Hollywood crews give near unanimous support for strike authorization after contract talks stall

Hollywood crews have voted overwhelmingly in favor of waging a strike if their union cannot agree to a new contract, setting the stage for an extraordinary showdown with the major studios.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said nearly 99% of those who cast ballots voted in a favor of a strike authorization. The turnout was unusually high, with 90% of eligible union members participating in the vote, IATSE said.

Union members representing some 60,000 film and TV workers, have been casting their votes since Friday to authorize their leaders to call a strike if they can’t reach an agreement with producers on a new three-year contract.

The extraordinary vote comes after months of talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — which represents the major studios and streaming companies — reached an impasse.

The vote doesn’t mean a strike is inevitable, but it does give union leaders potentially more leverage in contract negotiations with employers, who might be willing to make concessions for fear of disruptions caused by a walkout.

Nonetheless, the step is highly unusually for IATSE, which historically has avoided confrontations with studios in order to keep their members working. Hollywood crews haven’t staged a major strike since 1945, when workers held a protest outside of Warner Bros. known as Hollywood’s Bloody Friday.

A walkout would halt productions nationwide and deliver a blow to one of Southern California’s most important industries. It would disrupt efforts by the major studios to resume production activity that was delayed by the pandemic, and to feed a growing demand for content from their new streaming platforms.

Over the past few weeks IATSE members have been mobilizing support for the vote with campaigns on social media, circulating petitions and garnering public support from celebrities including Jane Fonda and Mindy Kaling, as well as California legislators.

Crews in Los Angeles have held car painting campaigns, covering their vehicles with logos and slogans to show their solidarity.

IATSE leaders sought the authorization after four months of increasingly acrimonious talks between the union and the AMPTP failed to result in a new contract.

The union said earlier this month that the alliance has not been willing to negotiate terms it wants to improve the working conditions and compensation of its members. Specifically, the union is seeking improved pay, especially for streaming productions, more rest periods to reduce long hours of filming and higher contributions to the union’s health and pension plans.

Studios have balked at the union’s demands, after having to incur massive costs as a result of new safety requirements and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AMPTP said previously that it had addressed many of the union’s demands, including increasing minimum pay rates for some types of new media productions and covering a nearly $400-million pension and health plan deficit.

IATSE leaders are negotiating two contracts simultaneously for crews on the West Coast as well as nationally. The two contracts lapsed on July 31 and were extended to September 10.