Film and TV crew members reach deal with Hollywood studios to avert strike

The union that represents film and television crews has reached an agreement with Hollywood studios that will stave off a major strike – a welcome development after the industry saw significant labor turmoil last year.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (Iatse) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) announced on Tuesday they had a tentative three-year agreement that will affect about 50,000 crew members.

If approved, the deal will bring pay hikes, artificial intelligence protections and streaming residuals for union members, including costume designers, hair stylists, make-up artists, art directors, set painters, camera technicians and editors. Union members will vote on whether or not to ratify the agreement.

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The news brought relief in Hollywood, where the industry has not yet recovered from being shut down for much of last year. Actors and writers went on strike last year and the months-long work stoppages effectively brought film and television production to a halt. This year, workers have reported struggling to find work because there are fewer jobs available as the industry slows and as studios have cut back on spending.

The AMPTP, which represents studios, streaming services and companies including Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery and Amazon Prime, is the same group that struggled to reach a deal with writers and actors last year.

Last week, almost 400 industry members, including Mark Ruffalo, Kerry Washington, Ryan Coogler and Seth Rogen, signed a letter in solidarity with the union, expressing support for their demands and urging the studios to offer a fair contract, Deadline reported.

“These crew members dedicate their lives to their artistry and to their departments – working long hours in often challenging conditions to bring stories to life,” the letter stated. “Being able to do their jobs safely and compensated fairly is essential for our membership to be able to do our jobs. ‘Nothing moves without the crew.’”

The Iatse contract was set to expire in July, but now, with a tentative agreement in hand, Hollywood is unlikely to see another major strike this year. Members must still vote to ratify the deal, and a separate agreement affecting about 20,000 crew members across the US is still under negotiation.

Iatse has not yet released the full terms of its tentative agreement with the studios, but said in a statement that it “includes new protections around artificial intelligence, including language that ensures no employee is required to provide AI prompts in any manner that would result in the displacement of any covered employee”.

The deal will also bring scale rate increases of 7%, 4%, and 3.5% over three years, triple time for workers any time their work day exceeds 15 hours and payments from studios to help cover a shortfall in the union’s health insurance budget.

The union will release a complete summary of the tentative agreement later this week, it said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report