IATSE Ratifies New Three-Year Deal, Despite AI Worries

IATSE members have voted to ratify their contracts with the major studios, calming fears of another industry shutdown so soon after last year’s double strikes, and bringing the hope that this will result in an uptick in work amid a continued slowdown.

The contracts were approved by a sizable margin, despite fears in some quarters that they did not do enough to protect members from artificial intelligence. The Basic Agreement was approved by 85.9% of members, while 87.2% supported the Area Standards Agreement.

“IATSE’s rank-and-file members have spoken, and their will is clear,” said Matt Loeb, the international president of IATSE, in a statement. “The gains secured in these contracts mark a significant step forward for America’s film and TV industry and its workers. This result shows our members agree, and now we must build on what these negotiations achieved.”

The union reported that turnout was “historically high,” with “strong majorities” voting on both contracts. In 2021, 72% of eligible members cast ballots. That ratification was unusually divisive — only 49.6% voted yes on the Basic Agreement in 2021, which nevertheless passed under the union’s delegate-based voting system. This time around, all of the affected locals supported the deals, and thus the delegate vote was unanimous.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in bargaining, congratulated the union for ratifying a “landmark” deal with overwhelming support.

“From the first day of negotiations, IATSE leadership demonstrated a clear commitment to a fair and collaborative process, which resulted in agreements that contain historic gains and protections, reflect the immense value that IATSE members bring to production, and ensure our industry will continue to deliver well-paid jobs and exciting content for years to come,” an AMPTP spokesperson said.

Both sides seemed keen to get a deal, given the struggle to recover from last year’s strikes. They scheduled extra time for bargaining, which began in early March, and the union did not take a strike authorization vote.

The contracts provide substantial wage increases — a 7% raise in minimums in the first year, followed by raises of 4% and 3.5%, matching the terms won by SAG-AFTRA last fall. The contracts also include new streaming residuals to address a $670 million shortfall in the pension and health plans, which are largely funded by hourly contributions and thus took a hit due to last year’s six-month work stoppage. Workers will also receive triple time for any hours worked beyond 15 hours — up from double time in the current contract. That provision was intended to curb extra-long workdays.

IATSE also won certain concessions around the use of AI. Any AI use will be covered by the union contract, and no member will be forced to enter prompts into an AI system that put another member out of work. The contracts also provide that if a member loses their job due to AI, they are entitled to severance and retraining. The contract also provides for regular meetings to discuss developments in the technology.

That did not go far enough for members who fear that AI will be used to train on their creative work, and thus put them out of a job. The AMPTP has not been willing to limit or compensate for AI training in any of its labor negotiations.

Members pressed IATSE leadership for more information about the terms during a Town Hall meeting held on Saturday.

The Set Designer’s Council (a part of Art Directors Guild, Local 800) went as far as recommending a “no” vote due to the AI language. A portion of an email to members obtained by Variety reads: “In the new contract language, we have not been given any protections relating to our individual processes when designing, building models, illustrating or creating documents. This applies to all crafts. Art direction, set design, illustration, graphic arts and in some cases physical model making if using a computer to create parts.”

The Hollywood Basic and Videotape Agreements cover approximately 50,000 film and TV workers across IATSE’s 13 West Coast Studio Locals, primarily based in Los Angeles. The largest are the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600), Motion Picture Editors Guild (Local 700) and Art Directors Guild (Local 800).

The Area Standards Agreement covers roughly 20,000 film and TV workers across 23 local unions across the United States in cities other than Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. The current contracts expire July 31. The new agreements take effect Aug. 1.

The Teamsters and other Basic Crafts unions — which represent about 8,000 workers in total — are still in negotiations on their contract. The Teamsters leadership has warned that the the two sides remain far apart on basic issues like wage increases. The union is also seeking to limit subcontracting. That deal expires on July 31.

Lindsay Dougherty, the head of Teamsters Local 399, said before negotiations began that a strike was “unlikely,” but the rhetoric has grown increasingly militant in the last few weeks, as the union warns that it will not “negotiate against ourselves.”