I'm not super pro-union (plenty of mess there) but there really are some reasonable asks union side.
My guess, folks have been NOT working the 12+ hour days, have NOT been doing the "rolling lunches" and other wild hollywood stuff (that a construction worker would think was crazy) during COVID. Might have opened their eyes to life outside of the hollywood dream machine.
Maybe look for things as basic as:
Mandated stop production 30 minute lunches.
Mandated 10 hour turnarounds seem totally reasonable
And bottom line, new media isn't new media anymore, it's big business so sorting that out also makes sense
I've never fully understood why hollywood can't always take a standard 30 minute lunch break. The job site across the street, lunch time, everyone puts down their stuff and eats and relaxes. And end of day, they are gone (unless it's a rush and paying overtime).
(note this is my list - union's position may be different etc).
Most productions started up in August 2020 with strict Covid protocols; personally I've had 1 week off since then. Crews have been doing full days, with masks. Normal work under harder conditions.
They finally offered 10hr turn around after we voted to strike; and its with strings. They cant even give an hour for sleep. Ive done the 14-17hr days, with 9hr turn around, and I live 1hr 20min from set, so thats 6hrs personal time a day to eat and sleep.
As for lunch, many shows do have a 30 min lunch, but the flow works out that not everyone gets an equal lunch, some have responsibilities that require them back on set before the others. Production will not wait on one person to eat. Also 30 minutes in a 16 hour day isnt much anyway
I worked as a grip on numerous film and video shoots in the 80s and 90s. The working conditions were brutal but the pay was good. Lot's of people wanted to do the work, so the situation was ripe for the type of working conditions that are being reported.
If you have ever worked on a film set (I can't comment on all of the environments IATSE members work in), it can be complete and total chaos with very small moments of coordination. I don't want to excuse the madness of why talent, technical and directorial can't all coordinate to improve the overall efficiency of the set. This is why people don't just put down their equipment at noon and grab lunch. Everyone is standing around super-busy doing nothing until that one magical moment where everything aligns and you better gosh darn be ready right then and there or you will find yourself replaced. Like it said, it could be brutal!
Sometimes when shooting on location with permits to close city streets and the like there are heavy costs to running over the schedule. Or in some cases it's not possible at all. They might also be using expensive rental equipment which has to be returned by a certain time. So it can be cheaper to just force everyone to work through lunch and pay the overtime.
(I don't think abusing workers that way is justified just to save a buck and I hope the union members achieve their goals.)
> folks have been NOT working the 12+ hour days, have NOT been doing the "rolling lunches" and other wild hollywood stuff (that a construction worker would think was crazy)
Why would a construction worker think 12+ hour days are crazy?
My experience is that this is normal for roading workers in the road-making season.
One-hour lunches, though: now that's just crazy talk.
I've just spent a bit over a year in the live entertainment industry, and feel like I might be able to provide some insight here. On the one hand, this feels like an own-goal because no one in live entertainment has been paid since the beginning of 2020. Though that started to change a little over this summer.
On the other hand, many of the people from the live entertainment industry found refuge in film and television. There has been a hollowing out of the industry where the senior folks have stuck around, but lots and lots of people who were early in their career have left and are not coming back. The senior folks can afford a few more weeks of no pay. However, if they cut off revenue to the film&tv world, they are setting up a 1-2 punch to the entertainment companies (1. COVID, 2. strike), and that puts them in a good negotiating position.
This is set to be even bigger than the 2007 WGA strike, which was ~12k people for 100 days. WGA had some precedent-setting wins with that, hopefully the same will happen with IATSE.
The WGA strike was really significant world historically. My recollection is that that strike created the impetus to do more reality television, which in turn created The Apprentice, which in turn gave us the 2016 election. America is a completely TV addled nation lmao
At the time, the only thing I noticed was one of my favorite actresses from House MD participated in the strike and that the quality of the writing declined shortly after it started.
That said, I completely support the strike! The workers need it badly and the stronger the strikes, the more control the workers will have. The more control they have, the less of a disaster America will be and leave less room for those kinds of consequences! My only criticism of the earlier strike is that it wasn't strong enough to include Reality TV in its coalition.
EDIT: Welp, I was wrong! Sorry about that.
EDIT2: Some people seem to think the show took off after the strike even though it started before:
Is there a page on their website that has a good list of:
- What the workers' demands are?
- What they want consumers to do to support the strike?
Finding it hard to navigate their website, and hearing people on social media say conflicting things, hard to get a read on what the official position of the union is.
I read the headline as "strike data set" and was really interested to see what industry data IASTE was releasing to help justify the strike to the public and build support. Alas.
The thing to realize is that abuse works well. You can, from the same workforce, extract more value, or the same value faster, with more abuse. So when it's not regulated, the way to get ahead, or even stay in business, is via abusive practices. So the only way toward a sustainable future is regulation. That way the playing field is level and so there's less incentive to abuse.
There is some information on IATSE's site, I'll link below. Most specifics are confidential even once the contracts are ratified; there are also two separate contracts in question.
