In a departure from the labor rebellions that roiled Hollywood last year, the latest set of contract negotiations between a major entertainment union and the top studios has unfolded about as smoothly as could be expected. So far.
The various West Coast studio locals that make up the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which advocates for film and TV crew members, have engaged over the past month in separate bargaining sessions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros and other entertainment companies.
Those talks — tailored to the specific concerns of costume designers, hair and makeup artists, set decorators and other workers — transpired without incident.
Now the union representing so-called below-the-line workers is poised to enter broader negotiations on Monday for its basic agreement, which will cover the most pressing items affecting entertainment craftspeople. This phase is the big one that could, depending on how talks go, result in another historic agreement or yet another work stoppage.
