Labor Union

The Collective Power of the Crew

A film labor union is an organization formed to represent the interests of the ‘below-the-line’ workforce—the thousands of skilled artisans, technicians, and craftspeople who perform the physical labor of producing a film or television show. Unlike the ‘above-the-line’ guilds that represent creative artists like writers and directors, labor unions represent the trades and crafts, from camera operators and electricians to costume designers and makeup artists.

The history of Hollywood unions is a story of fighting for basic worker protections in an industry characterized by freelance work, long hours, and often hazardous conditions. By banding together, these workers gained the ability to engage in collective bargaining with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the entity that represents the major studios. This process results in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), a master contract that sets the industry standard for wages, working conditions, and benefits for all union productions.

Core Functions and Protections

Film labor unions provide essential protections for their members:

• Standardized Wages: They negotiate minimum wage rates, known as ‘scale,’ for every job classification. They also establish strict rules for overtime pay, ensuring workers are compensated for brutally long production days.
• Pension and Health Benefits: In a freelance-based industry where workers move from show to show, unions administer portable pension and health insurance plans, providing a crucial safety net for their members and their families.
• Safety and Working Conditions: Unions are at the forefront of establishing and enforcing on-set safety protocols. This includes rules regarding mandatory rest periods (‘turnaround time’), meal breaks, and safety standards for stunts, special effects, and equipment operation.
• Jurisdiction: Each union has a defined jurisdiction, which is the exclusive right to perform a specific job on a union set. This prevents producers from replacing skilled union members with cheaper, non-union labor.

The most powerful and prominent labor unions in Hollywood include IATSE, the Teamsters, and SAG-AFTRA (which has characteristics of both a union and a guild).