IATSE, AMPTP Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract

Michael Buckner for Variety

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative agreement on a new Hollywood Basic Agreement and Videotape Agreement.

The tentative three-year contract is now pending ratification by the unions’ membership. Members and signatories will have access to a summary of the agreement in the coming days and a Memorandum of Agreement is expected in roughly two weeks.

A memo distributed to IATSE members Tuesday night includes some key aspects of the tentative Basic Agreement, including an update on the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans, which are largely funded by hourly contributions and were therefore negatively impacted by last year’s work stoppage. “The tentative agreement includes additional payments from employers that would address the $670M funding gap, including new streaming residuals. Additionally, no participant shall incur a break in service for plan year 2023,” the memo explains.

The union also reports that the tentative deal includes new protections around the thorny subject of artificial intelligence, “including language that ensures no employee is required to provide AI prompts in any manner that would result in the displacement of any covered employee. These changes in the Basic Agreement are in addition to the tentative agreements reached in the Local Agreement negotiations.”

Proposals also include scale rate increases of 7%, 4%, and 3.5% over the three-year term.

The Basic Agreement covers an estimated 50,000 entertainment industry workers in 13 Locals. The largest are the International Cinematographers Guild, Motion Picture Editors Guild and Art Directors Guild.

Bargaining continues for a new Area Standards Agreement. The contracts expire July 31.

The letter, signed by leaders in each of the 13 Locals, that was distributed to members follows:

Dear Basic Agreement Sisters, Brothers, and Kin,

The Basic Agreement Negotiating Committee has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Below are a few of the details about the proposed deal.

A complete summary of the tentative agreement will be released in a few days, and in addition to local town hall meetings, a multi-local webinar will take place on Saturday, July 13th at noon PDT to review the proposed language in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). To avoid undermining our fellow members in the Area Standards Agreement (ASA) Locals, who remain in negotiations with the AMPTP, we will wait to release full summaries of both tentative agreements simultaneously.

Some of the proposed changes in the Basic tentative agreement include scale rate increases of 7%, 4%, and 3.5% over the three-year term. Hourly workers will receive triple time (3x hourly) when any workday exceeds 15 elapsed hours, all On Call classifications will now receive double time on the 7th day of the workweek, and additional increases in pay will take effect on non-dramatic productions under the Videotape Supplemental Agreement. The tentative deal includes new protections around Artificial Intelligence, including language that ensures no employee is required to provide AI prompts in any manner that would result in the displacement of any covered employee. These changes in the Basic Agreement are in addition to the tentative agreements reached in the Local Agreement negotiations.

For the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans (MPIPHP), the tentative agreement includes additional payments from employers that would address the $670M funding gap, including new streaming residuals. Additionally, no participant shall incur a break in service for plan year 2023.

We thank everyone who participated in the 2024 Basic Agreement negotiations process. From start to finish, your input was invaluable and ensured that our Negotiations Committee was at the bargaining table with clear goals and a consensus for how to achieve them. The ratification timeline will be forthcoming and we look forward to presenting to you the complete package.