Friday, October 01, 2021
These Hollywood Horror Stories Could Inspire the Biggest Industry Strike Since World War II
Vanity Fair: The @ia_stories page is an unpretentious Instagram account that rarely posts pictures—mostly just white text on a black background, which makes it especially unmemorable in the visually saturated space of Hollywood–adjacent social media. But within its hundreds of posts are some of the juiciest secrets in the industry, with most identifying details carefully edited away.
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What strikes me most about this article is the amount that IATSE workers are asking for. Meal breaks, reasonable rest, and livable wages are bare minimum expectations, especially in this industry. The arts often present themselves as the place change is made, where progressives make their voices heard, and a lot of other performative leftism that isn’t reflected at all by the working conditions in this field. It’s disheartening to read that this is normalized, and I for one hope a strike is authorized. One part of this article I hadn’t considered is the lack of public support for the strike pending the delay on much-anticipated movies and tv shows. I am shocked to realize that this is remotely a concern when people are literally dying to make new episodes. I think that this is a result of people not considering the people behind their favorite shows a movies. I think a strike that brings the importance of said workers to everyone’s attention is exactly what the industry needs.
These are pretty horrific stories. This article seems to mostly gloss over the main sticking point right now, which is that a lot of protections that have existed for a long time in film and TV have basically been done away with because they were exempted in the early days of streaming. Basically, when Netflix and the others were getting started, the union allowed fewer protections to help that sector of the industry get off the ground. But now, a lot of the old power of Hollywood has entirely transferred to streaming, to Netflix, Amazon, et cetera, and those exemptions still exist. Now producers are refusing the same protections they used to work under, and the justification for the exemptions just doesn't exist now that streaming is so well established. It's unconscionable, and workers are getting absolutely abused. I think a lot of the success fo the strike is going to turn on solidarity strikes of other unions, though, so I guess we'll see what happens.
LETS GO IATSE!! I fully support the possibility of a strike, because for far too long has the film industry walked all over its crewmembers and their representative unions. It is terrifying to me how many crewmembers end up being forced into workdays that are way over 14 hours. One would think that the many deaths that where a result of long and abusive work days would have caused some catalyst for change in the film industry, but its taken until now for some possible change in workday hours to occur. Meal breaks, rest, and livable wages should not be a privilege within this industry. It is saddening knowing that people are asking for the bare minimum, and still the film industry refuses concede to these minute demands. I think the idea of creating an Instagram account such as @ia_stories is a genius way of exposing the at times cruel and toxic workplace environments film crewmembers work in. A better workplace environment for crewmembers shouldn’t be some distant dream and I believe that if it’s done properly, a strike is an incredibly effective force the film industry to concede if demands are not met.
The idea that workers are expendable is absolutely terrifying, especially in media and arts. Arts have been a huge force for social change and awareness within larger western culture. We’ve talked a lot in ARTEP about how authenticity in production deeply affects how a piece of media’s message will be received, and the demands of IATSE are not because of anti-racism but do dismantle some aspects of white supremacy in media production. This is especially evident in the glossing over of death on set. The added workdays and sense of urgency within production allow for production companies to avoid taking time for ethical practices like I don’t know, allowing workers to grieve a death. The idea that workers are expendable and are expected to trudge on in spite of real trauma underpins so many inequitable practices in theatre and creates a work environment that actively traumatizes and wears its’ workers down to the bone. It’s just so scary and disheartening.
All of the horror stories most people talk about with like hostile work environments and terrible working conditions isn't uncommon. To have such a movement be so centered in the news and people keeping their eyes on the topic is what's really making all of the stories come out and prevalent. Like people can't shy away from the very real very bad situations they were put in by companies or management and we have to face them and read about them so we learn. So we can recognize when we're being mistreated and it sucks that it had to happen to others for us to learn from them but what else can we do? We can break down the establishment and strike for better working terms but we have to listen and learn from the mistakes to make sure we can look ahead to a safer and secure future for everyone.
Allowing crew members to have basic rights should not be this difficult. The instagram @ia_stories exposes a lot of the abuse that the non-visible crew face in the film and television industry. These issues are not new, they are long standing precedents that exploit all the individuals behind-the-scenes in order to cut costs on the number of recording days. As the article puts it--’a 10-hour day becomes a 12-hour day. Or a 16-hour day. Or a 19-hour day. And once the work is done, the next day’s call time might be only a handful of hours later.’ This kind of work schedule is inhumane, and with the rise of streaming--year-round content--there are no built-in seasonal breaks. Even meal breaks are not guaranteed, with production companies simply choosing to pay union penalties instead of giving their crew time to eat. In the current crunch of production, where companies are rushing to make new content, the precedent has been maintained and the horrors have continued. If IATSE strikes, it will hopefully be powerful enough to change the trajectory of the industry--all workers deserve basic rights.
