Strike Averted! IATSE & AMPTP Reach Deal On New Film & TV Contract

The Chicago/Midwest film and television production community can breathe a sigh of relief as negotiators from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have reached a deal for a new three-year contract, averting a strike that would have shut down film and TV production across the country.

“This is a Hollywood ending,” IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said in a statement. “Our members stood firm. They’re tough and united… We went toe to toe with some of the richest and most powerful entertainment and tech companies in the world, and we have now reached an agreement with the AMPTP that meets our members’ needs.”

“The IATSE & Hollywood 13 Locals achieved a tentative agreement w/ AMPTP,” the union told members Saturday afternoon. “Strike averted!”

Here’s a very quick news brief from CBS Los Angeles regarding the positive turn of events:

Details of the New Deal

The union sent out a list of bullet points on the deal, including 10-hour “turnaround” times between shifts, weekend turnarounds of 54 hours and 32 hours, and 3% wage increases for each of the next three years. The deal also includes increased meal penalties, improved wages and working conditions for streaming productions, and a “living wage” for the lowest-paid workers.

Another union leader called the deal “a greater gain than we’ve made in the history of negotiation.”

“Everything achieved was because you, the members, stood up and gave us the power to change the course of these negotiations,” the union told members in an email. “Our solidarity, at both the leadership and rank and file level, was the primary reason that no local was left behind and every priority was addressed.”

The contract must still be ratified by IATSE membership, but it appears that the union will not be calling the first nationwide strike in its 128-year history. Variety reported one local sent a message to members advising that, “If you are booked on Monday, you should report to work as usual.”

According to Variety, talks went past 10 p.m. on Friday as the union leadership and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), led by Carol Lombardini, worked out the details affecting some 60,000 film workers, including camera operators, grips, sound technicians, and makeup artists.

And More Good News for Chicago and Illinois This Weekend…

With Chicago in the midst of a record year of television production, the new deal between IATSE and AMPTP could not have come at a better time.

And speaking of good news for the weekend and a historic year for the Windy City… FX has just granted a series order for the Chicago-set comedy The Bear, led by Shameless star Jeremy Allen White, and you can read all about it right here.