IATSE West Coast Locals and major Hollywood studios and streamers tackled issues including AI and wages in their latest week of general negotiations, the union reported to members on Friday.
The two parties also discussed working conditions, the issue of companies allegedly subcontracting work that IATSE believes is covered under its contract to outside parties, IATSE’s Videotape Agreement (which covers some reality shows, game shows, awards shows, live TV and half-hour shows) and sideletters that the union wants to do away with.
The union did not provide any more details on the substance of these conversations in its Friday message, which nevertheless positioned the talks as progressing effectively so far. The union’s international president, Matthew Loeb, said in a statement that the union had been “constructively engaging” with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of studios and streamers with Hollywood unions.
“The...
The two parties also discussed working conditions, the issue of companies allegedly subcontracting work that IATSE believes is covered under its contract to outside parties, IATSE’s Videotape Agreement (which covers some reality shows, game shows, awards shows, live TV and half-hour shows) and sideletters that the union wants to do away with.
The union did not provide any more details on the substance of these conversations in its Friday message, which nevertheless positioned the talks as progressing effectively so far. The union’s international president, Matthew Loeb, said in a statement that the union had been “constructively engaging” with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of studios and streamers with Hollywood unions.
“The...
- 5/11/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IATSE negotiators are bracing for the next phase of contract negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios and streamers after the conclusion this week of talks with all 13 West Coast local union on the craft-specific aspects of a new master contract.
On Monday, IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will shift the focus of negotiations to wages, residuals, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production. Those are the thornier issues to hammer out for the union that represents the vast majority of below-the-line workers in TV and film.
IATSE International president Matthew Loeb has said his goal is to have the new three-year contract ratified by members prior to the July 31 expiration of the current agreement. After last year’s months-long strikes by Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the industry is nervously watching the IATSE talks. There’s hope for avoiding another industry...
On Monday, IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will shift the focus of negotiations to wages, residuals, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production. Those are the thornier issues to hammer out for the union that represents the vast majority of below-the-line workers in TV and film.
IATSE International president Matthew Loeb has said his goal is to have the new three-year contract ratified by members prior to the July 31 expiration of the current agreement. After last year’s months-long strikes by Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the industry is nervously watching the IATSE talks. There’s hope for avoiding another industry...
- 4/26/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
As generative artificial intelligence tools push into the entertainment industry, Hollywood is throwing its weight behind a bill that will require heightened transparency from AI companies.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Tuesday, will require firms to disclose copyrighted works used to train generative AI systems. If the bill passes, OpenAI, for example, would be forced to reveal videos and other content used to create Sora.
It’s a long-shot bid to provide some ammunition to companies and creators across the industry that are threatened by the rise of generative AI tools that could play a significant role in the production pipeline. If it’s made known that companies used copyrighted works from filmmakers, writers and artists, among others, in the creation of AI systems, there could be cause to sue.
Trade groups and unions across the industry are cheering on the bill. Most maintained that their...
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Tuesday, will require firms to disclose copyrighted works used to train generative AI systems. If the bill passes, OpenAI, for example, would be forced to reveal videos and other content used to create Sora.
It’s a long-shot bid to provide some ammunition to companies and creators across the industry that are threatened by the rise of generative AI tools that could play a significant role in the production pipeline. If it’s made known that companies used copyrighted works from filmmakers, writers and artists, among others, in the creation of AI systems, there could be cause to sue.
Trade groups and unions across the industry are cheering on the bill. Most maintained that their...
- 4/9/2024
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When the Writers Guild of America went on strike last May, union leaders argued that artificial intelligence posed an existential threat to writers, painting a picture of a dystopian future in which TV shows might be crafted by one writer and a machine.
Ten months later, the tone in Hollywood labor circles has shifted significantly. At a March 3 rally in Los Angeles, Matthew Loeb, international president of IATSE, argued that AI has the potential to make union members’ jobs easier.
“We want some of the spoils of artificial intelligence,” Loeb said.
AI is high on the agenda as IATSE looks to set a new three-year contract with Hollywood’s major studios and streamers before the July 31 expiration of its current deal. Like the other unions that have struck new contracts over the past year — the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America and the American Federation of Musicians — IATSE is seeking “guardrails” on AI use.
Ten months later, the tone in Hollywood labor circles has shifted significantly. At a March 3 rally in Los Angeles, Matthew Loeb, international president of IATSE, argued that AI has the potential to make union members’ jobs easier.
“We want some of the spoils of artificial intelligence,” Loeb said.
AI is high on the agenda as IATSE looks to set a new three-year contract with Hollywood’s major studios and streamers before the July 31 expiration of its current deal. Like the other unions that have struck new contracts over the past year — the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America and the American Federation of Musicians — IATSE is seeking “guardrails” on AI use.
- 4/3/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSUntil Branches Bend.Amidst a widespread debate on the merit of U.S. state financial incentives for film and television productions, a Georgia bill that would have limited the sale of tax credits was rejected by the Senate Finance Committee. In recent years, those credits have exceeded $1 billion despite findings that the state makes back only 19¢ on the dollar. Four of the thirteen labor guilds bargaining with IATSE have now reached tentative agreements with the AMPTP: Locals 600 (cinematographers), 729 (set painters), 800 (art directors), and 695. IATSE president Matthew Loeb has threatened to strike if a new contract is not in place when the current one expires on July 31.Due to financial constraints, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival will be...
- 3/28/2024
- MUBI
The prospect of another Hot Labor Summer in Hollywood just became a little less likely.
“Today marked the conclusion of our bargaining team’s in-person local negotiations with the AMPTP regarding our Camera and Publicist Agreements,” the leadership of the International Cinematographer’s Guild wrote in a note to members late last night. “We’ve reached a tentative agreement on Local 600 specific issues.”
The deal comes after just three days of direct talks between the Icg and the Carol Lombardini-led AMPTP. With the crafts guilds back at the bargaining table Monday after a week of caucusing, the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) is also in direct negotiations with the studios right now.
The Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) will start their own talks today, with IATSE Local 729 expected to also begin negotiations with the AMPTP this week. International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said Wednesday that under...
“Today marked the conclusion of our bargaining team’s in-person local negotiations with the AMPTP regarding our Camera and Publicist Agreements,” the leadership of the International Cinematographer’s Guild wrote in a note to members late last night. “We’ve reached a tentative agreement on Local 600 specific issues.”
The deal comes after just three days of direct talks between the Icg and the Carol Lombardini-led AMPTP. With the crafts guilds back at the bargaining table Monday after a week of caucusing, the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) is also in direct negotiations with the studios right now.
The Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) will start their own talks today, with IATSE Local 729 expected to also begin negotiations with the AMPTP this week. International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said Wednesday that under...
- 3/21/2024
- by Dominic Patten and Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix chief Ted Sarandos has weighed in on artificial intelligence’s place in Hollywood.
Sarandos discussed the contentious topic with Rob Lowe on an upcoming episode of the actor’s SiriusXM podcast Literally! with Rob Lowe. Deadline has an exclusive excerpt from the interview, where Sarandos called AI a “‘creators’ tool, not a ‘creative’ tool.”
Lowe points out that, after last year’s dual writers and actors strikes where AI was a big sticking point, the conversation is far from over, to which Sarandos replies, “Probably rightfully so.”
“I think that the creators who learn to use these tools better than everyone else are gonna win…not companies who create, but people who create,” he said, stressing that he doesn’t think AI will replace human filmmakers, because “it’s feasible that AI can replicate or imitate those things, but there’s something about the authenticity and the reality...
Sarandos discussed the contentious topic with Rob Lowe on an upcoming episode of the actor’s SiriusXM podcast Literally! with Rob Lowe. Deadline has an exclusive excerpt from the interview, where Sarandos called AI a “‘creators’ tool, not a ‘creative’ tool.”
Lowe points out that, after last year’s dual writers and actors strikes where AI was a big sticking point, the conversation is far from over, to which Sarandos replies, “Probably rightfully so.”
“I think that the creators who learn to use these tools better than everyone else are gonna win…not companies who create, but people who create,” he said, stressing that he doesn’t think AI will replace human filmmakers, because “it’s feasible that AI can replicate or imitate those things, but there’s something about the authenticity and the reality...
- 3/13/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
“Barbie” and “Ahsoka” received top honors at the 61st annual International Cinematographers Guild (Icg) Publicists Awards luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Friday.
The awards honor individual publicists and unit still photographers who further publicity campaigns for film,TV and entertainment journalists.
Variety’s senior entertainment reporter Angelique Jackson earned a nomination from Icg in the Press Award category.
In film, the team at Warner Bros. was recognized for their work on “Barbie.”
Over on the television side, the Disney+ marketing and publicity team took the top honors for their work on “Ahsoka.”
Kicking off the event, mention of the ongoing negotiations between IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts unions was made. Icg chair Sheryl Main praised Matthew Loeb, International president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and said solidarity was key.
Sir Patrick Stewart was honored with the 2024 Television Showperson of the Year Award.
During the luncheon,...
The awards honor individual publicists and unit still photographers who further publicity campaigns for film,TV and entertainment journalists.
Variety’s senior entertainment reporter Angelique Jackson earned a nomination from Icg in the Press Award category.
In film, the team at Warner Bros. was recognized for their work on “Barbie.”
Over on the television side, the Disney+ marketing and publicity team took the top honors for their work on “Ahsoka.”
Kicking off the event, mention of the ongoing negotiations between IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts unions was made. Icg chair Sheryl Main praised Matthew Loeb, International president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and said solidarity was key.
Sir Patrick Stewart was honored with the 2024 Television Showperson of the Year Award.
During the luncheon,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay and Carolyn Giardina
- Variety Film + TV
Last summer, as unionized writers and actors were on strike for a combined six months against Hollywood studios, crew members marched and chanted by their side. On Sunday, the chants continued, as thousands of crew workers gathered for a Los Angeles rally ahead of Monday’s bargaining talks with Hollywood studios and streamers, the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. With one of Hollywood’s longest actors’ strikes to date behind us, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members earned pattern-breaking wage increases, AI protections,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook.Newsa Different Man.IATSE, Teamsters, and the Hollywood Basic Crafts unions began bargaining jointly with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers after a thousands-strong rally in Los Angeles. In Variety, IATSE president Matthew Loeb discusses the union’s priorities and the threat of another strike after the current contract expires on July 31.In an open letter, Carlo Chatrian, the outgoing artistic director of the Berlinale, and Mark Peranson, the festival’s head of programming, respond to the backlash that followed the closing ceremony, at which a number of award recipients called for a ceasefire in Gaza: “This year’s festival was a place for dialogue and exchange for ten days; yet once the films stopped rolling, another form of communication...
- 3/6/2024
- MUBI
Banner of the Union of Stagehands and Wardrobe at the Oregon State Capitol during the Seiu/Afscme union rally on May 20, 2011. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Union leaders in Hollywood warned of another potential strike that could bring the production of television shows and movies to another halt.
The strike would involve members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Hollywood Basic Crafts, the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters and several other unions that represent behind-the-scenes crew members and hundreds of other workers who are critical to the production of major motion pictures and hit television series.
Those members work for major studios connected to Netflix, NBC Universal, Paramount Global, Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd), the Walt Disney Company, Lionsgate and others. Around 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers across the country are covered by a union.
The unions’ current contract is set to expire on July 31. Negotiations began on Monday with...
Union leaders in Hollywood warned of another potential strike that could bring the production of television shows and movies to another halt.
The strike would involve members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Hollywood Basic Crafts, the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters and several other unions that represent behind-the-scenes crew members and hundreds of other workers who are critical to the production of major motion pictures and hit television series.
Those members work for major studios connected to Netflix, NBC Universal, Paramount Global, Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd), the Walt Disney Company, Lionsgate and others. Around 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers across the country are covered by a union.
The unions’ current contract is set to expire on July 31. Negotiations began on Monday with...
- 3/5/2024
- by Matthew Keys
- The Desk
At the close of their first day of 2024 bargaining with studios and streamers, Hollywood’s major crew unions told members that talks are expected to continue for the rest of the week.
IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition (consisting of Locals with the Teamsters, Ibew, LiUNA!, Opcmia and UA) entered discussions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Monday starting around 2 p.m. over health and pension benefits. According to a social media update from IATSE on Monday night, the unions offered their initial proposals earlier that day and IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said in his opening remarks before the AMPTP, “Our folks understand the business they’re in, the sacrifices and precarious nature of employment, and they work within that environment anyway. But there’s no reason these companies can’t build in more protection, reliability and predictability that creates more security.”
The unions...
IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition (consisting of Locals with the Teamsters, Ibew, LiUNA!, Opcmia and UA) entered discussions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Monday starting around 2 p.m. over health and pension benefits. According to a social media update from IATSE on Monday night, the unions offered their initial proposals earlier that day and IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said in his opening remarks before the AMPTP, “Our folks understand the business they’re in, the sacrifices and precarious nature of employment, and they work within that environment anyway. But there’s no reason these companies can’t build in more protection, reliability and predictability that creates more security.”
The unions...
- 3/5/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The curtain is closed on Day 1 of talks between Hollywood’s below-the-line workers and the studios.
IATSE, along with Teamsters Local 399 and the rest of the Hollywood Basic Crafts, sat down at the negotiating table on Monday to begin drafting the 2024 film and TV contracts.
Deadline understands that the conversation, which began around 2 p.m. Pt, only lasted a few hours.
The unions presented their initial proposals to the AMPTP, and the studios have yet to return a counteroffer, according to sources.
The plan for the rest of the week will be determined based on how quickly the AMPTP brings their own proposal to the table, though discussions on the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans are expected to continue at least through this week and likely through next week as well.
Depending on the when the studios return with a counterproposal, IATSE may carry on with its...
IATSE, along with Teamsters Local 399 and the rest of the Hollywood Basic Crafts, sat down at the negotiating table on Monday to begin drafting the 2024 film and TV contracts.
Deadline understands that the conversation, which began around 2 p.m. Pt, only lasted a few hours.
The unions presented their initial proposals to the AMPTP, and the studios have yet to return a counteroffer, according to sources.
The plan for the rest of the week will be determined based on how quickly the AMPTP brings their own proposal to the table, though discussions on the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans are expected to continue at least through this week and likely through next week as well.
Depending on the when the studios return with a counterproposal, IATSE may carry on with its...
- 3/5/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
From one “hot labor summer” to the next: Below-the-line workers will sit down with the Hollywood studios Monday to begin talks for new film and TV contracts.
All eyes, metaphorically speaking, are on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ Sherman Oaks offices, as IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts link arms to discuss pension and health plans — the first step in a lengthy negotiation process that likely will extend well into the summer.
