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TV, movie union begins strike authorization vote | Business

A 60,000-member union representing artisans in the entertainment industry began a vote Friday morning to approve a strike against film and television producers over a series of complaints about working conditions and pay.

If the vote, which ends on Sunday, speaks in favor of allowing a strike, the union will hold a second vote on the action.

Liz Pecos, president of the New Mexico Chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Santa Fe-based IATSE Local 480, was optimistic about the prospect for the local vote.

“We expect a positive result and a high turnout,” she wrote in an email. “We mobilized and focused the members [get-out-the-vote] Efforts throughout the week and will continue throughout the weekend. “

The local chapter, which has about 1,600 members, must get a 75 percent majority for its 15 delegate votes to count as a “yes” vote, Pecos said.

480 local members work on 11 television and film productions in New Mexico, including the fourth season of Roswell, New Mexico at Santa Fe Studios.

The national IATSE identifies “excessively unsafe and harmful” working hours for union members, unsustainable wages for the lowest paid craftsmen, no rest during meal breaks, between workdays and on weekends, and lower wages for workers in “new media” streaming projects, ” even in productions with budgets that compete with or exceed traditional blockbusters. “

IATSE has been negotiating with the Film and TV Producers Alliance since spring, but union leaders say the strike approval vote is now because producers have not made a counter offer to the union for 11 days.

“We are tired, frustrated and angry at the disrespect shown to us in the process by the companies we work for,” Pecos wrote in the email, describing the union members’ experiences in New Mexico. “They made hundreds of millions of dollars from our hard work, and they moved away from talking about a fair contract, including issues that ensure we can do our job safely.”

Very long working hours are common in the film and television industry.

“We are fed up with the unhealthy 14, 16 and up to 20 hour days that we work for weeks or months,” wrote Pecos. “We are fed up with the constant lack of adequate rest during meal breaks, between workdays and on weekends.”

Pecos said the workers’ long and short drives home on dark streets after working more than 14-hour days in New Mexico had put a strain on their physical and mental health over the years.

“Working conditions in New Mexico can be harsh, especially when there are companies that exploit the workforce with unhealthy working conditions like excessively long days or weeks without adequate weekend rest,” Pecos said. “Producers can escalate these conditions by not giving members time to eat and rest in the middle of a long day of filming.”

She said Local 480 has received public support from government leaders. The New Mexico Democratic delegates to Congress and state lawmakers have declared that they are behind the IATSE.

State House Speaker Brian Egolf, House Majority Leader Javier Martinez and Majority Whip Doreen Gallegos issued a joint statement in support of the IATSE’s strike clearing vote.

“The IATSE 480 members are the backbone of this industry,” they wrote. “Every day your work makes New Mexico look great to the world. … IATSE members jeopardized their health and safety over the past year and worked through the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the film and television industries stayed intact. Production has now returned to pre-pandemic levels, not least because of the essential role these workers play in realizing creative visions. “

In Congress, 31 senators and 87 representatives sent a letter to Carol Lombardini, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, stating that they “agreed on our belief in the importance of viable wages, sustainable benefits and adequate rest between shifts are”. and during the working day. “

The Democratic Members of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation – US Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján and US Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández and Melanie Stansbury – issued a statement “in which they the [producers] Cooperate and negotiate in good faith with Hollywood craftsmen. “

“Behind the scenes, such as cameramen, cameramen, cutters and art directors – the engines of the entertainment industry and the creative arts – have often played a vital role in keeping film and television productions going during the COVID-19 pandemic Health, safety and welfare at risk, ”wrote the New Mexico Democrats.

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