Hollywood

About 60,000 Hollywood Union Workers Are Voting on Whether to Authorize a Strike

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)'s president on Friday urged members “in the strongest possible terms” to vote in favor of the strike

IATSE Local 700 Motion Picture Editors Guild
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Officially, it’s just a vote to authorize a strike, not a vote to go on strike. However, if it passes, it could lead to the biggest industry strike among Hollywood production workers since World War II. The results are expected to be released Monday, according to IATSE.

The union’s contract with AMPTP, which went into place in 2018, ended July 31 and was extended until Sept. 10. The union is calling for a new, three-year basic agreement that would provide behind-the-scenes workers higher pay, larger contributions to health and pension plans, meal breaks, improved rest periods and a bigger cut of the profits from streaming productions.

In a Sept. 21 statement announcing its intent to hold a strike authorization vote, IATSE said members “risked our health and safety all year, working through the Pandemic to ensure that our business emerged intact. Now, we cannot and will not accept a deal that leaves us with an unsustainable outcome.”

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

Contact Us