Thursday, October 07, 2021
99% of IATSE Members Vote to Authorize Strike
www.backstage.com: An overwhelming majority of IATSE members voted to authorize a film and television production strike after contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers stalled. IATSE leaders’ requests from membership to authorize a strike if needed were approved, with almost 99% voting yes. While the authorization vote does not mean the union will go on strike, it does mean additional leverage for IATSE.
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I read an article last week on the IATSE strike, so it’s great to check up on the progress that they have made in a mere week. The other article speculated that the union would never actually commit to a strike, but it is looking more and more likely with each update. It’s odd that even with an almost unanimous vote, the strike still doesn’t truly commence. But the vote nonetheless creates pressure on the industry to truly make a change for the condition of the workers. It's still not clear whether a strike is the best option, because while it would send the final message, there is also the consideration of the economic status of people during the pandemic. If workers strike, that means they are out of a job, which come people simply cannot afford at a time like this, so it's understandable why some wouldn’t strike. Still like stated in the article, these workers have human needs like having a meal, and the current state of things treats workers like machines
Like what is actually wrong with all of these big companies and organizations that think they can just ignore the needs of the people? This has obviously gotten a lot of traction with the public and I want to know why they can't just sit down with the workers and renegotiate a better quality of life contract. Strikes seem to be working and results may vary for different states, but at the end of the day, everyone knows what needs to happen for the union workers. It's hard to watch all of this happen as I enter graduate school, literally not two months in, and see this is how the industry is in for a heavy reckoning. Pandemics are tragic, and the lasting effect it has put all of us in will affect the generations of workers to come, and I can't wait to be a part of it one day.
We all posted it on Instagram just the other day: “IATSE voted to authorize the strike!” As I mentioned last week (in a previous post), members of the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) union have, for the last couple of weeks tried to obtain authorization to strike against current working conditions– requesting nothing out of the realm of possibility. Now, with this update, I am glad to hear IATSE authorized the strike despite the preconceived notion that the strike “would never go through”. Although it will still take some time for the strike to be enacted (or perhaps it will never happen) it definitely stirs the pot for conversations to begin.
On another note, I found it interesting that the article remarked Congressional support for the strike, for issues within the theatre industry tend to stay within the theatre industry. So, hearing that the issue had reach people with considerable power clicked something for me. Something I’m now looking forward to continuing to ask questions that arise.
It seems to me that the vote to strike just ensures that a union is acting in the interests of the workers it protects when going to the bargaining table, and also proves to the industry that the union is attempting to work with just how serious the situation is. I am very glad that IATSE appears to be staying strong as so many unions have been weakened over the years. Hopefully seeing that workers are serious about striking will force an agreement. I am glad this has gained such traction in general news world, but it is not all that surprising considering this is about film and TV, not live theater. Film and TV have always been paid more attention to, and after the reliance of the entire world on digital media to get through the pandemic, it is no surprise that people are paying attention to this story.
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