industry to breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of two marathon strikes waged by actors and screenwriters. IATSE’s Hollywood Basic Agreement spans three years and covers some 50,000 craftspeople primarily based in Los Angeles.

The tentative deal includes updated terms related to pay, pension and health benefits, work-life balance, job security, subcontracting, streaming residuals and artificial intelligence.

“From start to finish, your input was invaluable and ensured that our Negotiations Committee was at the bargaining table with clear goals and a consensus for how to achieve them,” IATSE’s negotiating team said Tuesday in a memo to members. “The ratification timeline will be forthcoming and we look forward to presenting to you the complete package.”

A summary of the deal will be released within the next few days, followed by a full copy of the document in roughly two weeks. The deal must then be ratified by the union’s membership before the memorandum of agreement can officially go into effect.

So far, the union has revealed that the deal contains wage-scale increases of 7%, 4%, and 3.5% over the three-year term. It also stipulates that hourly workers are entitled to triple-time pay whenever the workday exceeds 15 hours — an effort by the union to dissuade employers from scheduling marathon shoot days.

 

Additionally, on-call employees would receive double-time pay on the seventh day of the workweek under the new agreement.

The deal includes terms related to artificial intelligence as well, mandating that “no employee is required to provide AI prompts in any manner that would result in the displacement of any covered employee,” according to Tuesday’s announcement.

IATSE and the AMPTP returned to the bargaining table this week after failing to close the deal during the previous round of general negotiations earlier this month. Last to fall into place were terms related to wages, pensions and health benefits, according to a union source who was not authorized to comment.

IATSE — which advocates for costume designers, makeup artists, hairstylists, cinematographers, set decorators, lighting technicians, camera operators and other craftspeople — has been campaigning for a new contract since early March. The labor organization’s current pact with the major studios went into effect in 2021 and was set to expire July 31, 2024.

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