Nearly 60,000 Hollywood film and television workers are threatening to strike. More than 100,000 US trade unionists voted in favor of protesting to fight for pay rises and better working conditions, reports The Hill.
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The filmmakers decided to strike last week after failing to sign a new deal with the AMPTP film and television producer association, which represents major Hollywood studios and streaming giants such as Netflix and Warner Brothers.
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Hollywood – Movie crews threaten to strike
The IATSE, a union of film and theater workers such as craftsmen and technicians, is ready to go on strike, demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
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IATSE chief Matthew Loeb warned on Friday that an agreement on union demands must be reached “in days, not weeks” in order to avoid a strike that would suspend production of films and popular TV shows, “The Hill” reports.
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Walkout, i.e. not showing up at work
According to the Washington daily, if the action known as the walkout, i.e. a protest consisting in failure to appear at work, were undertaken by all trade unionists in various industries who have recently announced such readiness, one of the largest strikes in several decades would have occurred.
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Last week, 90% of IATSE members voted, and over 98% of the votes cast were in favor of allowing the strike.
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Hollywood strikes over the years
During the last major strike in Hollywood – film and TV writers for three months in 2007/2008 – many productions were halted and TV networks were forced to air reruns.
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The number of strikes in recent decades has decreased and in 2020 there were only 11 larger protests of this type, while the average between 1950 and 1980 was around 300 actions per year.
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The Hill points out that trade unionists feel emboldened by the fact that the country has a shortage of hands to work and the risk of replacing them with other workers has diminished.
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A Gallup poll in September indicates American support for trade unions is at its highest in 60 years. They are supported by two-thirds of the respondents, and in the age group from 18 to 34, their support is 77 percent.
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photo-source">Main photo source: Shutterstock
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