IATSE-AMPTP Negotiations
On March 4, the IATSE and AMPTP began negotiations for the 2024 Hollywood Basic Agreement, the Videotape Supplemental Agreement, and the Area Standards Agreement. These contracts form the basis of narrative-driven union productions in the United States. IATSE is joined in its negotiations for the Motion Picture Industry Health & Pension Plans by the Hollywood Teamsters, Local 399, and Hollywood Basic Crafts in order to collectively bargain our shared benefits.
On March 25, Local 695 reached a tentative agreement for the Local collective Bargaining Agreement with the producers, securing important gains that members have been requesting for years. The Local’s proposals focused on pay equity, on-set safety, and adequate staffing in the Sound & Video Departments on set. After Local negotiations concluded, general negotiations for the Basic Agreement began. Hollywood leaders and representatives for the studios bargained for three weeks. Though significant progress has been made, an agreement has not yet been reached. These talks will resume in June, following negotiations for the Area Standards Agreement.
IATSE Education
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is an excellent source of online training tutorials covering topics such as Avid Pro Tools, Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Rhino, Vectorworks, Final Cut Pro, Filemaker, AutoCad, Cubase, Logic Pro, Shot Put Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Vegas Pro, as well as Project Management, Software Development, Network Administration, Finance and Accounting, Marketing, and much more. All IATSE members are eligible to sign up for a free LinkedIn Learning Account by visiting https://www.iatsetrainingtrust.org/lil
You can also view a multitude of free educational webinars sponsored by the IA Training Trust Fund online at www.gotostage.com/channel/iaeducationforall. These webinars cover a range of topics from labor and voting rights; the basics of equity, diversity, and inclusion; mental health subjects such as depression, substance abuse; physical safety and well-being at work; and so much more.
Financial Relief for Entertainment Workers
This year’s prolonged work stoppages have been devastating to the entertainment community across the nation. In Hollywood, our community has been supported by the profound efforts of the Motion Picture Television Fund (MPTF) and the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund). Both of these charities have long histories of offering safety-net services and aid for entertainment workers and their families. Both these organizations aided the entertainment unions, including Local 695, in administering their relief funds throughout the 2023 WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes against the AMPTP.
Though the strikes have ended, the financial impact will continue to be felt for some time and both MPTF and the Entertainment Community Fund still have resources available to help. If you work in entertainment and you or your family are in need, please visit their websites online at www.mptf.com and www.entertainmentcommunity.org.
New Members
Local 695 welcomes its new members
Richard Armstrong Y-4
Dan Battista Y-9
Colin Brant Proj.
Kenneth Bromberek Y-8
John Paul Golaski Y-1
Damian Gordon Y-7a
David Hecht Y-16a
Erik Jue Y-4
Sean Milburn Y-1
Nancy Perry A2
Alex Saededdin Y-7a
James Salini Y-1
Preston Soper Y-7a
Seung Sul Y-4
Craig Vincent Y-1
In Memoriam
Douglas Barry Y-4
February 25, 1953 – January 6, 2024
Timothy Burke Projectionist
March 16, 1961 – February 24, 2024
Thomas Dickson Projectionist
August 15, 1958 – September 19, 2023
Robert Harris Y-7a
April 29, 1942 – April 14, 2024
Scott Nall Projectionist
August 15, 1958 – January 30, 2024
Negotiations Solidarity Rally
On March 3, the IATSE, Teamsters, and Basic Crafts came together in a rally of solidarity and support before beginning this year’s contract negotiations with the AMPTP. More than 2,000 members of the entertainment unions showed up in person to voice their support for below-the-line workers as they prepared to negotiate for better terms and conditions for the next three years. Speakers from the IATSE, Teamsters, Basic Crafts, DGA, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, the Los Angeles Federation of Labor, and the California Federation of Labor all came out with the same message: “Though we are many crafts, we are joined in one fight.”
The event was livestreamed to an audience of almost 6,000 addition viewers, making this one of the largest solidarity events in the history of our unions. The livestream was engineered and overseen by Holley Video, a boutique video consultation company owned by Local 695 member Zak Holley. The video team consisted of 695 members Zak Holley, Tristen Poliseno, Brandon Boldroff, and Cam Broadbent, while members Bill Kaplan and Patrick Simon engineered and mixed the sound for the event. Local 695 would like to thank all of its members who contributed to making this a successful show of solidarity and support for our union, our fellow unions, and the labor movement as a whole.
The Local would also like to thank James Wood (IATSE Secretary-Treasurer), Jonas Loeb (IATSE Director of Communications), Sean Miller (IATSE Press Secretary), Amy Gorton (Teamsters 399 Communication & Operations Director), Jill Wilk (Local 600 Director of Communications), Scott Collins (Local 700 Director of Communications), Doug Boney (Local 892 Assistant Business Agent), Anthony Pawluc (International Representative), and the many members of the IATSE Negotiations Subcommittees for Communications & Logistics who worked so hard to bring this event together.
Local 695 Office New Hire
In March, Local 695 hired Lauren Sorrells as our new Director of Operations. Lauren brings with her a wealth of experience from working to improve efficiency for companies like Verizon, American Express, and Kaiser Permanente. It will be her responsibility to coordinate internal office affairs and external partnerships so that the Local can offer more services to its members going forward.