Another major Hollywood strike has likely been averted after the union representing most behind-the-scenes film and television crew members reached a tentative deal with studios for about 50,000 of their members.
The two sides issued a joint statement on June 25, in which they announced the agreement in the form of a three-year deal.
“The Basic Agreement Negotiating Committee has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). A complete summary of the tentative agreement will be released in a few days,” the statement says.
Although still subject to vote approval by its members, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) sent an e-mail to members confirming that the deal is inclusive of the pay hikes and artificial intelligence protections demanded by union members.
The terms of the agreement include pay scale rate increases of 7 percent, 4 percent, and 3.5 percent over the three-year term, according to the union.
With regards to the use of artificial intelligence, the deal includes “language that ensures no employee is required to provide Al prompts in any manner that would result in the displacement of any covered employee.”
The agreement ended fears that strike action would continue into 2024, following the work stoppages that have plagued the industry over the last couple of years.
The contract, referred to as the Basic Agreement, applies to around 50,000 crew members across 13 different West Coast-based union locations.
The members are mostly comprised of art directors, set painters, editors, camera technicians, costume designers, hair stylists, and makeup artists.
Like the IATSE talks of 2021, the writer’s and actor’s strikes of 2023 went well past the contract’s expiration, and led to much of the industry being shut down last year.
In late 2023, the SAG-AFTRA actors union and the studios reached a labor agreement, ending a near six-month dispute that had halted film and TV production across Hollywood.
That contract also provided for pay raises and streaming bonuses. Union leaders said at the time that the pay increases amounted to more than $1 billion over three years, and also included protection against the use of AI in filmmaking.
Some actors, including Mark Ruffalo and Kerry Washington, sent a letter to the AMPTP last week urging more generous contracts for crews.
AMPTP had struggled to reach agreements with writers and actors during last year’s strikes. However, the current tentative basic agreement comes nearly a month before the previous contract was due to expire.
The AMPTP represents studios, streaming service providers, and production companies including Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Amazon Prime.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
