Posts tagged Hollywood
SAG-AFTRA Confronts a Fran-less Future
August 21, 2025 // But now, with another tough contract negotiation on the horizon, SAG-AFTRA is going to have to push forward without its erstwhile leader from Queens. This time around, Drescher has decided against running for president. In her place, another celebrity, Lord of the Rings and Rudy star Sean Astin, and a rank-and-file performer, New England Local board member Chuck Slavin, are battling it out for the job. The stakes are high, given that the candidates face a darker and more foreboding landscape than the one that even Drescher confronted when she entered office in 2021 during the pandemic.
Motion Capture Workers at ‘NBA 2K’ Studio Vote to Unionize With IATSE
November 30, 2024 // IATSE is positioning this organizing victory as the first successful unionization push at a motion capture studio in the video game industry. “This victory is not just about one studio; it’s about the future of work in the video game industry,” said the union’s international president Matthew Loeb in a statement. Loeb added that he believed the victory at 2K would “inspire others in the industry to follow suit.”
Port Strike Halts: Now What? Commentary
October 9, 2024 // Even a new contract agreement, if it does not fundamentally address American port uncompetitiveness, would prove to be only a six-year punt. Legislation has been introduced to move port workers from the main National Labor Relations Act governance structure that applies to most private-sector workers to the Railway Labor Act, which governs the railroad and airline industries. This change would give Congress and the administration more power to impose a negotiated settlement and prevent strikes, but the idea has been batted around for nearly a decade.
Production Assistants Launch Ambitious Bid for Unionization With LiUNA
September 3, 2024 // The group acknowledges that they’re ramping up their organizing at a time when major Hollywood firms are cutting costs and production work in L.A., at least, still hasn’t fully rebounded. But they’re confident that they will eventually succeed in bringing a union to production assistants, even as they and their colleagues have been affected by the ongoing contraction. “It’s a new chapter in our organizing effort with the strength of LiUNA. We are so confident that we are going to get our union,” says Ravens.
Hollywood union strikes deal for advertisers to replicate actors’ voices with AI
August 19, 2024 // Video game voice actors and motion-capture performers called a strike last month over failed labor contract negotiations focused on AI-related protections for workers. Legislation called the NO FAKES Act has been introduced in Congress and would give every person a right to their own voice and likeness, making AI copying without permission illegal. SAG-AFTRA, the Motion Picture Association, The Recording Academy and Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab support the bill. Proliferation of so-called deepfakes, which are highly realistic videos generated by AI trained on actual voices and images, and their role in manipulating public opinion have also raised alarm worldwide.
Hollywood Arby’s closes after 55 years over California’s $20 minimum wage
June 25, 2024 // A family-owned Arby’s Roast Beef that has been a fixture on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood for 55 years shut its doors, blaming California’s recently enacted $20-an-hour minimum wage law as the final “nail in the coffin.”
IATSE to Resume Contract Talks With Studios on June 24
June 11, 2024 // IATSE, along with Teamsters and the Basic Crafts, are also seeking new funding models for the Motion Picture Industry Health and Pension Plan, which serves all of their members. As the plan is funded by studio and union contributions that are based on the number of active film/TV productions per year, the MPI is facing an estimated $670 million shortfall over the next three years due to contributions lost during last year’s strikes. Along with wages, Teamsters 399 is expected to push for minimum staffing requirements for drivers on Hollywood productions, as well as protections against automated vehicles being used.
California’s AB5 Law Threatens Film and TV Workers Who Use Loan Outs
May 28, 2024 // Loan-out corporations already pay W-2 wages to their owners. The California Employment Development Department's decision to not recognize loan-outs for payroll purposes means studios would have to pay these corporations directly. Due to the logistical challenges this presents, studios are likely to reject using loan-outs altogether. This could severely disrupt the entertainment industry and needs immediate resolution. And the other giant thing is, other states will not have this law. So why would Hollywood workers stay and have businesses in Southern California if they'd be paying more taxes to live in a more expensive place? Especially if work then moves out of state as well.
WGA Strike Leaders Chris Keyser and David Goodman Warn Members to Stay Vigilant: ‘The Strike is Over, the Fight Goes On’
April 16, 2024 // “It’s exhilarating when we won a contract with so many benefits and protections for writers and since the strike ended as a show of enduring solidarity, I have remained unemployed,” joked late-night writer Josh Gondelman, who hosted the WGA East ceremony. Later in the night, WGA West president Meredith Stiehm took the stage to deliver a long list of thank-yous to other Hollywood unions and those who supported the guild during its 148-day work stoppage. Stiehm noted that unlike the 2007-2008 strike, the WGA received strong support from fellow unions last year. She indicated that WGA members are prepared to demonstrate solidarity with IATSE members later this year if that union winds up in a work stoppage. IATSE at present is deep in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.