The union representing West Coast costumers has reached a tentative agreement on its craft-specific issues with studios and streamers.
IATSE Local 705 struck a provisional deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Wednesday, the crew union IATSE announced Friday. Like with other recent IATSE Local tentative deals, the details of the agreement are not yet public and will be communicated with union members once a memorandum of agreement (a more detailed summary of the deal) is drawn up, the union added.
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“These productive talks are a result of the leadership shown by the negotiation committees for the West Coast Studio Locals, many of whom were new to the process. We look forward to entering the next phase of this calendar,” IATSE international vp Mike Miller said in a statement.
The Local began its craft-specific negotiations with the AMPTP on Monday. IATSE Local 44, representing propmasters, prop makers and set decorators, and Local 884, which bargains on behalf of studio teachers, also started negotiating this week but have not yet concluded their talks.
IATSE Local 705 is the 11th local of the crew union to strike a Local-specific tentative deal with the AMPTP during this bargaining cycle. Prior to Wednesday’s agreement, The International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600), the Art Directors Guild (Local 800), set painters and sign writers union Local 729, sound crew union Local 695, grips and craft services union Local 80, make-up artists and hair stylists union Local 706, script supervisor and art department coordinator union Local 871, the Motion Picture Editors Guild (Local 700), lighting technician union Local 728 and the Costume Designers Guild (IATSE Local 892) all successfully concluded their initial talks with the AMPTP.
These discussions have served as a weeks-long prelude to the larger West Coast IATSE negotiations spanning issues that pertain to all the Locals, which are currently set to resume on April 29 and conclude May 16. These so-called Basic Agreement general negotiations will tackle potentially tougher issues with studios and streamers like wage increases, residuals, workplace safety issues, contractual language covering the use of artificial intelligence, and health and pension contributions.
Still, the steady clip of Local-specific tentative deals that have been announced since late March has set an initial peaceable tone. Time will tell whether IATSE will make good on its suggestion that it could call a strike authorization vote if deals are not reached for its Basic and Area Standards Agreements around the time they expire on July 31.
