Variety: Writers’ assistant Olga Lexell used to rack up around $10,000 a year in medical bills to manage a chronic condition, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, that requires her to sit through thyroid X-rays and frequent blood tests. While her show was on hiatus, she would pay $500 a month to extend the insurance that the studio offered, even though it was “never that good.” It wasn’t until writers’ assistants and script coordinators banded together in early 2018 to unionize under the banner of IATSE Local 871 that her healthcare costs shrunk dramatically.
3 comments:
I love this article like I’ve said about all the union articles that I have read. I am intrigued by why these assistants are in IA and I’m sure if I knew more about the film industry then I would be less mystified by why what to me seems like writers are in an IA local. I speculate that these people could be IA members because of the strength of IA when it comes to negotiating. I am intrigued by when the article talks about some studios retaliating and I wonder how they do this as it is illegal under the FLSA and the NLRA/NLRB. It is horrible reading about how poorly treated these assistants are and the power dynamics that the studios use against the assistants. It is good to hear that this first contract is being implemented and seems to be helping. It is interesting hearing that these IA members are facing the same things that I plan on facing when I join AEA about being able to work the number of health weeks that I need to. Overall, I’m happy to see unions helping people.
It has been really interesting watching how the #PayUpHollywood hashtag has developed and taken flight within the past month or so via these News Week articles. It really is underwhelming the pay that these assistants are getting in Hollywood - especially due to the current housing hikes taking place in Los Angeles. I’m pleased that unionising has helped a lot of people - especially those with medical issues. I do wonder how writer’s assistants and script coordinators fall into the bounds of IATSE, given that they are in the film industry and that they are not “theatrical stage employees”, as dictated in the literal name of IATSE. Nevertheless, I am proud of IATSE for accepting those who were in need of a union when their own union (the Writers Guild Association) refused to allow them to unionise. The power dynamic between the haves and the have-nots in industry is so detrimental and, with a union standing behind them, hopefully writer’s assistants and script coordinators will find firmer ground to stand on.
I find it mesmerizing how IATSE 871 absorbed the writers assistants and script supervisors, like Alexander mentioned above. I had to go digging and find their local website in order to understand more, because in my mind it didn’t fit with my “iatse” image. Silly. However, that was not the only surprising thing I found on this article. A unionized writers assistant makes from 14-16 dollars per hour, in Hollywood, now in 2019. While, in Pittsburgh the Benedum’s IATSE members were making 20 dollars per hours in the last bit of the last millennium! I know each contract is negotiated differently, but this is barely above the “proposed” minimum wage. This is far from the ideal scenario, but it’s also steps ahead from where they were, because of the other union benefits, like health care, and capping the work day. There is a long battle ahead, but the baby steps are in place.
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