“Their fight is our fight. It’s really plain and simple,” IATSE International President Matthew Loeb told Deadline ahead of negotiations. “We’re on the same benefit plans. The [IATSE] kids and the Teamster and Basic Craft kids live on the same streets and play together and go to the same schools. We’re the same. We’re workers.”
Although Monday marks the official start of negotiations, sources tell Deadline that IATSE already had preliminary talks...
All eyes, metaphorically speaking, are on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ Sherman Oaks offices, as IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts link arms to discuss pension and health plans — the first step in a lengthy negotiation process that likely will extend well into the summer.
“Their fight is our fight. It’s really plain and simple,” IATSE International President Matthew Loeb told Deadline ahead of negotiations. “We’re on the same benefit plans. The [IATSE] kids and the Teamster and Basic Craft kids live on the same streets and play together and go to the same schools. We’re the same. We’re workers.”
Although Monday marks the official start of negotiations, sources tell Deadline that IATSE already had preliminary talks...
- 3/4/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Hollywood union leaders warned of the possibility of another strike this summer if the studios cannot reach a deal before crew contracts expire on July 31.
Speaking to a rally of more than 2,000 crew members on Sunday at Woodley Park in Encino, Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters, said the unions should commit to withhold their labor — and not grant an extension — if a deal is not agreed by the deadline.
“We are not afraid to strike,” O’Brien said. “If these greedy corporations — whether it’s Amazon, Netflix, Sony… Disney — if they choose not to reward our members, they are putting themselves on strike. We will put them on their back, on their knees, begging for mercy.”
Negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to begin on Monday. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Teamsters and the Hollywood Basic...
Speaking to a rally of more than 2,000 crew members on Sunday at Woodley Park in Encino, Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters, said the unions should commit to withhold their labor — and not grant an extension — if a deal is not agreed by the deadline.
“We are not afraid to strike,” O’Brien said. “If these greedy corporations — whether it’s Amazon, Netflix, Sony… Disney — if they choose not to reward our members, they are putting themselves on strike. We will put them on their back, on their knees, begging for mercy.”
Negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to begin on Monday. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Teamsters and the Hollywood Basic...
- 3/3/2024
- by Katcy Stephan, Gene Maddaus and Carolyn Giardina
- Variety Film + TV
Using fiery language like “solidarity is the solution to corporate greed” and “if we don’t get what we want, we will shut it f–king down day one,” union leaders on Sunday held what was dubbed a “unity rally” to rev up crew workers before joint negotiations begin Monday between IATSE, Teamsters Local 399 and Hollywood Basic Crafts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Hundreds of workers from all facets of the below-the-line community, from electrical workers and plasterers to editors, costumers and script supervisors packed a park just west of the I-405 in Encino, CA. to gear up for what they hope will be a successful negotiation period with the studios.
This year’s bargaining cycle marks the first time since 1988 that IATSE, Teamsters and the Hollywood Basic Crafts will jointly bargain health and pension benefits for their members under the shared Motion Picture Pension and Health Plan.
Hundreds of workers from all facets of the below-the-line community, from electrical workers and plasterers to editors, costumers and script supervisors packed a park just west of the I-405 in Encino, CA. to gear up for what they hope will be a successful negotiation period with the studios.
This year’s bargaining cycle marks the first time since 1988 that IATSE, Teamsters and the Hollywood Basic Crafts will jointly bargain health and pension benefits for their members under the shared Motion Picture Pension and Health Plan.
- 3/3/2024
- by Lynette Rice and Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
In many ways, longtime International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees president Matthew Loeb is the personification of that Teddy Roosevelt adage of “speak softly, and carry a big stick” …well, maybe except for the speak softly part.
“From where I sit, this is really about security in an industry that is precarious already,” Loeb states of the upcoming talks starting March 4 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on new three-year agreements. “A strike vote is always possible and I can’t rule it out,” the veteran union leader adds of the stakes involved for his members and the latest contract talks.
Heading into joint negotiations with studios with the Lindsay Dougherty-led Hollywood Teamsters and other crafts on Monday, Loeb arrived in LA earlier this week for last minute preparations with his team and other leaders. Fittingly, with support from all the other Guilds, Loeb also came...
“From where I sit, this is really about security in an industry that is precarious already,” Loeb states of the upcoming talks starting March 4 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on new three-year agreements. “A strike vote is always possible and I can’t rule it out,” the veteran union leader adds of the stakes involved for his members and the latest contract talks.
Heading into joint negotiations with studios with the Lindsay Dougherty-led Hollywood Teamsters and other crafts on Monday, Loeb arrived in LA earlier this week for last minute preparations with his team and other leaders. Fittingly, with support from all the other Guilds, Loeb also came...
- 3/2/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Matthew Loeb is heading into what is likely to be the most consequential negotiation of his 16-year tenure to date as international president of IATSE.
The union’s contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to begin March 4. After last year’s protracted strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the industry is on edge about the possibility of another work stoppage. This time around, IATSE is bolstering its bargaining muscle by negotiating key aspects of the contract jointly with the Hollywood Basic Crafts union as well as Hollywood Teamsters.
In a wide-ranging Q&a, Loeb details the key issues at stake — AI, streaming residuals and pay hikes — and why he’s already declared that IATSE is not willing to extend its current contract after the July 31 expiration date.
Artificial intelligence blew up into a huge issue for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA...
The union’s contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to begin March 4. After last year’s protracted strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the industry is on edge about the possibility of another work stoppage. This time around, IATSE is bolstering its bargaining muscle by negotiating key aspects of the contract jointly with the Hollywood Basic Crafts union as well as Hollywood Teamsters.
In a wide-ranging Q&a, Loeb details the key issues at stake — AI, streaming residuals and pay hikes — and why he’s already declared that IATSE is not willing to extend its current contract after the July 31 expiration date.
Artificial intelligence blew up into a huge issue for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA...
- 3/1/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
As the creator and administrator of a popular crewmember-focused social media hub, Diego Mariscal had a bird’s-eye view into the turbulent experience of his peers during Hollywood’s 2023 strikes. Typically, his account, Crew Stories, supplies its more than 128,000 followers across Instagram and Facebook with wry insider jokes about the below-the-line experience and lighthearted, behind-the-scenes stories like a boom operator on 1990’s Tremors recalling wiring up Reba McEntire — not knowing she was a major singer — and telling her she had a good voice, or a recent meme about an assistant director explaining their complicated job to in-laws during the holidays. “But there was very little of that in the last six months,” says Mariscal. “It was very serious.”
During the work stoppages, Mariscal — a dolly grip, the role on film and TV sets that involves operating the dolly and assembling tracks for it — was hearing from people moving out of their houses,...
During the work stoppages, Mariscal — a dolly grip, the role on film and TV sets that involves operating the dolly and assembling tracks for it — was hearing from people moving out of their houses,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and low budget film producers have teamed up to form a new subcommittee aimed at ensuring workers are free from harassment and discrimination. The group seeks to implement the Hollywood Commission’s Respect on Set program, which offers employers who are signatories of IATSE’s Low Budget Agreement services to create workplaces free from harassment and discrimination.
According to the Hollywood Commission’s recent surveys of entertainment workers, workers on low budget productions experience more sexual coercion and assault, along with great rates of gender and racial bias, compared to their major-studio counterparts. However, these abuses are reported at much lower rates on low budget productions. The survey found that workers have the impression that nothing will be done if they make a formal complaint.
