IATSE and AMPTP to Keep Talking as Hollywood Hopes to Avert Strike

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterMany members of IATSE say they will vote against ratifying a new contract with the major studios because it does not do enough to address working conditions on set.The deal, announced Saturday afternoon, averts a strike that would have shut down film and TV production nationwide starting on Monday morning.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterNegotiators 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.The deal must still be ratified by the membership, but it appears that the union will not be calling the first nationwide strike in its 128-year history.Talks went past 10 p.m.

first reported on Saturday that the two sides are close, and an individual with knowledge of the talks confirmed that a deal is “in sight.” According to Variety, Disney’s Peter Rice and power lawyer Ken Ziffren have been instrumental in bridging the gap. Reps for AMPTP and IATSE declined to comment.IATSE had set a deadline of Monday, Oct.

IATSE and Hollywood’s major studios are closing in on a deal that would avert a strike that threatened to shutter most film and TV production in Hollywood.Industry sources said virtual negotiations between the sides went late into Friday night as Carol Lombardini, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers bargaining organization for the major studios, addressed numerous IATSE leaders about the details of deals on thorny issues of working conditions that were sorted

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterFilm and TV workers left the job site on Friday uncertain of when they would return, as negotiators were expected to work through the weekend in hopes of avoiding a crippling strike.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees advised members to bring home any tools and equipment that belong to them, because they may not have access to the set on Monday. IATSE International President Matthew D.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterTV writers may soon have to take their own notes as their assistants will be on the picket lines if IATSE calls a strike on Monday morning.Writers assistants and script coordinators provide the essential support functions that keep writers’ rooms operating.

EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood is on the precipice tonight as talks between IATSE and the AMPTP continue in the hopes to avert a strike early next week that could bring most of the industry to a standstill. “Assume there will be a strike and hope there isn’t,” Local 800 members were told this afternoon in the first of two planned virtual townhalls.

IATSE and the AMPTP are making progress at the bargaining table, but the two sides still have a ways to go to avert a threatened strike on Monday. “We did make progress,” a union source said. “Yesterday was a pretty good day, but we’re not there yet, by any means.”

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorIATSE and Hollywood’s major employers will keep going on contract negotiations Thursday as the clock ticks down to Monday’s deadline for the union to call a strike.Sources close to the situation confirm that the sides will be back to virtual bargaining sessions on Thursday. On Wednesday, IATSE ratcheted the pressure on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers by setting at a deadline of 12:01 a.m.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterHollywood is starting to brace for a strike that would essentially shut down the entire industry on Monday morning.Talks have stalled on a new contract for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which has lately accused the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers of refusing to made enough concessions. Matthew D.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterIATSE leadership got a big win on Oct. 4, when more than 98% of the rank and file voted to authorize a strike.Having riled people up, the leaders now face pressure to deliver the goods.

IATSE leaders are becoming increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of the ongoing negotiations with the AMPTP for a new film and TV contract.

In the memo obtained by TheWrap, Cathy Repola, National Executive Director of IATSE’s Motion Picture Editors Guild, says that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios, “repeatedly refuse to do what it will take to achieve a fair deal.” ““Either they don’t recognize what has changed in our industry and among our members or they don’t care. Or both,” the memo continues.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAn official with IATSE told members on Tuesday that the studios are refusing to make the necessary concessions to avoid a strike, although negotiations are still underway.Cathy Repola, the national executive director of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, told members in an email on Tuesday that the pace of the talks is quickening, and that the timetable continues to be “days, not weeks.”“In the wake of the overwhelming strike authorization vote, the employers

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterNegotiations on a new IATSE contract will resume on Monday, after the two sides concluded their talks on Saturday without a deal.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — which represents 60,000 film and TV production workers across the country — has threatened to strike if it cannot reach a deal. In a message to members on Friday, International President Matthew D.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe high-stakes negotiations between the studios and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees will continue on Saturday, as the two sides continue to talk on a range of issues.The union is seeking movement on its key priorities — including long hours and streaming pay scales — but has advised that it will not let the talks drag on indefinitely.“It’s a matter of days, not weeks,” International President Matthew Loeb said in a statement on Friday

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe studios have made some concessions on IATSE’s demands regarding long production hours, but an agreement still remains “a ways off,” according to an update from one IATSE local on Thursday.David O’Ferrall, the business agent of IATSE Local 487, told members that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had agreed to 10-hour turnaround times on all productions.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterContract talks between the studios and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees were still underway late Wednesday and are expected to continue on Thursday.As is typically the case during collective bargaining, the negotiators were abiding by a media blackout.

voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a new agreement can’t be reached. Details about the current state of talks between the groups are scant, as both are engaged in a media blackout, as is customary during labor negotiations.The strike authorization vote wasn’t intended to make a strike inevitable.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterIn 2015, IATSE International President Matthew Loeb went into the negotiating room determined to do something about long hours worked on productions.