The Hollywood Reporter: Even before the ink dried on two major IATSE and Teamsters Local 399 contracts at the end of 2021 and start of 2022, members of the unions — which collectively represent a significant portion of union crewmembers in the Los Angeles area — were fretting about climbing consumer prices. But especially now, after inflation hit 40-year highs at several points in 2022 (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index measuring all items), some are arguing that the 3 percent compounded annual scale increases codified in IATSE’s Basic Agreement and the Teamsters’ “Black Book” contract aren’t cutting it.
2 comments:
This is a very important topic for us as students training to be in this industry to be thinking about and discussing. Any decisions made here will have direct impacts on us when we enter the working world and will also set precedents for the future. As living costs continue to go up, we would like to know that we are entering into an industry in which we can make a reasonable living. I have been told constantly by everyone around me that going into the theater industry is a risk and I may not be able to make a living with this career. Despite all of this, I have still made the decision to pursue what I want to do. However, there is still a large part of me that worries about what my future will hold and if I will be able to continue to do theater and make a living.
WHHHHAAATTT union pay bumps are behind the cost of living? This is not surprising considering union re-negotations do not occur yearly so they often are behind on what the cost of living is. I think they need to be looked at every year due to where we stand as a country and the rate of inflation not being steady any more. 3 percent wage increases were the norm, but there should no longer be a norm. It needs to be calculated in time with what is happening to inflation and the world around us. I found the chart to be very interesting to look at. I hope the unions are able to accurately renegotiate wages to match/exceed cost of living and that companies are actually open and encouraging these changes. If you want good workers, pay them their worth, if you are paying them below a living wage, you are saying they are not worth sustaining life and therefore not a necessity to your company.
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