IATSE Strike Averted After AMPTP and Crew Union Reach a Tentative Deal

Forty thousand film and television crew workers, represented by IATSE’s Basic and Videotape Agreements with AMPTP, return to work today after a tentative agreement was reached between the two bargaining parties late Saturday, October 16 – avoiding a costly IATSE strike at the eleventh hour.

Two weeks ago, IATSE crew members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Last week IATSE president Matthew Loeb set a deadline to strike. With a nationwide production shutdown looming, intense pressure to avoid an IATSE strike resulted in a new 3-year deal. The agreement includes nearly all provisions the union was prepared to strike for. 

According to an IATSE press release, “the proposed contract addresses core issues, including reasonable rest periods; meal breaks; a living wage for those on the bottom of the pay scale; and significant increases in compensation to be paid by new-media companies.” 

The agreement has not yet been officially released. The AMPTP and IATSE are working out final details and reviews and expect to release the deal early this week.  

When the tentative agreement is finalized, it will go to a vote among IATSE members, on a similar email-based platform used for the IATSE strike vote. Employees are encouraged to check with their local for updates on the matter. 

The AMPTP and IATSE will now continue negotiating the Area Standards Agreement, which affects film and TV crew workers in places such as Georgia, New Mexico, New York and other locales across the U.S. not covered by the West Coast Basic Agreement or East Coast Agreement.