IATSE Voting Underway To Ratify New Contract

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Voting is underway on a major new contract for thousands of union workers in the entertainment industry.

Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees are voting on the proposed contract that was reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group which represents all major film and television companies.

The vote will continue through Sunday night.

The IATSE represents Hollywood TV and film workers like editors, camera operators, set designers, grips, electricians, make-up artists and graphic artists across the U.S. and Canada. The IATSE has a membership of about 60,000, with an estimated 47,000 of those based in the L.A. area.

After bargaining for months, the two sides reached a tentative deal in mid-October, just two days before IATSE members would have walked off the job in what would have been a historic strike that would have shut down Hollywood.

Issues at stake included higher pay, better working conditions, stronger benefits and residuals from streaming services.

The IATSE said the new deal includes retroactive wage increases of 3% annually, daily rest periods of 10 hours without exclusions and achievement of a living wage for the lowest-paid earners.

The vote also comes about three weeks after the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the film "Rust," which sent shockwaves through the industry and also raised serious questions about safety and gun rules on film and television sets.

Some members have already said they will vote no, claiming the contract falls on short on providing basic safety measures.