I know a lot of news about the entertainment industry can be very inside baseball and most people don’t know what’s going on or are very concerned about it. Most of the time, unless you are in the industry, you don’t see news updates or understand what things mean if you do see the news. I think the union elections are like that. Even though this past election was making a lot of national news, most people didn’t know what it meant or why it mattered. And that’s ok. And when things do reach a majority of people, like when there was a writer’s strike, most people only saw the surface of what it meant and might have been upset that their shows weren’t happening.
But right now, there is something happening that I don’t feel is getting the national attention it should and it is very important.
Starting next week, IATSE is going to have a strike authorization vote because of the status of the current negotiations on their contract.
IATSE is the union that covers so many of the people who work behind the scenes on set. They include sound technicians, editors, costumers, hair and make-up, electrical technicians, and so many more. These are all the people who help to make the shows and movies people love look so amazing. They help the actors work by creating the environments we perform in and making sure that we have what we need to do our job. Without members of IATSE on set, production wouldn’t be possible.
In their current negotiations with the AMPTP (the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, who is the same group that my union negotiates with), they are asking for things that I agree they deserve. They want better wages, more reasonable rest periods between work days, making sure everyone gets their breaks and meals, and other things that will make their working conditions better and safer for them. I think they deserve these things and more.
When I work on set, I have long days. Most of my time is sitting around and waiting. But members of IATSE have even longer days. They arrive before actors come to set and they stay after we are sent home. They do not get to rest in a trailer and wait for their time to work because they are always busy and working. I know that I am always grateful for the crew of sets that I work on, but I also know that I can show my appreciation more for them. And standing with them for this negotiation is just the start of what we can all do.
Coming up in about a week, different groups within IATSE are going to vote on whether they would like to strike or not. Each group has to have at least 75% agreeing with the strike for it to go through. And if it goes through, it’s not guaranteed that a strike will happen. But the negotiating team from IATSE will have the ability to call a strike if the negotiations still are stuck. And if there is a strike, everything in the industry would stop. Production is impossible without IATSE, and that proves even more why they deserve what they are asking for.
I don’t think anyone wants a strike to happen. So many people have been out of work due to the pandemic and things are just picking back up again. But at the same time, it’s not fair not to negotiate for what they deserve just because they want to work. They want to work but in safe and fair conditions. And if a strike is what it takes so they can get that, then they need to strike. And I stand with IATSE 100%.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t stand with IATSE. We all see how hard they work when we are on set and the conditions that some people worked in were not fully understood until recently. I know I am guilty of that. But I’m doing what I can to try to help make things better.
Please sign this petition to show your support for IATSE in these negotiations. If you enjoy any tv shows or movies, then you should support the people making them. I stand in solidarity with IATSE because I know they would do the same for us. And I will continue to stand with them even if the strike does happen.
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