Last year, union walkouts brought the movie industry to its knees. And despite a resolution in the fall, there are murmurings of MORE Hollywood strikes. This time among the behind-the-scenes crew members. Will these workers yell, “Cut,” right as production returns to normal?
Industry Tone that Forebodes MORE Hollywood Strikes
As with 2023’s Hollywood strike, there is nuance and history to the unrest among crew member unions.
However, during the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Tinseltown crews went months without work or pay. As such the sentiment among them was of serious concern.
This is reflected on the Crew Stories Instagram page run by Diego Mariscal. The page is meant for industry workers to share interesting stories about working on movie sets.
But during the months without work, Mariscal noticed a shift in what was shared on his platform…
Diego Mariscal is also a professional dolly grip. And, he shared stories with the Hollywood Reporter of fellow crewmembers who experienced…
- Depletion of savings
- Homelessness
- And, crippling depression
In fact, 80% of requests for financial assistance to the Motion Picture & Television Fund were from teamsters.
For that reason, Mariscal says, they are willing to resume the Hollywood strikes to ensure their future security.
“I can tell you, for me personally and from what I’ve seen, we’ve fought this much, and we were standing in solidarity with the actors and writers, that when it’s coming to our time, I don’t think there’s going to be any [hesitation] to stand up. We’re not just going to take a shit deal.”
Be that as it may, when can we be certain whether the third round of Hollywood strikes is going down?
March Negotiations Will Be Make-Break Point
On March 4th, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Hollywood Teamsters begin negotiations with studios.
Alongside the questions of better pay, these unions are seeking better staffing to prevent overwork. (It is not uncommon for these crews to work up to 16-hour days with insufficient breaks to eat.)
The majority of the crewmember’s contracts expire in late July.
Nonetheless, there is a final big question…
If this results in another round of Hollywood strikes, will the movie industry as a whole ever recover?
Comment what you think, and be great.
— GCTV Staff
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