Even before the ink dries on the two major contracts IATSE and Teamsters Local 399 in late 2021 and early 2022, union members – representing a significant portion of union members in the Los Angeles area – was worried about rising consumer prices . But especially now, after inflation hits a 40-year high at some point in 2022 (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index that measures all commodities), a Some are arguing that the cumulative 3% annual scale-up is codified in the IATSE Basic Agreement and the Teamsters “Black Book” contract does not sever it.
Andy Kennedy-Derkay, member of IATSE Local 600 and camera assistant for IATSE Local 600 said: “He notes that, due to his job travelling, he sometimes uses a full tank of gas. for a day, take part of his daily salary when the price of the pump soars. (The IATSE spokesperson noted that their 2021 Base Agreement gives the lowest-paid members of Local 871 a much larger minimum wage than 3%, and changes in other areas , like meal penalties and overtime, can also improve compensation in areas where more workdays are the norm.)
Faced with a harsh economic environment, union representatives say inflation is likely to play a role in negotiations over agreements that expire in 2024 as well as in immediate negotiations. than. (Soon to be hashed out are the IATSE Pay TV and Low Budget Theater Deals, as well as the Teamsters Local 399 Commercial deal,” said Lindsay Dougherty, local secretary 399, treasurer, who also oversees the organization of Teamsters entertainment in North America. Adds National Executive Director Cathy Repola of the Motion Picture Editors Association (IATSE Local 700), “I think there is a general recognition that, due to inflation, the traditional 3% pay rise is not enough. .”
According to the Consumer Price Index, fluctuations from 2017 to 2021 have lagged behind the rise in the cost of living in Los Angeles. While the year-over-year union growth rate is higher than the national inflation rate, workers don’t think about how their 2018 wage increase will impact the CPI as the most recent increase in they are lower than the current annual inflation rate.
As both industry employers and unions sometimes look to “model bargaining” – pointing to recent changes in a union’s agreement to contest similar union provisions other – to gain an edge in the negotiations, all eyes are now on the Director Organization. The DGA will kick off the latest major round of labor negotiations in Hollywood sometime before its latest Basic Agreement expires in July (a union spokesman said the union has no schedule for negotiations yet). ). Dougherty says that industry employers don’t want to “annoy apples” by ceding more premises to one union than another. However, according to an IATSE spokesperson, “Standards can change at any time, and one person sets a precedent and then others fight for it.”
This story first appeared in the October 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.
