Friday, October 01, 2021
IATSE Strike Vote: Everything You Need to Know
Variety: A year after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the entertainment industry worldwide, the studios are churning out content at a breakneck pace. Workers are in high demand, and it has been hard for some shows to find enough grips and set decorators to keep up.
It’s somewhat strange, then, to think that it could all come to a screeching halt.
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I’ve heard a lot about the IATSE strikes in the news lately, but this is the first full article that I dedicated time to read. It gave a lot of good facts on the situation, which was extremely helpful. Especially under stressful and undermined issues like this, many facts fall into fiction and speculation. But despite all that, it would be very historically significant if the workers did in fact go on strike. I think oftentimes tech workers in theatre and film are valued for not being seen or heard but just producing the work and moving on. It really feeds into the general toxic work culture of capitalist cultures like the United States. They are expected to work outrageous hours without breaks and be ready to do it all again. In so many places of work, the culture of capitalism breeds an unhealthy obsession with a constant need to produce at extremely fast rates. Especially in creative fields that can’t always be the case. So I think that a strike would hopefully highlight all of these things to the leaders of the union.
This article was so helpful in understanding exactly what’s happening with the IATSE strike vote. I heard a couple of people saying “I wonder what productions are shut down because of the strike right now” and it was super confusing. I think it illustrates how little many Americans understand about union negotiations and what a strike means. It was deeply interesting to me that the strike likely won’t happen even if the vote is passed. Because striking is just leverage in a negotiation, the vote is more to show the union’s solidarity and further negotiation than to actually strike. What also struck me was the fact that production companies have historically only provided 9 hours turn around for workers and budgeted in meal penalties for missed meal breaks. Companies treat workers like they are supplies that can be budgeted based on availability rather than actual people who deserve basic human rights. It’s so creepy that production companies truly believe that workers just want to pocket some extra money than just be able to eat during an over 12-hour workday.
This is a great article that not only explains what the strike is about, what the union is working to have addressed, but also what will happen if the vote allows authorization. It has very good information for the types of companies that are working, as well as the contracts that are running in parallel but won't be voted on until contracts expire. One of the points I saw here, that I have not seen mentioned elsewhere, is the 54 hour turnaround time on weekends to avoid the Fraturday work shift. I know that shift is dreaded but not uncommon, so by forcing the long weekend time it codifies exactly how that can be stopped. Some groups I have worked with like the idea of the French schedule, skipping breaks to have a shorter day, but not everyone is getting a break as it is. That also would not account for people who are working on deadlines of completion instead of hourly, so that would only seem to benefit filming crews.
I must admit, the concept of a strike having to be voted upon and approved confused me. Likewise, and as many others who have commented on this post, I had heard about the IATSE strike, yet had not had the time to read about it and thoroughly educate myself on the subject. That, in addition to, the fact that I come from Mexico City, Mexico– where unions are both bureaucratic and deeply rooted in corruption. What I mean is, the idea of a union (such as IATSE) is actually out to aid its workers is out of the ordinary for me. Therefore, reading this article really opened my eyes to the benefits of unionized workers. For one, the exploitation of workers with longer than usual work hours has those coming back from quarantine leveraging gaining through its implications. What is perhaps most shocking, however, is that this would be IATSE’s first strike.
International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE, will hold a vote on whether or not to strike. The vote is expected to pass overwhelmingly and approximately 60,000 workers will be able to strike. The fact is, members of the crew have repeatedly been mistreated and the current industry precedent is unsustainable. This article was very helpful in outlining the details of the strike, the goals of the union, and more. The explicit listing of the current situation and demands makes it seem like easy demands to meet, but in lieu of the rise of streaming services, working conditions have possibly gotten worse. The fact that reasonable working hours and meal breaks are currently not being given is unacceptable, and if an IATSE strike is what it takes to change this, then the IATSR strike needs to happen.
this is elly lieu wolhardt--apologies for the naming mistake!
The IATSE strike is a really impressive thing to witness because it is completely related to what I do. I like how the article gave a little background into what IATSE is and the circumstances at play. I think that a significant portion of the entertainment industry has come back to work from the pandemic and are unhappy with how little has changed. The craziest aspect of this strike is the demand for streaming services to pay workers at a full rate. Streaming is larger than cable and produces endless amounts of content constantly. The 10 hour turnaround time sounds like a basic need so I'm shocked to hear that has not been instated. Finally, the meal breaks, another one that sounds shocking to hear has not been instated. I fully support the union should they choose to strike to begin negotiations again. The implications of this strike are definitely something that I want to discuss further at an educational institution.
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