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Wednesday, September 01, 2021
IATSE Updates Members on Contract Talks: 'We Remain Very Far Apart'
Variety: IATSE told members on Tuesday that little progress has been made in recent negotiations on the basic agreement with the major studios, and that the two sides “remain very far apart.”
4 comments:
Kaylie C.
said...
I remember being fearful when everyone said we would never go back to “normal” and that we would have to accept a “new normal” but if the new normal is wearing masks and having stronger unions, I am all for it. For most people, working conditions only got worse when the pandemic hit. Workplaces were under equipped and mostly refused to be transparent with their workers. They either were so understaffed that everyone left was constantly working overtime, or they let go half their employees. Some workplaces, in this case film and tv sets, luckily had the opposite problem. They had to, for once, treat their workers a little more humanely, and employees are attempting to hold onto that. I am glad to see people fighting to keep more humane working conditions that had been born out of necessity last year. I think here at CMU a more peaceful transition is taking place. It makes me happy to know that drama students of the future may never have a 10 out 12 or be in this building past midnight against their will and that when they enter the workforce, they may have healthier and longer careers than those who came before them.
Organizations such as IATSE and AMPTP can be very politically orientated, so the lack of clear progress is understandable. However, as a young liberal student in the arts I am impressed by what they have accomplished. Every little step such as the first census is a step in the right direction toward representation and compromise as a group of passionate theatrical people. I understand that these changes are trending in the direction of social libertarian views, through examples like better wages/ hours accounting for mental health and pension funding. When we think back to significant events such as the 2007 Broadway stagehand strike which was fairly recent, It is inspiring how quickly union leaders and locals respond to this feedback and respect them. As an industry theater generally has a philosophy of respect and community. Overall to me, these developments not only in recent policy but also climate, will reflect the future of theatrical work climates. Hopefully by becoming more sensitive towards the needs of all people and general equity. In my experience theatrical schooling is also trending towards this, and I think that is overarchingly positive.
This news in interesting. This reminds of the writers strike in 2007. If AMPTP isn’t willing to meet IATSE on basic necessities like sleep and food, then I think a strike is very much due. I understand that in negotiations, both sides try to put a spin on things to make themselves seem like the ones in the right, but I don’t see what spin can be made to justify not providing meal breaks or a standardized time between calls. Unions should not have to negotiate for things already included in some state laws like meal breaks. That is a very low bar. Hopefully IATSE can use the momentum from the pandemic and how eye-opening it has been to so many workers to really put their foot down and not let go of any of their demands. Personally, I think when it comes to things like shares on streaming, that’s where negotiations usually come down to percentages and unions often have to walk away with a much smaller number. My guess is that that demand is there so IATSE has something they can let go so that the studios have to meet them on things like living wages.
IATSE’s work on contract negotiation demonstrates how important unions are in a saturated industry like stage employment. Because there are so many workers that are not associated with the union, AMPTP (alliance of producers) feels comfortable denying basic rights like a livable minimum wage and reasonable hours. Without a union, I couldn’t imagine how the entertainment industry would treat its workers. The idea of a “starving artist” is so romanticized that uneducated theater workers are more vulnerable to being exploited for their labor. When unions meet crossroads like this they are even more important. Workers need to band together to keep each other safe, and this is what IATSE as an organization is doing. Companies' refusal to share streaming success with it’s workers is ridiculous. Because it’s a new platform, corporations are holding profits until money is ripped from their hands. Another reason why unions are a necessity in industries like entertainment.
4 comments:
I remember being fearful when everyone said we would never go back to “normal” and that we would have to accept a “new normal” but if the new normal is wearing masks and having stronger unions, I am all for it. For most people, working conditions only got worse when the pandemic hit. Workplaces were under equipped and mostly refused to be transparent with their workers. They either were so understaffed that everyone left was constantly working overtime, or they let go half their employees. Some workplaces, in this case film and tv sets, luckily had the opposite problem. They had to, for once, treat their workers a little more humanely, and employees are attempting to hold onto that. I am glad to see people fighting to keep more humane working conditions that had been born out of necessity last year. I think here at CMU a more peaceful transition is taking place. It makes me happy to know that drama students of the future may never have a 10 out 12 or be in this building past midnight against their will and that when they enter the workforce, they may have healthier and longer careers than those who came before them.
Organizations such as IATSE and AMPTP can be very politically orientated, so the lack of clear progress is understandable. However, as a young liberal student in the arts I am impressed by what they have accomplished. Every little step such as the first census is a step in the right direction toward representation and compromise as a group of passionate theatrical people. I understand that these changes are trending in the direction of social libertarian views, through examples like better wages/ hours accounting for mental health and pension funding. When we think back to significant events such as the 2007 Broadway stagehand strike which was fairly recent, It is inspiring how quickly union leaders and locals respond to this feedback and respect them. As an industry theater generally has a philosophy of respect and community. Overall to me, these developments not only in recent policy but also climate, will reflect the future of theatrical work climates. Hopefully by becoming more sensitive towards the needs of all people and general equity. In my experience theatrical schooling is also trending towards this, and I think that is overarchingly positive.
This news in interesting. This reminds of the writers strike in 2007. If AMPTP isn’t willing to meet IATSE on basic necessities like sleep and food, then I think a strike is very much due. I understand that in negotiations, both sides try to put a spin on things to make themselves seem like the ones in the right, but I don’t see what spin can be made to justify not providing meal breaks or a standardized time between calls. Unions should not have to negotiate for things already included in some state laws like meal breaks. That is a very low bar. Hopefully IATSE can use the momentum from the pandemic and how eye-opening it has been to so many workers to really put their foot down and not let go of any of their demands. Personally, I think when it comes to things like shares on streaming, that’s where negotiations usually come down to percentages and unions often have to walk away with a much smaller number. My guess is that that demand is there so IATSE has something they can let go so that the studios have to meet them on things like living wages.
IATSE’s work on contract negotiation demonstrates how important unions are in a saturated industry like stage employment. Because there are so many workers that are not associated with the union, AMPTP (alliance of producers) feels comfortable denying basic rights like a livable minimum wage and reasonable hours. Without a union, I couldn’t imagine how the entertainment industry would treat its workers. The idea of a “starving artist” is so romanticized that uneducated theater workers are more vulnerable to being exploited for their labor. When unions meet crossroads like this they are even more important. Workers need to band together to keep each other safe, and this is what IATSE as an organization is doing. Companies' refusal to share streaming success with it’s workers is ridiculous. Because it’s a new platform, corporations are holding profits until money is ripped from their hands. Another reason why unions are a necessity in industries like entertainment.
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