Hollywood union workers could start a historic strike as early as next week that would halt almost all film and television production across the country.
Leaders of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or the IATSE, will ask tens of thousands of their 150,000 union members to authorize a strike during an emergency virtual town hall Wednesday night.
The vote, if approved, would allow union president Matthew D. Loeb to order the strike if given the green light.
What's more, workers would be polled 'nationwide,' according to the union, which represents crewmembers including grips, cinematographers, editors, costumers, hairstylists and more.
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees members are fed-up with paltry pay and marathon workdays that have only worsened after workers returned to their respective crafts after the pandemic
The decisive move from union officials comes after four months of increasingly embittered negotiations between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
After months of back-and-forth, both bodies failed to come to a consensus on a contract.
IATSE members say they’ve reached this point due to a confluence of unsatisfactory circumstances, like being forced to undergo intensive production schedules following the lapse in work brought on by the pandemic, and a new climate where workers are willing to share negative experiences through social media.
Workers in the historic Hollywood crafts union are fed-up with paltry pay and marathon workdays that have only worsened after workers returned to their respective crafts after the pandemic, and are seeking stricter penalties on their employers for missed meal breaks, more substantial rest periods, and greater compensation for streaming projects and weekend assignments.
IATSE members also are striving to increase wages for crafts that have contractual minimum hourly rates of less than $18 an hour, as well as increased contributions to health and pension plans.
The union recently revealed that producers like Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros. and Walt Disney refused to respond to its latest proposals after the union's contract expired earlier this month.
'This failure to continue negotiating can only be interpreted one way,' the IATSE said in a statement Monday. 'They simply will not address the core issues we have repeatedly
