Celebs rally for IATSE: 'Now is the time to speak for the people who make it possible'
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With the threat of a strike looming, IATSE, the union that covers below-the-line workers in the film and television industries, is gaining support from those who work in front of the cameras rather than behind the scenes.
"If you make a living in front of a camera, now is the time to speak for the people who make it possible," "The Handmaid's Tale" actor Bradley Whitford tweeted Monday, the same day leaders of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees asked its tens of thousands of members to authorize a strike vote.
The strike talk comes after four months of increasingly acrimonious talks between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that have failed to produce an agreement on a new contract. The old contract expired earlier this month.
On Monday, the AMPTP said it didn't intend to make a counter-offer to IATSE's most recent petition. In a statement to The Times earlier this week, the organization said it had discussed the challenges facing the entertainment industry as it recovers from the pandemic and that in "choosing to leave the bargaining table to seek a strike authorization vote, the IATSE leadership walked away from a generous comprehensive package.”
IATSE responded by asking its members for a nationwide strike authorization vote. It reportedly will come early next month.
"The crews are the backbones of our industry," tweeted writer-producer and "The Morning Show" actor Mindy Kaling. "First ones in, last ones out. They deserve safe conditions and attainable health care."
"Little Fires Everywhere" actor Kerry Washington tweeted, "There are so many talented humans who make the movies and TV shows we love! You may not see them on screen but they are the magic makers and the glue that holds any set together."
Actor-activists Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin raised their fists in support in a picture posted on Instagram, and Seth Rogen tweeted, "Our films and movies literally would not exist without our crews, and our crews deserve better." In a follow-up tweet, he said he meant movies and TV, blaming his gaffe on the early hour.
Among other things, the crews' union is seeking safer working hours, a living wage for its lowest-paid members and higher pay for work on certain "new-media" streaming projects, plus reasonable rest breaks on set and between workdays and on weekends.
Read on for more from celebrities who support the union's efforts.
The crews are the backbones of our industry. First ones in, last ones out. They deserve safe conditions and attainable health care. I stand with @IATSE.
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) September 23, 2021
I stand with you my @IATSE brothers and sisters. You make entertainment magic and deserve fairness and dignity on the job. #IAStrong #IALivingWage #IASolidarity 🎥📺💻
— Gabrielle Carteris (@TheGabrielle_C) September 22, 2021
I just spent 9 months working with an incredibly hard working crew of film makers through very challenging conditions. Totally support them in fighting for better conditions.#IATSE
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) September 22, 2021
There are so many talented humans who make the movies and TV shows we love! You may not see them on screen but they are the magic makers and the glue that holds any set together. I urge the #IATSE to hear them. And I stand with my brothers & sisters in this strike #IASolidarity
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) September 22, 2021
Standing in #solidarity w/my on-set friends & colleagues in @IATSE. Entertainment content only happens bc our crews are extraordinary. #IALivingWage #IASolidarity https://t.co/9I5lBTFnnF 1st 2 arrive/Last 2 leave!
— Fran Drescher (@frandrescher) September 22, 2021
I'm a TV showrunner, I'm currently in production, and I stand with @IATSE. Our crews are asking for no more than weekends off, a good night's sleep, and a living wage. That the AMPTP is unwilling to provide that bare minimum tells you everything you need to know. Give 'em hell.
— Adam Conover (@adamconover) September 21, 2021
I stand with @IATSE THIS THIS THIS https://t.co/9d9fLL6s7w
— Sarah Paulson (@MsSarahPaulson) September 21, 2021
Noone wants a strike. @IATSE is being forced to consider it by negotiators for the AMPTP who refuse to even discuss guaranteed meal breaks or 10 hour turnarounds. That's nuts. If you make a living in front of a camera, now is the time to speak for the people who make it possible.
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) September 21, 2021
Film crews work harder than most people outside the biz would ever imagine. Relentless long hrs under the $$ pressure to get it done right & right now. Not letting my @IATSE colleagues down is part of what drives me on a set. Matriculate that ball down the field. With them 100%. https://t.co/db6abZDxWh
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) September 21, 2021
Our films and movies literally would not exist without our crews, and our crews deserve better. pic.twitter.com/hFMCmWzUVT
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) September 22, 2021
Times staff writer Anousha Sakoui contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.