IATSE Ends Day 5 of Contract Talks Without a Deal, Will Return on Monday

“We continue to stand firm on the priority issues that you supported with your strike authorization vote,” Editors Guild tells members

IATSE

The fifth day of talks between IATSE and Hollywood studios ended without a deal as the two sides will take Sunday off and reconvene on Monday.

“We continue to stand firm on the priority issues that you supported with your strike authorization vote.  Those are living wages, sustainable benefits, our fair share of streaming success, reasonable rest and breaks during the workday,” read a memo sent to members of IATSE Local 700, the Motion Picture Editors Guild by National Executive Director Cathy Repola.

“It is in the best interest of all IATSE members across the country that we continue to bargain until it becomes apparent that we cannot reach an agreement,” the memo continued. “That is what we intend to do while we simultaneously prepare for a work stoppage that we hope does not have to happen.”

On Friday, a memo sent to members included a statement from IATSE President Matthew Loeb saying that the union intends to reach the end of talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) within “days, not weeks,” regardless of whether those talks end in a deal or not. The union does not want talks to extend for weeks without any noticeable progress, saying in the memo that “while we remain committed to the bargaining process, there will come a point where words must be replaced by action.”

If a deal is not reached, IATSE will issue a strike that will shut down the vast majority of film and television shoots across North America, as talks are currently being discussed on both the Hollywood Basic Agreement, which covers shoots in the Los Angeles and New York areas; and the Area Standards Agreement, which covers shoots in the US and Canada. A major exception would be projects for pay TV channels like HBO, as they operate under a separate contract that is not being negotiated.

Both sides are currently engaged in a media blackout — as customary in the entertainment industry during contract talks — and have instructed members to disregard press reports on the negotiations.

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