The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees just finished up its third week of negotiations with major studios and streaming giants.
In a new message to members on Friday, the union said it expects to add additional days to the schedule in June for negotiations. The contract is set to expire on July 31, and the union is not looking to grant any extension whatsoever.
The Basic Agreement covers 45,000 to 50,000 crew members, largely based in Los Angeles, from 13 local unions. The major issues on the table include funding of the union benefit plans, wage increases, artificial intelligence protections, and safety measures.
“We are working toward setting additional bargaining dates to continue to negotiate the deal our members deserve,” Matt Loeb, the international president of IATSE, said in the message.
The discussions as of now indicate that the conversations have been going according to plan.
The talks this week were shadowed by the death of Rico Priem, a grip who was killed in a crash at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday while driving home from the set of the ABC show “9-1-1.”
The union suggests that the long set hours of 14-hour workdays may have contributed to his death.
ADVERTISEMENT
The union has been seeking for longer rest periods and provisions requiring hotel stays for those workers on sets who are too tired to drive home.
The union is set to continue conversations on Monday on the Area Standards Agreement, a contract that covers 23 locals around the country.
The AMPTP is also scheduled to negotiate with the Teamsters and the other Basic Crafts unions in June. That contract is also due to expire on July 31.
