TIME TO SHUT THE LIGHTS?

Film and TV Crew Union Threaten to Strike Next Week Over Working Conditions

The public battle between the union and studios has escalated in recent weeks.

The entertainment industry may grind to another halt next week, and it won’t have anything to do with COVID. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union representing most film and television crews, said they would go on strike Monday if studios do not agree to their demands for better working conditions. “Without an end date, we could keep talking forever,” union head Matthew Loeb said in a statement, per the Associated Press. “Our members deserve to have their basic needs addressed now.” The bargaining groups have been locked in a public back-and-forth in recent weeks, with an Oct. 4 vote giving Loeb the power to authorize a strike. Studios said they are committed to working with the union, which represents positions such as cinematographers, set designers, and visual effects artists. “There are five whole days left to reach a deal,” Jarryd Gonzales, a publicist for the group representing the studios, said. “Studios will continue to negotiate in good faith in an effort to reach an agreement for a new contract that will keep the industry working.” The strike, should it go into effect, would be the first in the union’s 128-year history.