IATSE announced Friday that two more local guilds have reached tentative deals on a new contract, bringing the union closer to an agreement on all “craft-specific” matters.
The latest deals involve Local 728, which covers set lighting technicians, and Local 892, the Costume Designers Guild. With those agreements, 10 of the 13 “West Coast” locals now have tentative deals.
The crew union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have set aside five weeks of bargaining just on local issues, and expect to have that wrapped up before turning to the Basic Agreement on April 29.
The Basic Agreement covers issues affecting all 13 guilds, including pension and health contributions, wage increases, and artificial intelligence. IATSE leaders have said that they hope the local talks will generate momentum that will carry through into the broader negotiations.
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“This bargaining calendar, together with the diligent preparation work that the West Coast Studio Locals’ Negotiation Committees have done, has meant that the time we have spent at the table so far with the employers was effective,” said Mike Miller, vice president of IATSE and director of the union’s motion picture and TV department, in a statement.
The remaining three locals that have yet to reach agreements are Local 44, Local 705, and Local 884. All are set to begin their talks next week.
The IATSE contract does not expire until July 31, and negotiators hope to have an agreement ratified by that date. The Basic Agreement negotiations are scheduled to run for three weeks into mid-May, followed by talks on the Area Standards Agreement, a parallel contract that covers 23 IATSE locals around the country.
The Teamsters and other Basic Crafts unions are also set to hold their negotiations in June. Their contract also expires on July 31.
