WGA East Stands “In Solidarity” With IATSE As Strike Authorization Vote Nears

David Robb
·1 min read

The WGA East said today that it stands “shoulder to shoulder” with IATSE in its fight for a fair contract. IATSE is currently mobilizing to secure strike authorization from its members after contract talks with management’s AMPTP failed to reach a new agreement earlier this week. IATSE will begin holding a strike authorization vote among the members of its 13 West Coast studio locals on Oct. 1.

“The WGAE stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at IATSE, who are negotiating with the same companies that employ our member,” WGA East president Michael Winship and executive director Lowell Peterson said in a joint statement. “Their goals include preserving members’ incomes and benefits as the industry continues to shift to streaming, protecting members from overwork, and other basic provisions. We work side by side with IATSE’s members and we stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their contract fight.”

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Yesterday, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and many of the union’s leaders joined the chorus of actors voicing their support for IATSE. “Standing in #solidarity w/my on-set friends & colleagues in @IATSE,” Drescher tweeted Wednesday. “Entertainment content only happens bc our crews are extraordinary.”

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