IATSE and Studios Talk AI Protections, Wages in Latest Negotiations
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) completed a second week of Basic Agreement General Negotiations on Friday, the union said in a memo sent to members Friday evening.
Bargaining topics this week included proposals covering artificial intelligence, wages, working conditions and subcontracting.
President Matthew D. Loeb stated, “The goal of these negotiations is to ensure that our contracts keep pace with the rapid evolution of the entertainment industry. In many cases, the language in the previous agreements no longer works for our members. We are constructively engaging with employers to upgrade it and adapt our contracts to current working conditions.”
According to the memo are ongoing and are scheduled to be active through May 16. Negotiations for the Area Standards Agreement (ASA) will begin on May 20 and run through May 31. An additional day for ASA talks was added on Tuesday May 28, because of the Memorial Day holiday.
The new memo, which was also shared with TheWrap, comes as part of increased efforts by IATSE to update members more frequently on the progress of contract talks. Hollywood labor has seen increased rank-and-file engagement since the COVID-19 pandemic and particularly during last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Assuming that IATSE and AMPTP reach a deal on the Hollywood Basic and Area Standards Agreements in the coming weeks, the next union expected to begin negotiations would be Teamsters Local 399, which like IATSE has stated that it would not agree to an extension to the July 31 expiration date on its current contract.
Overall, ASA negotiations will cover issues like wage increases, pension and health contributions, artificial intelligence (AI), quality of life conditions, job security and benefits funding.
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