I can say, the core of it is demanding safe work hours, the rest is important but workable. The producers are trying to reduce pay, increase health care costs, skip lunch, and while asking us to work harder, and still pretending streaming media isn't viable. IATSE has been good over the years making okay, but arguably fair contracts, but producers consistently take advantage of the situation and contract language
Seems like a great time to stage a strike if the corporate overlords are already under some level of duress. Also, what does being able to see the stage workers have anything to do with it?
[+] [-] slownews45|4 years ago|reply
My guess, folks have been NOT working the 12+ hour days, have NOT been doing the "rolling lunches" and other wild hollywood stuff (that a construction worker would think was crazy) during COVID. Might have opened their eyes to life outside of the hollywood dream machine.
Maybe look for things as basic as:
Mandated stop production 30 minute lunches. Mandated 10 hour turnarounds seem totally reasonable And bottom line, new media isn't new media anymore, it's big business so sorting that out also makes sense
I've never fully understood why hollywood can't always take a standard 30 minute lunch break. The job site across the street, lunch time, everyone puts down their stuff and eats and relaxes. And end of day, they are gone (unless it's a rush and paying overtime). (note this is my list - union's position may be different etc).
[+] [-] petee|4 years ago|reply
They finally offered 10hr turn around after we voted to strike; and its with strings. They cant even give an hour for sleep. Ive done the 14-17hr days, with 9hr turn around, and I live 1hr 20min from set, so thats 6hrs personal time a day to eat and sleep.
As for lunch, many shows do have a 30 min lunch, but the flow works out that not everyone gets an equal lunch, some have responsibilities that require them back on set before the others. Production will not wait on one person to eat. Also 30 minutes in a 16 hour day isnt much anyway
[+] [-] diskzero|4 years ago|reply
If you have ever worked on a film set (I can't comment on all of the environments IATSE members work in), it can be complete and total chaos with very small moments of coordination. I don't want to excuse the madness of why talent, technical and directorial can't all coordinate to improve the overall efficiency of the set. This is why people don't just put down their equipment at noon and grab lunch. Everyone is standing around super-busy doing nothing until that one magical moment where everything aligns and you better gosh darn be ready right then and there or you will find yourself replaced. Like it said, it could be brutal!
[+] [-] nradov|4 years ago|reply
(I don't think abusing workers that way is justified just to save a buck and I hope the union members achieve their goals.)
[+] [-] TheDudeMan|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tuatoru|4 years ago|reply
Why would a construction worker think 12+ hour days are crazy?
My experience is that this is normal for roading workers in the road-making season.
One-hour lunches, though: now that's just crazy talk.
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] peterlk|4 years ago|reply
On the other hand, many of the people from the live entertainment industry found refuge in film and television. There has been a hollowing out of the industry where the senior folks have stuck around, but lots and lots of people who were early in their career have left and are not coming back. The senior folks can afford a few more weeks of no pay. However, if they cut off revenue to the film&tv world, they are setting up a 1-2 punch to the entertainment companies (1. COVID, 2. strike), and that puts them in a good negotiating position.
[+] [-] calcifer|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Waterluvian|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thrill|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cush|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tehjoker|4 years ago|reply
At the time, the only thing I noticed was one of my favorite actresses from House MD participated in the strike and that the quality of the writing declined shortly after it started.
That said, I completely support the strike! The workers need it badly and the stronger the strikes, the more control the workers will have. The more control they have, the less of a disaster America will be and leave less room for those kinds of consequences! My only criticism of the earlier strike is that it wasn't strong enough to include Reality TV in its coalition.
EDIT: Welp, I was wrong! Sorry about that.
EDIT2: Some people seem to think the show took off after the strike even though it started before:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/arianelange/writers-strike
http://revolutionaryoldidea.squarespace.com/roi-blogi/2020/1...
[+] [-] djbusby|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] petee|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vncecartersknee|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mig39|4 years ago|reply
It's easier to bargain, to play "chicken" when you know you have your membership behind you.
It's not easy to threaten a strike when you have a 60% vote, for example.
A union's power is in solidarity.
[+] [-] cwkoss|4 years ago|reply
- What the workers' demands are?
- What they want consumers to do to support the strike?
Finding it hard to navigate their website, and hearing people on social media say conflicting things, hard to get a read on what the official position of the union is.
[+] [-] wildrhythms|4 years ago|reply
1) Reasonable rest periods
2) Meal breaks
3) Living wages for workers at the bottom of the wage scale
4) Some other issues that are not publicized during the negotiation process
[+] [-] agperson|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cush|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] npteljes|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] KingMachiavelli|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] petee|4 years ago|reply
I can say, the core of it is demanding safe work hours, the rest is important but workable. The producers are trying to reduce pay, increase health care costs, skip lunch, and while asking us to work harder, and still pretending streaming media isn't viable. IATSE has been good over the years making okay, but arguably fair contracts, but producers consistently take advantage of the situation and contract language
https://www.asa.iatse.net/ https://www.basicagreement.iatse.net/
[+] [-] mikewarot|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] m0zg|4 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] nafix|4 years ago|reply