IATSE reaches tentative deal, will avoid strike

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After planning to strike Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, IATSE has announced it has reached an 11th hour deal with AMPTP.

The two sides tentatively reached an agreement over the weekend, though the new contract still needs approval from the membership and could ultimately be rejected.

Key among the terms of the new deal was wages for workers, particularly some of the lower paid ones, on streaming productions.

Under the proposed deal, works could see up to 30% more pay for work done on episodic streaming shows and longform miniseries that are longer than 66 minutes.

Productions with overall budgets between $20 and $32 million will no longer be eligible for a “discount” in wages paid to union members for productions headed to a streaming platform.

IATSE represents a wide range of behind the scenes workers, ranging from crew to costume designers and set painters. AMPTP is an organization that represents nearly 350 production companies in negotiations with unions, so reaching a deal between the two was essential to avoid widescale disruption in production in key parts of the country, including Hollywood.

IATSE says the new deal also addresses other issues such as workplace conditions, but does not get into specifics.

Some union membership has already voiced concerns about the new contract, even as details continue to emerge, and it’s likely there will be some internal push to vote against the deal.