The International Union of Stage Employees and the Motion Picture and Television Producers Guild announced Tuesday night that film and television production crews have reached tentative contracts with major Hollywood studios after months of negotiations.
The settlement came ahead of the expiration of the current contract, allowing the entertainment industry to finally breathe a sigh of relief after two long-running strikes by actors and writers. The IATSE Hollywood Master Agreement spans three years and covers approximately 50,000 Los Angeles-based artisans.
The tentative agreement includes updated terms on pay, pension and health insurance, work-life balance, job security, subcontracting, residual profit streaming and artificial intelligence.
“From start to finish, your input was invaluable and ensured that the negotiating committee came to the table with clear goals and agreement on how to achieve them,” IATSE’s negotiating team said in a memo to members on Tuesday. “A timeline for ratification will be announced soon, and we look forward to presenting the complete package to you.”
The outline of the agreement will be published within the next few days, followed by the full text in about two weeks. The Memorandum of Understanding must be ratified by union members before it can officially come into force.
So far, the union has said the deal includes wage increases of 7%, 4% and 3.5% over three years, and stipulates that hourly workers are entitled to triple pay if their work exceeds 15 hours – an effort by the union to discourage employers from scheduling long filming days.
Additionally, under the new agreement, on-call employees will receive double pay on the seventh day of the week.
The agreement also includes terms regarding artificial intelligence, stipulating that “employees will not be required to provide AI prompts in a manner that could result in the termination of any covered employee,” according to Tuesday’s announcement.
IATSE and AMPTP returned to the negotiating table this week after failing to reach an agreement during their last general talks earlier this month. Union officials not authorized to comment said they ultimately agreed on terms related to wages, pensions and health insurance.
IATSE, which advocates for the rights of costume designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, cinematographers, set decorators, lighting technicians, camera operators and other craftspeople, has been campaigning for a new contract since early March. The union’s current agreement with the major studios took effect in 2021 and was set to expire on July 31, 2024.
Going into general negotiations for the Hollywood Master Agreement, the union was seeking “significant” wage increases to keep up with inflation, higher fines for break violations, expanded sick leave, increased streaming residuals, and regulations on subcontracting and AI. Staff also demanded at least $670 million in funding for pensions and health insurance.
Hollywood underlings concluded general negotiations with the AMPTP about seven months after actors settled their labor disputes with entertainment companies.
The simultaneous writers’ and actors’ strikes were devastating to both workers and employers, halting production, disrupting studio release schedules, and leaving countless actors, writers, and crew members without work.
Production has been slow to recover since the strike was lifted, and many entertainment workers remain unemployed, especially in California, amid a long industry contraction.
The setback, largely due to companies’ overspending in the streaming wars over the past few years, has manifested itself in landmark mergers, mass layoffs and scaled-back production schedules.
Thus, the IATSE contract campaign came at a critical time for the film and television industry: Initially, both workers and studios were concerned that negotiations between staff and the AMPTP could lead to new strikes.
IATSE has never gone on strike in its long history, but union members and supporters have prepared for the worst and provided assistance to workers in need, including money, groceries, meals, shared taxi rides, child care, and temporary housing.
Before launching its contract campaign, IATSE promised that negotiations would end with either a ratification vote or a strike authorization vote.
But as the first round of negotiations – individual bargaining sessions tailored to the specific concerns of each of the union’s 13 West Coast studio chapters – proceeded as scheduled without incident, it became increasingly clear that the talks between IATSE and AMPTP were not going to end in a strike.
Immediately after the successful negotiations for job categories, the sentiment between the union and the studios was conciliatory and they were open to approaching general negotiations.
“This is the polite thing to do,” IATSE International President Matthew Loeb told The Times in April as trade talks were reaching their final stages. “Everybody wants to avoid a strike.”
Ahead of the final union effort, some 400 Hollywood actors, writers, directors and producers signed a letter in defense of crew members, including Quinta Brunson, Mark Ruffalo, Connie Britton, Ryan Coogler, Amy Schumer, Shaka King, Destin Daniel Cretton, Pamela Adlon, Olivia Wilde, Jonathan Groff, Nick Kroll, Lamorne Morris, Lily Wachowski, Boots Riley, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Natasha Lyonne, Seth Rogen and Kerry Washington.
The letter states to AMPTP: [crew members’] “They make a vital contribution to production and ensure that the artists, artisans and craftsmen who work behind the scenes can live and retire with dignity.”
“These crew members work long hours, often in challenging conditions, and dedicate their lives to their art and each department in order to bring stories to life,” the letter continues.
Teamsters Local 399, which represents drivers, mechanics, warehouse workers, animal caretakers and other tradespeople who work on film and television sets, is also seeking a new contract and has not yet reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP.