The agreement between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) ends more than three months of negotiations and includes pay raises, new streaming residuals, and health plan benefits.
The union’s announcement is expected to calm industry fears about another strike on the heels of last year’s double strike by writers and actors. The current contract was due to expire on July 31.
The basic agreement, which must still be approved by union members, covers about 50,000 entertainment industry workers in 13 local unions. The largest of the unions represented include the Cinematographers Guild, Motion Pictures Editors Guild, and Art Directors Guild.
IATSE is expected to release a complete summary of the agreement in the next few days, according to a letter sent to members Tuesday. Although many details are yet to be shared, the union said in the proposed agreement, employees would receive pay increases of 3 percent, 4 percent, and 7 percent over the next three years, depending on their pay rate.
Hourly workers will also get triple-time pay, or three-times their hourly rate, when any workday exceeds 15 hours. On-call employees would also get double-time pay on the seventh day of the workweek, and more increases on non-dramatic productions under a supplemental agreement. A non-dramatic production could be a concert or an oral presentation.
The tentative agreement also includes payments from employers to address a $670 million funding gap in industry pension and health plans.
The deal also includes new protections from artificial intelligence, an emerging technology in the industry that many fear could replace actors and other employees.
The agreement includes language to ensure no employee is required to provide information to artificial intelligence that would “result in the displacement of any covered employee.”
Writers and actors also negotiated protections against artificial intelligence in new contracts secured last year.
For writers, their new agreement includes language that prohibits studios from using written material produced by artificial intelligence. The new deal for actors includes mandating studios to get an actor’s consent to use their names to create voices using artificial intelligence.
IATSE’s bargaining committee, which represents all 13 unions, unanimously approved the deal.
A second agreement with another 20,000 union crew members across the country is still under negotiation, the union reported.
The AMPTP did not return a request for comment before this article was published and has not yet released a statement on the tentative agreement.
