Set Workers for Safety
Illustration by Gavin Quinton
Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) labor union announced on Oct. 4, 2021, plans to hold a strike against the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP). Demands included safer conditions, living wages and an end to lengthy working hours.
Studios temporarily averted the IATSE strike on Oct. 16, 2021 after they reached negotiations and proposed a tentative three-year agreement with the union. Approximately 40,000 film and television members ratified the Basic and Videotape Agreements. The contract highlights crucial issues such as comfortable rest periods, meal breaks, and a three percent increase in compensation for workers of new-media streaming companies.
Santa Monica College film student Madison Piker worked as an intern on a student film set as a personal assistant. She said, “it was a 12 hour set, and to me that’s total abuse.”
After Piker read about the three percent wage increase, she said, “if this is going to continue being like that, I feel like the future of Hollywood is going to see fewer filmmakers.”
On Oct. 21, a crew member on the set of the film “Rust,” Halyna Hutchins, Director of Photography, tragically lost her life when actor Alec Baldwin fired a loaded prop pistol, striking her in the chest. Hutchins was a member of IATSE, Cinematographer’s Guild, Local 600. The same incident also injured the film’s director, Joel Souza. Since the accident, work on the film has been halted and no indication has been given as to whether production will resume.
Reports from crew members regarding negligence on sets are circulating social media feeds, aiding the talk to decline the current agreed upon demands. For example, the IASTE unofficial Instagram page @ia_members shared a message on Oct. 22, 2021, from an alleged anonymous member of the “Rust” crew. The post alleged that the movie’s camera crew walked off set prior to the incident, because of poor working conditions. It further specified that the work environment included poor gun safety.
“Rust” Assistant Director David Halls, who handed the loaded prop gun to Baldwin before the incident, had recently been fired from the 2019 set of “Freedom’s Path” when a prop weapon injured a crew member. Conclusive results have yet to be released by police on the incident which would suggest fault or negligence on behalf of Halls. The case is still open.
The Basic Agreement and Videotape agreements struck between Hollywood IATSE locals now must be ratified by members in two separate votes. According to a survey among IATSE members on the @ia_members Instagram page, 70 percent of 480 respondents said they would vote no to ratify the tentative agreements presented by IATSE. The survey asked for member ID information alongside the survey questions. No date has been announced for these votes.
IATSE members can reach out to report safety concerns on set via an anonymous hotline, at 844-422-9273. In addition to the hotline, members can report any issues via the IATSE Safety Info app.