As I read the stories in the article, I kept on wishing that the next one not be as bad as the previous one but they all were truly horrific to read, so I cannot even begin to imagine the mental condition of the folks who had to go through these. And what sucked to read even more was the lack of action by the higher ups to help people in their company, without whom, all the work that needs to be done would not be done.
I do not know how I feel about the industry at this instant because all I see is the lack of respect and empathy for the employees who give up on sleep and on safety and on several other things because they are committed to their jobs. The fact that people who lead these teams and either choose to turn a blind eye to their hardships or are aware of them but choose to still go on to complete the so-called tasks that are to be done in the day says so much about the incessant need to just achieve the goals. with clearly no moral compass for the way to achieve those goals.
I wrote my undergrad thesis on the exploitation of worker's within the industry so this is a topic that's very near and dear to my heart. It's wild to me how even people outside of the industry normalize how much it sucks working in "show business" and how okay they are with it because that's just the way it is. I think this causes those that are new to the industry to have internalized all of these ideas of sacrificing for one's art. It leads to an disproportionately higher than average incident rate amongst those working in the industry. These conditions cause burn-out and substance abuse and sends good technicians to an early grave.
I feel that I say it so often. But what we do is so important to our modern day culture even if someone never set's foot in a live performing arts venue. When people had to remain indoors for well over a year many had to turn to digital media in order to entertain themselves. It's an insult to how much people working in the entertainment industry suffer for their passion that they put up with these conditions for so many years.
While it may be common knowledge that exploitation of workers in our industry is common, I wasn't aware of to what extent. The stories within this article are brutal and inhumane showings of treatment towards employees/collaborators. We are not machines and therefore cannot be treated as such. People need flexibility, they need rest, they need time to take care of themselves and the people in their lives both mentally and physically. Expecting this kind of work output and dedication is ridiculous, cruel, and surprising for an industry that claims to be socially aware and active. Even in high school, something we were often told was you are expendable. There is always someone who can do your job as well and better and we will find them and replace you if you make waves. I was pleasantly surprised that when I got to CMU that wasn't the culture here. And it's saddening to think about going back out into a community where that is a standard again.
Since word of the looming strike vote came out, I started to follow the insta account for @ia_stories and seeing that the things I have been dealing with as an independent contract worker are still a “professional” issue as well. Reading the stories that have been posted on that insta have made me feel anxious and ill. It has such a visceral effect on me because I know people who have dealt with those same situations, or I personally have. I love the concept of unions and the power they can wield. Too many people that are in power are from the 80’s and think Reaganomics and trickle down will make things work. I have once been accused of being an armchair socialist but as we are seeing there are a lot of people waking up to the fact that we need to work together to create change. I am waiting to hear on Monday what the vote was for this strike. I think the things being asked for are reasonable for our industry and would be laughed out of any other group as not reasonable enough.
It will always stun me, the way these workers are asking for so little, for, literally, the bare minimum. Fair wages, fair hours, a damned lunch break and to not be so tired you would crash the car while driving it. As some people have mentioned, the Instagram account @ia_stories has really taken off, cataloging these egregious tales and violation of common decency. I do not personally follow them, but I move in the same circles, clearly, so I get plenty of horror stories on my feed. And these are things that make any rational human think, "How can this be happening?" And yet those in charge refuse to relent? It is mind-boggling. What is worse is that these things are common, these things happen across the industry, these things happen every damn day. It is astonishing to me how much must be lost and how low we must go before change is instituted.
We have all heard the horror stories. The entertainment industry in Hollywood is a scary place. Therefore, what is shocking is, unfortunately, not the stories but the unwillingness to change. At this exact moment, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (also known as IATSE) is requesting permission to go on strike– allowing leaders in the industry to “call for a walkout” if agreements are not made. Coming back from the COVID-19 global pandemic, IATSE reports 50+ complaints about 14-hour workdays and repeated stalled negotiations, workers in the union are, at this point, asking for basic respect. If the strike authorization is granted, the Hollywood strike would be the strongest strike since World War II. In addition to schedule issues, IASTE workers are requesting minimum pay rates, healthcare, amongst other basic necessities. So, as I stood above, IATSE is, at this point, asking for respect and I do hope they continue to fight for their right to be respected.
It seems like this strike is a long time coming. I follow @ia_stories and it is one of those pages, as was this article that you read thinking, how does this still go on. It’s sad that so many people in this industry work so hard to do what they love and receive so little. It’s ridiculous that an industry, as big as this one is, is not willing to give workers a meal break, or a day off after their child dies. It’s also shocking how little visibility this strike has. One would think for the circumstances these people are working under, it being a historic strike, and it being the entertainment industry, the general population would be far more aware of what is happening, however very few people are, even those who are very active in the news. Hopefully if IATSE strikes there will be changes, both too the working conditions, and to the awareness of the general public.
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