‘Rust’ tragedy, labor climate mark union vote

Safety, economic issues weighed in proposed pact with producers

LOS ANGELES — In weighing his vote on a proposed union contract with Hollywood producers, veteran stagehand Matthew “Doc” Brashear looked closely at the agreement, and beyond to the now-closed New Mexico film set where a cinematographer died.

For crew member Brandy Tannahill, the fatal “Rust” shooting of Halyna Hutchins and the resurgence of labor actions, such as the strikes at John Deere and Kellogg, are bolstering her decision.

When voting starts Friday on a tentative threeyear agreement reached by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and a trade group representing producers, Brashear and Tannahill say they will vote ‘no.’

With forces from the pandemic to the economy also framing union members’ views, bread-and-butter issues of wages and pensions remain important. But long-entrenched concerns about danger on the job have taken on increased urgency.

“I think the elected (union) leaders gave their all,” Brashear said of the proposed deal that averted the union’s first-ever national strike. While it’s generally “a win of a contract,” it falls short on a majority of safety-related issues, he said.

While some point to the “Rust” shooting that injured director Joel Souza and killed cinematographer Hutchins as an outlier — Alec Baldwin, the film’s star-producer who fired the gun, called it a “one-in-a-trillion event” — Tannahill said it’s emblematic of the industry’s critical flaws.

“There has been an understandable emotional response to what occurred,” she said. “But the underlying issue that screams to me ... is that the production got to the point where it was because of the producers cutting corners.”

The burdens that union members point to include long workdays that may lack breaks or lunch, and the debilitating fatigue that causes both on and off the job. A 1987 tragedy remains vivid: Brent Hershman, 35, an assistant cameraman on the film “Pleasantville,” died in a crash while driving home after a 19-hour workday.

According to the union, core safety and economic issues are addressed in the proposed agreements covering workers on film and TV productions.

“This is a Hollywood ending,” IATSE Interna-

tional President Matthew Loeb said in announcing a deal last month. “We went toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful entertainment and tech companies in the world” to achieve a contract that “meets our members’ needs.”

The bargaining committees of all 36 local unions have unanimously recommended ratification. Electronic voting concludes Sunday and the result is expected Monday. The union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers did not make officials available for interviews. IATSE represents about 150,000 behind-the-scenes workers, including stagehands, cinematographers, costumers and others employed in all forms of entertainment, from movies and TV to theater, concerts, trade shows and broadcasting.

Two proposed contracts are at stake for 60,000 union members. One primarily covers film and TV production on the West Coast and applies to about twothirds of those members; the other is for production hubs including New Mexico and Georgia.

The agreements include across-the board wage increases and increased compensation paid by streaming services, Loeb said in a statement, a reference to Amazon, Netflix and others originally dubbed “new media” and cut financial slack.