“We applaud the steps taken by low budget producers who, understandably, want their sets to be free from sexual harassment and abusive conduct.
According to the Hollywood Commission’s recent surveys of entertainment workers, workers on low budget productions experience more sexual coercion and assault, along with great rates of gender and racial bias, compared to their major-studio counterparts. However, these abuses are reported at much lower rates on low budget productions. The survey found that workers have the impression that nothing will be done if they make a formal complaint.
“We applaud the steps taken by low budget producers who, understandably, want their sets to be free from sexual harassment and abusive conduct.
- 2/15/2024
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Last month, Anita Hill’s Hollywood Commission released the sobering findings from its most recent survey into workplace abuse: Most of the 5,000-plus respondents said that they were now better informed on how to identify misconduct, but they had little faith in employers’ and the industry’s ability to address the behavior.
At the time, Hill told The Hollywood Reporter that the report was only the first step in the journey of systemic change and that raising awareness of where people in the industry stand could lead to the reform or creation of policies and procedures to resolve what is lacking.
Now, two organizations have taken the first action as a result of the Commission’s survey: IATSE and the low budget film producers with whom the union negotiates for its Low Budget Agreement have formed a subcommittee focused on protecting workers on set. Specifically, the working group is tasked...
At the time, Hill told The Hollywood Reporter that the report was only the first step in the journey of systemic change and that raising awareness of where people in the industry stand could lead to the reform or creation of policies and procedures to resolve what is lacking.
Now, two organizations have taken the first action as a result of the Commission’s survey: IATSE and the low budget film producers with whom the union negotiates for its Low Budget Agreement have formed a subcommittee focused on protecting workers on set. Specifically, the working group is tasked...
- 2/15/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film producers and US film workers union the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) are to explore the inclusion of services to prevent workplace harassment and discrimination in their agreement covering low budget projects.
The groups will form a subcommittee to consider the deployment of the Respect on Set programme, recently developed by the Hollywood Commission, under their 2025 Low Budget Agreement for films with budgets of under $15m. The programme incorporates a suite of services to help employers create workplaces free from harassment and discrimination.
The Hollywood Commission, chaired by lawyer and academic Anita Hill, issued its first report...
The groups will form a subcommittee to consider the deployment of the Respect on Set programme, recently developed by the Hollywood Commission, under their 2025 Low Budget Agreement for films with budgets of under $15m. The programme incorporates a suite of services to help employers create workplaces free from harassment and discrimination.
The Hollywood Commission, chaired by lawyer and academic Anita Hill, issued its first report...
- 2/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
IATSE is forming a subcommittee with the low budget film producers to address sexual harassment on film and TV sets.
The primary mission of the subcommittee is to implement the Hollywood Commission’s Respect on Set program, which provides services to all signatories of IATSE’s Low Budget Agreement (Lba) (which covers films with budgets under $15M).
Those services are aimed at helping them create workplaces free from harassment and discrimination. They include a code of conduct, education resources, and a third-party reporting structure. The goal for the subcommittee to actually implement and expand these services ahead of IATSE’s 2025 Lba, so they can be included as provisions in the new agreement.
This marks a first-of-its-kind collaboration, as it is a commitment to creating enforceable standards for sexual harassment in a collective bargaining agreement.
So far, there’s to timetable for when the committee is expected to roll out these implementations.
The primary mission of the subcommittee is to implement the Hollywood Commission’s Respect on Set program, which provides services to all signatories of IATSE’s Low Budget Agreement (Lba) (which covers films with budgets under $15M).
Those services are aimed at helping them create workplaces free from harassment and discrimination. They include a code of conduct, education resources, and a third-party reporting structure. The goal for the subcommittee to actually implement and expand these services ahead of IATSE’s 2025 Lba, so they can be included as provisions in the new agreement.
This marks a first-of-its-kind collaboration, as it is a commitment to creating enforceable standards for sexual harassment in a collective bargaining agreement.
So far, there’s to timetable for when the committee is expected to roll out these implementations.
- 2/15/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hollywood Commission spent four years surveying the entertainment industry about discrimination, harassment, and bullying. They learned that while things were bad all over, low-budget film and TV sets had it worst. These crew members reported more sexual harassment, assault, discrimination, and gender and racial bias than their major-studio counterparts. Furthermore, these abuses were reported at much lower rates because workers believe nothing will be done.
Now, the Hc is making moves to address the discrepancy. It’s teaming with IATSE on a subcommittee that will determine protections and provisions for sexual harassment and discrimination for IATSE members and employers who work under the Low Budget Agreement. Any Lba signatories, which cover film and TV projects made for under $15 million, will be required to comply.
Formed in 2017 after the rise of #metoo and chaired by Anita Hill, the Hollywood Commission is an organization designed to root out abuses of power in Hollywood.
Now, the Hc is making moves to address the discrepancy. It’s teaming with IATSE on a subcommittee that will determine protections and provisions for sexual harassment and discrimination for IATSE members and employers who work under the Low Budget Agreement. Any Lba signatories, which cover film and TV projects made for under $15 million, will be required to comply.
Formed in 2017 after the rise of #metoo and chaired by Anita Hill, the Hollywood Commission is an organization designed to root out abuses of power in Hollywood.
- 2/15/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer conceded to having a degree of concern about IATSE’s July 31 strike deadline, but he remains “hopeful” that a work stoppage can be averted.
“I’m the CEO of a public company. I worry about everything every day,” the exec said in response to a Wall Street analyst’s question about IATSE during the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings call. “Nobody really wins in a strike, honestly. We’re hoping that this strike won’t happen because we’ve got to keep growing this business and innovating. Everyone deserves a fair shake, and we think everybody who works below the line deserves a fair shake. I’m crossing my fingers and hopeful that there won’t be.”
With negotiations between the guild and the AMPTP scheduled to begin next month, IATSE is making it clear to the industry at large that it is not inclined to...
“I’m the CEO of a public company. I worry about everything every day,” the exec said in response to a Wall Street analyst’s question about IATSE during the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings call. “Nobody really wins in a strike, honestly. We’re hoping that this strike won’t happen because we’ve got to keep growing this business and innovating. Everyone deserves a fair shake, and we think everybody who works below the line deserves a fair shake. I’m crossing my fingers and hopeful that there won’t be.”
With negotiations between the guild and the AMPTP scheduled to begin next month, IATSE is making it clear to the industry at large that it is not inclined to...
- 2/8/2024
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
IATSE is ready to go on strike if upcoming contract negotiations with the studios don’t go their way.
The guild will begin negotiating two major labor contracts with the AMPTP next month, the Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement. Both current contracts are set to expire on July 31. New campaign websites for each lay out the timelines that IATSE expects, both before and after negotiations begin.
Within those timelines, IATSE is making it clear that there will either be an agreement, or the union will look to its members for a potential strike authorization vote. If an agreement isn’t reached by July 31, IATSE’s websites state “The Negotiating Committee is not interested in extending this agreement.”
“Depending on the status of negotiations around this time, there will either be a strike authorization vote, or a ratification vote,” the websites read.
Coming on the heels of last year’s major labor movement,...
The guild will begin negotiating two major labor contracts with the AMPTP next month, the Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement. Both current contracts are set to expire on July 31. New campaign websites for each lay out the timelines that IATSE expects, both before and after negotiations begin.
