IATSE: Post-production employees of VICE Media have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new 3-year union agreement that dramatically shortens their working hours, significantly increases all employees’ hourly rates, and provides further raises for lower-paid employees. The new contract represents the culmination of months of negotiations between the media giant and the Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700).
5 comments:
This is a huge win for VICE post production employees! The article specifies that employees will work 40 hours per week instead of 50; assuming they work 5-day weeks, that is an extra 2 hours per day that can be spent taking care of & spending time with family, sleeping, and relaxing. On the note of childcare, this will also help alleviate parents of some childcare costs. Additionally, having a better work-life balance is essential to good mental health and physical health. The addition of future increases for employees is beneficial for both VICE and the employees, as people will be more incentivized to stay at the company. I do wish the article was more specific about salaries but that may be difficult information to get. Additionally, I wish the article talked at least a little bit about benefits like healthcare, just for more context of the situation and what employees should keep fighting for.
I am so glad that workers are fighting for their rights in this industry. On top of that, I am excited that producers and other higher-ups are finally starting to see how unhealthy and unsustainable the entertainment industry is as a whole. This is a huge win for not only everyone currently working with VICE but also for everyone who may enter the field in the coming years. As a young person training to be a part of the entertainment industry, I knew that it would be hard and I knew that it would come with a lot of sacrifices. This industry is hard but I am so incredibly grateful that there are people working to make it a better place for everyone. Humans need only a few things to survive but we want a high quality of life while we’re at it and the current industry does not allow any time for that. There are still plenty of improvements to be made but this is a success story that should be celebrated.
Unionizing is so important and I was happy to read that VICE was able to unionize, especially because the company as a whole often doses articles about workers movements and strikes around the world it shows that they are sticking to the things they report. Media workers have very though jobs that often include long hours to get articles and events published online, but I am glad that this has not stopped workers form unionizing for better pay and hours. Eight hour workdays should be a right and not just a privilege and it is no small feat that they where able to lower the workweek from 50-hours to 40-hours. Along with this I was impressed to read the pay was also increased in some cases by 48.4%. Vice dose incredible documentary and on the ground reporting, and I especially loved their in depth coverage of the Maiden protests in Ukraine and the Ukrainian war against Russian backed separatists. This made me wonder how this deal will affect on the ground conflict journalism. Often times journalists reporting on conflicts cannot be given luxuries such as a hotel to sleep because they are in a literal war zone, or they need to report for multiple days across a period of time with little to no breaks. Do these journalists have an exception within the rules? Sadly I’ve noticed a decline in VICE’s on the ground conflict journalism and instead they have switched there reporting to easier domestic topics not involving conflict.
This is SO important: I’m incredibly happy for the VICE employees who just ratified this new 3-year union agreement. Work-life balance is so, so, so crucial: for families, for the employees emotional, mental, and physical well being. Honestly, I really think that having a healthier work-life balance makes for better work. People can find more joy in their jobs, and have time to enrich their lives with other things they love to do, and spend more time with their loved ones. I hope this precedent spreads through the industry: I think most of us would agree that this is something that needs to be more widespread, and will help the entertainment industry prosper in a far more sustainable, and healthy way. I find so much joy in creating theater, but I know that can quickly dissipate when it means lack of rest, and not seeing my loved ones for days on end because of long days and crazy schedules.
This article highlights the grave importance of unionization and labor organizing, especially in creative industries. We are constantly the victims of exploitation because of how much we are willing to sacrifice for our art, and the union is really the only way to push back against that culture in a way that makes employers listen. I’m extremely happy that these editors were able to win a 40 hour work week, but I was simultaneously quite shocked that they didn’t already have that in their contract. Having a good work-life balance not only makes people happier in their work, it also makes them more efficient, which should be a win-win for everyone involved. I’m just glad that’s finally been won in their contract, especially with a 37% percent hourly wage increase due to keeping the wages from working 50 hours a week. The future of creative work is bright, we just have to be willing to fight for it.
Post a Comment