EXCLUSIVE: IATSE is now gearing up for a second strike against the film and TV industry. With the union and its 13 West Coast studio locals already threatening to strike over terms for a new Hollywood Basic Agreement, IATSE is now seeking a second strike authorization vote for a separate contract covering film and TV work in much of the rest of the country. That contract is called the “Area Standards Agreement” and covers 23 locals outside of Los Angeles.
Both contracts – the Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement – expired on July 31, but were extended, the union said, “in an effort to exhaust every opportunity to make a deal.” The Basic Agreement talks with management’s AMPTP broke off on Monday, prompting the union to seek strike authorization from members of the 13 West Coast studio locals. The next day, talks broke off for the Area Standards Agreement, which covers 23 different locals outside L.A. that represent many of the same types of production workers and crafts.
“Negotiations for the Area Standards Agreement have ground to a halt,” IATSE president Matt Loeb and the leaders of the 23 locals said in a letter to their members dated Sept. 21. “Today the AMPTP informed the IATSE that they have no further changes to their last position. This failure to continue negotiating can only be interpreted one way. They simply will not address the core issues we have repeatedly advocated for from the beginning. As a result, we will now proceed with a strike authorization vote to demonstrate our commitment to achieving the change that is long overdue in this industry.”
See the letter and all the signers here.