Within those timelines, IATSE is making it clear that there will either be an agreement, or the union will look to its members for a potential strike authorization vote. If an agreement isn’t reached by July 31, IATSE’s websites state “The Negotiating Committee is not interested in extending this agreement.”
“Depending on the status of negotiations around this time, there will either be a strike authorization vote, or a ratification vote,” the websites read.
Coming on the heels of last year’s major labor movement,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
The major Hollywood crew union IATSE is planning on a potential strike authorization vote if deals on two major labor contracts are not reached around the time they expire on July 31.
The union indicated that it is factoring the possible vote into its negotiations strategy in new contract campaign websites for its upcoming Basic Agreement and Area Standards Agreement talks. Both websites present a timeline of events before and after negotiations begin on March 4 for the Basic Agreement (covering West Coast workers) and, after, for the Area Standards Agreement (applying to workers outside of New York and L.A. and projected to begin in late April). Around the July 31 expiration date for the two deals, which collectively apply to more than 60,000 industry workers, IATSE says it expects either a ratification vote for a tentative deal or a vote that will gauge members’ interest in a walkout, “depending on the status of negotiations.
The union indicated that it is factoring the possible vote into its negotiations strategy in new contract campaign websites for its upcoming Basic Agreement and Area Standards Agreement talks. Both websites present a timeline of events before and after negotiations begin on March 4 for the Basic Agreement (covering West Coast workers) and, after, for the Area Standards Agreement (applying to workers outside of New York and L.A. and projected to begin in late April). Around the July 31 expiration date for the two deals, which collectively apply to more than 60,000 industry workers, IATSE says it expects either a ratification vote for a tentative deal or a vote that will gauge members’ interest in a walkout, “depending on the status of negotiations.
- 2/8/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A crew member working on Marvel’s “Wonder Man” television series died after an accident at Radford Studio Center (formerly CBS Radford), Variety has confirmed.
The L.A. County coroner identified the crew member as Juan Osorio, a 41-year-old rigger who goes by the nickname “Spike” and lived in Temple City. Osorio died after falling off the rafters Tuesday morning. Filming for “Wonder Man” was not occurring at the time of the accident, and the production is now halted for the day.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” a Marvel spokesperson said in a statement.
IATSE president Matthew D. Loeb issued a statement as well, calling the crew member’s death a “tragic loss.”
“Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family,...
The L.A. County coroner identified the crew member as Juan Osorio, a 41-year-old rigger who goes by the nickname “Spike” and lived in Temple City. Osorio died after falling off the rafters Tuesday morning. Filming for “Wonder Man” was not occurring at the time of the accident, and the production is now halted for the day.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” a Marvel spokesperson said in a statement.
IATSE president Matthew D. Loeb issued a statement as well, calling the crew member’s death a “tragic loss.”
“Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Updated, February 8: A Go Fund Me drive has already raised more than $150,000 for the family of Juan “Spike” Osorio, the crew member on Marvel’s Wonder Man series who died Tuesday after falling from a catwalk at Radford Studios.
“On February 6th, 2024, our friend Spike lost his life on the set of Marvels Wonder Man shoot at CBS Radford studios due to a potential structural failure,” reads the fundraise, started by Bill Martel. “We are hoping the Production Company, The Facility, Mbs, Marvel Studios handles things properly, but expect a long road fraught with attorney fees and expenses. In the mean time, bills will be mounting and the widow, Boom Operator Joanne W. will be left to deal with everything. Help if you’re able, it’s greatly appreciated.”
Several of the contributors are fellow IATSE members who wrote messages like “in solidarity” and “we take care of our own.
“On February 6th, 2024, our friend Spike lost his life on the set of Marvels Wonder Man shoot at CBS Radford studios due to a potential structural failure,” reads the fundraise, started by Bill Martel. “We are hoping the Production Company, The Facility, Mbs, Marvel Studios handles things properly, but expect a long road fraught with attorney fees and expenses. In the mean time, bills will be mounting and the widow, Boom Operator Joanne W. will be left to deal with everything. Help if you’re able, it’s greatly appreciated.”
Several of the contributors are fellow IATSE members who wrote messages like “in solidarity” and “we take care of our own.
- 2/7/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
A crew member fell and died while working on the set of Marvel’s Wonder Man. More on that story below.
Deadline reports that a crew member has died on set of Marvel’s Wonder Man in Studio City.
The rigger, named Juan Carlos Osorio, died after falling from a catwalk. Osorio was 41. The new Marvel series wasn’t in production at the time of the fall, but is due to resume filming next month.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” a Marvel spokesperson said in a statement.
“Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family, and his fellow members and colleagues,” added IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb. “Safety on set is our highest priority and we...
Deadline reports that a crew member has died on set of Marvel’s Wonder Man in Studio City.
The rigger, named Juan Carlos Osorio, died after falling from a catwalk. Osorio was 41. The new Marvel series wasn’t in production at the time of the fall, but is due to resume filming next month.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” a Marvel spokesperson said in a statement.
“Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family, and his fellow members and colleagues,” added IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb. “Safety on set is our highest priority and we...
- 2/7/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Juan Carlos Osorio, 41, a rigger from Temple City, tragically lost his life in an accident at Radford Studio Center while working on Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ television series. The incident occurred on a Tuesday morning when Osorio fell from the rafters. Although the accident happened on set, filming was not in progress at the time. Law enforcement officials have ruled out foul play. Additionally, a spokesperson from Marvel has released a statement regarding the incident.
Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident.
In a statement issued, IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb described the crew member’s death as a “tragic loss.”
Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family, and his fellow members and colleagues. Safety on set...
Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident.
In a statement issued, IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb described the crew member’s death as a “tragic loss.”
Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family, and his fellow members and colleagues. Safety on set...
- 2/7/2024
- by Valentina Kraljik
- Fiction Horizon
A crew member named Juan Carlos Osorio, aged 41, died in an accident at Radford Studio Center while working on the Marvel television series ‘Wonder Man.’ Osorio, a rigger residing in Temple City, fell off the rafters on a Tuesday morning. The incident happened on set but the filming did not take place at the time. The police do not suspect foul play is involved and a Marvel spokesperson came out with a statement.
Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident.
Atse President Matthew D. Loeb characterized the crew member’s death as a “tragic loss” in a statement he issued.
Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family, and his fellow members and colleagues. Safety on set is...
Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident.
Atse President Matthew D. Loeb characterized the crew member’s death as a “tragic loss” in a statement he issued.
Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family, and his fellow members and colleagues. Safety on set is...
- 2/7/2024
- by Valentina Kraljik
- Comic Basics
A crew member working on the Marvel TV series “Wonder Man” has died after falling from a rafter at Radford Studio Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 6.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” a Marvel spokesperson said in a statement to IndieWire. Production is now down on the series for the day.
“Wonder Man” was not filming on Tuesday, but the crew member, a rigger, was working on set. A California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigation is underway.
The crew member’s name has not yet been released as the family is still being notified, but we will update when the information is made public.
IATSE, the union that supports below-the-line workers, shared this statement: “Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” a Marvel spokesperson said in a statement to IndieWire. Production is now down on the series for the day.
“Wonder Man” was not filming on Tuesday, but the crew member, a rigger, was working on set. A California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigation is underway.
The crew member’s name has not yet been released as the family is still being notified, but we will update when the information is made public.
IATSE, the union that supports below-the-line workers, shared this statement: “Everyone in the Ia family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss.
