Costumers Reach Tentative Deal With Studios On Craft-Specific Issues; 2 IATSE Locals Still In Talks As Union Looks Ahead To General Negotiations

Katie Campione
·2 min read

IATSE is ending the week with at least one more Local negotiation under its belt.

The Motion Picture Costumers (Local 705) struck a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers this week on craft-specific issues, according to the union. That makes 11 of 13 West Coast Studio Locals to wrap up talks ahead of general negotiations.

More from Deadline

Both the Affiliated Property Craftspersons Local 44 and the Studio Teachers (Local 884) are still in negotiations with the AMPTP.

It’s possible one or both locals may reach an agreement by the end of the day on Friday, though the guild is prepared for talks to continue next week if needed.

IATSE had originally planned for all local-specific talks to wrap by the end of this week so that the union could shift its focus to general negotiations for the Basic Agreement, which are scheduled to begin on April 29.

There are currently no plans to push that date. IATSE will still caucus next week in preparation for general negotiations, regardless of continued craft-specific talks.

“These productive talks are a result of the leadership shown by the negotiation committees for the West Coast Studio Locals, many of whom were new to the process. We look forward to entering the next phase of this calendar,” International Vice President Mike Miller said in a statement.

General talks for the Basic Agreement, along with bargaining for the Area Standards Agreement, will represent the majority of the contract and include issues that impact all members like wage increases, pension and health contributions, artificial intelligence, job security and residuals.

Talks for the Basic Agreement are expected to run until mid-May, at which point IATSE will continue into bargaining for the Area Standards Agreement, which covers 23 additional IATSE locals across the U.S.

Once IATSE has wrapped, there’s still more labor talks ahead for Hollywood as The Teamsters and other Hollywood Basic Crafts will hold negotiations in June. They will also regroup with IATSE at the negotiating table soon to address the pension and health proposals that they jointly presented to the AMPTP in March.

All contracts are currently set to expire on July 31.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.