- 2/6/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
J.C. “Spike” Osorio, a member of the crew of the Marvel Studios series Wonder Man, has died in an accident on set. The accident occurred Tuesday at Radford Studios, where Osorio, a rigger on the production, fell from the rafters.
In a remembrance shared on Friday, Osorio’s family called him “the best person who cared for all living things, a person that we all should strive to be.” He was a “the most wonderful, thoughtful, and loving husband, a caring son, a wise brother, a strong friend, a brave veteran, a euphorbia enthusiast, a meticulous lighting technician, and a stickler for safety at work.”
A veteran member of the electrical department, Osorio, 41, worked on a vast array of productions, from 2017’s The Dark Tower to 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and Mayans M.C. and The Conners and American Born Chinese as recently as last year. His latest project,...
In a remembrance shared on Friday, Osorio’s family called him “the best person who cared for all living things, a person that we all should strive to be.” He was a “the most wonderful, thoughtful, and loving husband, a caring son, a wise brother, a strong friend, a brave veteran, a euphorbia enthusiast, a meticulous lighting technician, and a stickler for safety at work.”
A veteran member of the electrical department, Osorio, 41, worked on a vast array of productions, from 2017’s The Dark Tower to 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and Mayans M.C. and The Conners and American Born Chinese as recently as last year. His latest project,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Aaron Couch and Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
No one has said the word “strike” yet, but some of Hollywood’s strongest unions just flexed some serious muscle with the studios.
With their current contracts set to end on July 21, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Teamsters Local 399 will stand in together in solidarity in upcoming negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The sit-down with the Carol Lombardini-led AMPTP will begin March 4, sources tell Deadline.
Certain to set the stage for what could be another year of Tinseltown labor anxiety, IATSE and the Teamsters will be joined in talks on their shared Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan proposals by fellow Hollywood Basic Crafts groups the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40 (Ibew), Laborers International Union of North America Local 724 (LiUNA!), United Association Plumbers Local 78 (UA) and Operating Plasterers & Cement Masons International Association (Opcmia) Local 755.
Related: Hollywood Unions Show Solidarity...
With their current contracts set to end on July 21, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Teamsters Local 399 will stand in together in solidarity in upcoming negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The sit-down with the Carol Lombardini-led AMPTP will begin March 4, sources tell Deadline.
Certain to set the stage for what could be another year of Tinseltown labor anxiety, IATSE and the Teamsters will be joined in talks on their shared Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan proposals by fellow Hollywood Basic Crafts groups the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40 (Ibew), Laborers International Union of North America Local 724 (LiUNA!), United Association Plumbers Local 78 (UA) and Operating Plasterers & Cement Masons International Association (Opcmia) Local 755.
Related: Hollywood Unions Show Solidarity...
- 1/31/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
A group of visual effects artists who work on Disney’s CGI-heavy “Avatar” films have voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. It marks the first time a group of “vendor-side” VFX artists have won union representation through an official National Labor Relations Board vote.
The vote came down to 57 people in favor of union representation and 19 voting against. These VFX workers are employed by a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios and work on the “Avatar” films through the Lightstorm Entertainment production company.
“I could not be more proud of my fellow visual effects workers on the ‘Avatar’ sequels for standing together to secure our right to collectively bargain for more equitable compensation and benefits,” said Patrick DeVaney, a post-vis coordinator at Lightstorm, in a statement.
The news comes a few months after workers at Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures voted to unionize with IATSE last fall.
The vote came down to 57 people in favor of union representation and 19 voting against. These VFX workers are employed by a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios and work on the “Avatar” films through the Lightstorm Entertainment production company.
“I could not be more proud of my fellow visual effects workers on the ‘Avatar’ sequels for standing together to secure our right to collectively bargain for more equitable compensation and benefits,” said Patrick DeVaney, a post-vis coordinator at Lightstorm, in a statement.
The news comes a few months after workers at Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures voted to unionize with IATSE last fall.
- 1/31/2024
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
The Hollywood unions are throwing their support behind the American Federation of Musicians as it begins its contract negotiations with the studios.
The AFM entered into negotiations with the AMPTP for its new collective bargaining agreement on Monday, fighting for many of the same things the WGA and SAG-AFTRA did during last year’s dual strikes, including AI protections, increased wages, and improved streaming residuals.
“All of Hollywood labor deserves to share in the value of what they create. Wgaw members stand with AFM as they bargain for a fair contract,” WGA West President Meredith Stiehm said in a statement of solidarity on Tuesday.
Her WGA East counterpart Lisa Takeuchi Cullen added: “We will never forget how AFM musicians used their incredible talent to uplift our members on picket lines throughout our 148-day strike. Now, as they head into negotiations with the AMPTP, we stand firmly by the side of every musician who records,...
The AFM entered into negotiations with the AMPTP for its new collective bargaining agreement on Monday, fighting for many of the same things the WGA and SAG-AFTRA did during last year’s dual strikes, including AI protections, increased wages, and improved streaming residuals.
“All of Hollywood labor deserves to share in the value of what they create. Wgaw members stand with AFM as they bargain for a fair contract,” WGA West President Meredith Stiehm said in a statement of solidarity on Tuesday.
Her WGA East counterpart Lisa Takeuchi Cullen added: “We will never forget how AFM musicians used their incredible talent to uplift our members on picket lines throughout our 148-day strike. Now, as they head into negotiations with the AMPTP, we stand firmly by the side of every musician who records,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
IATSE President Matthew Loeb did not mince words today when asked if his local unions were willing to strike if this spring’s contract negotiations with the AMPTP did not go well.
“Nothing’s off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they sapped us,” said Loeb to cheers at a CES panel of Hollywood labor leaders. “Everybody’s bank account got sapped because they were unreasonable for months and months. My folks aren’t going to just settle.”
Despite the fact that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes dominated much of last year, Loeb said his membership is not strike-weary, but weary of the AMPTP’s tactics.
“Folks are fed up. And I don’t know what to call it, if it’s a post-Covid wake of dissatisfaction, but people are ready to fight and the studios would be ill advised...
“Nothing’s off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they sapped us,” said Loeb to cheers at a CES panel of Hollywood labor leaders. “Everybody’s bank account got sapped because they were unreasonable for months and months. My folks aren’t going to just settle.”
Despite the fact that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes dominated much of last year, Loeb said his membership is not strike-weary, but weary of the AMPTP’s tactics.
“Folks are fed up. And I don’t know what to call it, if it’s a post-Covid wake of dissatisfaction, but people are ready to fight and the studios would be ill advised...
- 1/10/2024
- by Tom Tapp and Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
IATSE international president Matthew Loeb did not rule out a potential 2024 crew strike when several of his union’s contracts come due this year in an appearance on Tuesday.
“Nothing is off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they [studios] think they sapped us and everybody’s bank account got sapped because they were unreasonable for months and months,” asserted the crew union leader of his organization’s upcoming Basic Agreement negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, set to start in early March. “My folks aren’t going to just settle.” He added, “Folks are fed up … People are ready to fight and the studios would be ill-advised to assume that they’ve weakened us to the point where we can’t .”
Teamsters motion picture division head Lindsay Dougherty, whose Local 399 has several contracts expiring in 2024, added,...
“Nothing is off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they [studios] think they sapped us and everybody’s bank account got sapped because they were unreasonable for months and months,” asserted the crew union leader of his organization’s upcoming Basic Agreement negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, set to start in early March. “My folks aren’t going to just settle.” He added, “Folks are fed up … People are ready to fight and the studios would be ill-advised to assume that they’ve weakened us to the point where we can’t .”
Teamsters motion picture division head Lindsay Dougherty, whose Local 399 has several contracts expiring in 2024, added,...
- 1/9/2024
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The producers of That’s Amore ran out of money and skipped town without paying $570,000 in wages to dozens of workers while continuing to incur costly expenses to promote the movie, according to a complaint filed against the production.
In a lawsuit, filed in New York federal court on Dec. 8, IATSE says that it reached a settlement in August to resolve the grievance but that the production continues to refuse to pay 77 members for nearly a month of work. It’s threatening to blacklist writer-director Nick Vallelonga, who’s also a producer on the film, until workers are paid.
That’s Amore, a romantic comedy starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl and Christopher Walken, commenced production in September 2022 with a budget of $34 million. According to the complaint, the project ran out of money in October, forcing IATSE to file for arbitration for unpaid wages for that month, as well as November.
In a lawsuit, filed in New York federal court on Dec. 8, IATSE says that it reached a settlement in August to resolve the grievance but that the production continues to refuse to pay 77 members for nearly a month of work. It’s threatening to blacklist writer-director Nick Vallelonga, who’s also a producer on the film, until workers are paid.
That’s Amore, a romantic comedy starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl and Christopher Walken, commenced production in September 2022 with a budget of $34 million. According to the complaint, the project ran out of money in October, forcing IATSE to file for arbitration for unpaid wages for that month, as well as November.
- 12/15/2023
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IATSE and its local branches in New York have filed a civil lawsuit against Nick Vallelonga, the Oscar-winning writer of “Green Book,” alleging that Vallelonga and his production arm failed to pay $570,000 in combined wages to union workers employed on his upcoming film “That’s Amore.”
IATSE in a press release said the film starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, and Christopher Walken had a projected budget of $34 million, but that under “Vallelonga’s so-called ‘leadership,’ the production ran out of money.” Production began September 19, 2022 and ran through November of that year.
The suit claims the production company, “That’s Amore Movie, LLC,” left dozens of workers unpaid and failed to meet what the union said is an estimated $100,000+ in benefit contributions.
IATSE is taking legal action after the union said it already went through an arbitration process that yielded a settlement, but that the production company still missed “nearly all...
IATSE in a press release said the film starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, and Christopher Walken had a projected budget of $34 million, but that under “Vallelonga’s so-called ‘leadership,’ the production ran out of money.” Production began September 19, 2022 and ran through November of that year.
The suit claims the production company, “That’s Amore Movie, LLC,” left dozens of workers unpaid and failed to meet what the union said is an estimated $100,000+ in benefit contributions.
IATSE is taking legal action after the union said it already went through an arbitration process that yielded a settlement, but that the production company still missed “nearly all...
- 12/15/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Eighty production workers at Walt Disney Animation will unionize with IATSE Local 839, better known as The Animation Guild, after 63 of them voted to do so in a National Labor Relations Board vote that was tallied on Wednesday. There were only five votes against joining Tag.
The results of the vote come nearly eight months after the production workers announced their intention to join The Animation Guild by signing their unionization cards. Disney opted not to voluntarily recognize the union.
Congratulations to the production workers at Disney Feature Animation! Today, they voted in an election to be represented by @IATSE and Tag. With 96% voter turnout, 93% voted yes!!! Let's celebrate! pic.twitter.com/OwDWDIkBA1
— The Animation Guild // #WeAre839 (@animationguild) November 1, 2023
The Animation Guild has already successfully unionized production workers at top studios like Nickelodeon Animation. The union has pushed for positions like production coordinators and production supervisors to be given union benefits...
The results of the vote come nearly eight months after the production workers announced their intention to join The Animation Guild by signing their unionization cards. Disney opted not to voluntarily recognize the union.
Congratulations to the production workers at Disney Feature Animation! Today, they voted in an election to be represented by @IATSE and Tag. With 96% voter turnout, 93% voted yes!!! Let's celebrate! pic.twitter.com/OwDWDIkBA1
— The Animation Guild // #WeAre839 (@animationguild) November 1, 2023
The Animation Guild has already successfully unionized production workers at top studios like Nickelodeon Animation. The union has pushed for positions like production coordinators and production supervisors to be given union benefits...
- 11/2/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
The first ever visual effects union within IATSE has gotten a little stronger. In-house VFX workers at Walt Disney Pictures have unanimously voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, officially joining a newly established branch of VFX workers already made up of Marvel staffers.
Walt Disney Pictures has 18 VFX employees who were eligible to vote to unionize, and 13 of them voted in favor of the union with none opposed. The voters filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board back on August 28, mail-in ballots were sent out between September 8-28, and votes were counted on October 2.
When VFX employees at Marvel successfully voted last month to establish a union, it was the first time in history that VFX workers had managed to organize. VFX workers have largely remained non-union since the ’70s when the field was first established.
As IATSE VFX organizer Mark Patch...
Walt Disney Pictures has 18 VFX employees who were eligible to vote to unionize, and 13 of them voted in favor of the union with none opposed. The voters filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board back on August 28, mail-in ballots were sent out between September 8-28, and votes were counted on October 2.
When VFX employees at Marvel successfully voted last month to establish a union, it was the first time in history that VFX workers had managed to organize. VFX workers have largely remained non-union since the ’70s when the field was first established.
As IATSE VFX organizer Mark Patch...
- 10/3/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Visual effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures — the in-house VFX employees including data wranglers, witness camera operators, and other production staff — voted unanimously by a vote of 13-0 to unionize under IATSE in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board.
“These workers’ collective action against the status quo represents a seismic shift in this critical moment in our industry,” said IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb in a released statement. “This unanimous vote sends a clear message that the demands of VFX workers for dignity, respect, and fairness must be heard.”
Similarly, last month, roughly 50 in-house VFX workers at Marvel Studios voted unanimously to unionize. Both efforts involve pros employed directly by the studio; they currently do not cover the thousands of artists who work on Marvel movies through third-party VFX studios. Both votes also were expected to pass, as many of the workers had already signed union...
“These workers’ collective action against the status quo represents a seismic shift in this critical moment in our industry,” said IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb in a released statement. “This unanimous vote sends a clear message that the demands of VFX workers for dignity, respect, and fairness must be heard.”
Similarly, last month, roughly 50 in-house VFX workers at Marvel Studios voted unanimously to unionize. Both efforts involve pros employed directly by the studio; they currently do not cover the thousands of artists who work on Marvel movies through third-party VFX studios. Both votes also were expected to pass, as many of the workers had already signed union...
- 10/3/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Walt Disney Pictures’ in-house VFX workers voted unanimously to unionize in a labor board election this week. The tally was 13-0. They join the visual effects artists at Marvel Studios as only the second dedicated VFX unit to unionize with IATSE ever.
Mack Robinson, a VFX Senior Coordinator remarked on historic nature of the vote, “For so long we’ve wanted the same protections as everyone else, but there was no hope in sight. Winning this election was a long fight, but I’m proud to say it’s been won by each and every VFX worker wanting a brighter, sustainable future.”
The in-house VFX artists at Walt Disney Pictures are responsible for spectacle-driven live-action films like “The Little Mermaid,” “Haunted Mansion” and the upcoming “Snow White” starring Rachel Zegler.
IATSE VFX organizer Mark Patch added, “Today’s unanimous victory shows that VFX workers everywhere have a clear path to...
Mack Robinson, a VFX Senior Coordinator remarked on historic nature of the vote, “For so long we’ve wanted the same protections as everyone else, but there was no hope in sight. Winning this election was a long fight, but I’m proud to say it’s been won by each and every VFX worker wanting a brighter, sustainable future.”
The in-house VFX artists at Walt Disney Pictures are responsible for spectacle-driven live-action films like “The Little Mermaid,” “Haunted Mansion” and the upcoming “Snow White” starring Rachel Zegler.
IATSE VFX organizer Mark Patch added, “Today’s unanimous victory shows that VFX workers everywhere have a clear path to...
- 10/3/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
IATSE is well on its way toward representing video game workers.
In a National Labor Relations Board ballot count on Wednesday, workers from Workinman Interactive unanimously voted to join the Hollywood crew union, which made its first public foray into the video game space with an organizing campaign at the games studio. Out of 20 eligible voters in roles like project manager, art director, senior artist, graphic artist, senior technical director, senior developer, developer, junior developer, production assistant and quality assurance tester, 16 voted in favor of joining IATSE and none voted against.
The union and employer now have a few days to raise objections, and if none are put forward, the union will be certified and can begin to negotiate its first contract.
If certified, the Workinman Interactive bargaining unit will be the first IATSE video game union in a largely non-union field, even as the Communications Workers of America has...
In a National Labor Relations Board ballot count on Wednesday, workers from Workinman Interactive unanimously voted to join the Hollywood crew union, which made its first public foray into the video game space with an organizing campaign at the games studio. Out of 20 eligible voters in roles like project manager, art director, senior artist, graphic artist, senior technical director, senior developer, developer, junior developer, production assistant and quality assurance tester, 16 voted in favor of joining IATSE and none voted against.
The union and employer now have a few days to raise objections, and if none are put forward, the union will be certified and can begin to negotiate its first contract.
If certified, the Workinman Interactive bargaining unit will be the first IATSE video game union in a largely non-union field, even as the Communications Workers of America has...
- 9/27/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Visual effects workers at Marvel Studios and seven of its subsidiaries have voted 32-0 to unionize with IATSE in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. The union called the unanimous vote an “historic first” for the industry’s VFX workforce.
The next step for IATSE is to engage in collective bargaining with Marvel to negotiate a first contract covering the studio’s VFX workers, 42 of whom were eligible to vote. VFX staffers at Walt Disney Pictures, meanwhile, aren’t far behind and are now voting in their own Nlrb election, with the results expected on October 2.
“Today’s count demonstrates the unprecedented demand for unionization across new sectors of the entertainment industry is very real,” said IATSE International President Matthew Loeb. “To these VFX workers, I congratulate you on your historic victory. Your bravery, determination, and unity are a beacon for workers not just in VFX, not just in entertainment,...
The next step for IATSE is to engage in collective bargaining with Marvel to negotiate a first contract covering the studio’s VFX workers, 42 of whom were eligible to vote. VFX staffers at Walt Disney Pictures, meanwhile, aren’t far behind and are now voting in their own Nlrb election, with the results expected on October 2.
“Today’s count demonstrates the unprecedented demand for unionization across new sectors of the entertainment industry is very real,” said IATSE International President Matthew Loeb. “To these VFX workers, I congratulate you on your historic victory. Your bravery, determination, and unity are a beacon for workers not just in VFX, not just in entertainment,...
- 9/13/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
In a historic move, Marvel Studios’ visual effects workers unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board (Nlrb), the company announced Wednesday.
This marks the first time a unit of solely VFX workers has unionized with IATSE.
The Marvel Studios workers initially filed for the election on Aug. 7, and votes were cast and collected between Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. During the count on Sept. 12, all votes were in favor of unionizing with IATSE and zero were against.
“Today, VFX workers at Marvel Studios spoke with a unanimous, collective voice, demanding fair pay for the hours they work, healthcare, a safe and sustainable working environment, and respect for the work they do,” Mark Patch, VFX organizer for IATSE, said in a statement. “There could be no stronger statement highlighting the overwhelming need for us to...
This marks the first time a unit of solely VFX workers has unionized with IATSE.
The Marvel Studios workers initially filed for the election on Aug. 7, and votes were cast and collected between Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. During the count on Sept. 12, all votes were in favor of unionizing with IATSE and zero were against.
“Today, VFX workers at Marvel Studios spoke with a unanimous, collective voice, demanding fair pay for the hours they work, healthcare, a safe and sustainable working environment, and respect for the work they do,” Mark Patch, VFX organizer for IATSE, said in a statement. “There could be no stronger statement highlighting the overwhelming need for us to...
- 9/13/2023
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Marvel Studios visual effects workers have voted unanimously to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union announced on Wednesday. The election held by the National Labor Relations Board marks the first time a unit made up solely of visual effects artists has unionized with IATSE in the VFX industry’s entire history.
“Today, VFX workers at Marvel Studios spoke with a unanimous, collective voice, demanding fair pay for the hours they work, healthcare, a safe and sustainable working environment and respect for the work they do,” Mark Patch, VFX Organizer for IATSE, said in a statement. “There could be no stronger statement highlighting the overwhelming need for us to continue our work and bring union protections and standards to all VFX workers across the industry. And there could be no stronger example of the courage and solidarity of these workers than each and every one of them declaring ‘union Yes!
“Today, VFX workers at Marvel Studios spoke with a unanimous, collective voice, demanding fair pay for the hours they work, healthcare, a safe and sustainable working environment and respect for the work they do,” Mark Patch, VFX Organizer for IATSE, said in a statement. “There could be no stronger statement highlighting the overwhelming need for us to continue our work and bring union protections and standards to all VFX workers across the industry. And there could be no stronger example of the courage and solidarity of these workers than each and every one of them declaring ‘union Yes!
- 9/13/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
IATSE said Friday that it has chartered a new guild with national jurisdiction: Production Workers Guild Local 111. It becomes IATSE’s first-ever local specifically created to represent freelance production department workers.
The new local joins several other IATSE locals with national jurisdiction, including the Cinematographers Guild, the Editors Guild and the Art Directors Guild.
Local 111 currently represents some 5,000 production assistants, assistant production supervisors, production supervisors, line producers, and bidding producers working on TV commercials. The Association of Independent Commercial Producers has already voluntarily recognized them as a group for the purposes of collective bargaining, and negotiations for a first contract are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
“We are 170,000 strong and growing, welcoming crafts that historically have not been represented in this critical moment,” IATSE president Matthew Loeb said. “The birth of the Production Workers Guild Local 111 is not a mere addition to our expansive list of represented crafts,...
The new local joins several other IATSE locals with national jurisdiction, including the Cinematographers Guild, the Editors Guild and the Art Directors Guild.
Local 111 currently represents some 5,000 production assistants, assistant production supervisors, production supervisors, line producers, and bidding producers working on TV commercials. The Association of Independent Commercial Producers has already voluntarily recognized them as a group for the purposes of collective bargaining, and negotiations for a first contract are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
“We are 170,000 strong and growing, welcoming crafts that historically have not been represented in this critical moment,” IATSE president Matthew Loeb said. “The birth of the Production Workers Guild Local 111 is not a mere addition to our expansive list of represented crafts,...
- 9/8/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
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