No Friends In The Industry
The primetime EMMY awards aired Sunday night and proved to be yet another red carpet that I wanted to donate my costuming kit to. Additional Last Looks, a steamer, nipple covers, Super Stick and a tag gun weren’t the only things missing. At the same time of the EMMYs broadcast, the threat of the first walkout in eight decades was in play and supportive momentum was building. Yet everyone - from actors to producers, writers and media journalists - ignored the elephant in the room. Instead of a show of support for the people who help make the art celebrated on this occasion, the picturesque facade of celebrities in glamorous dresses and tuxedos at an expensive dinner took center stage.
Tensions between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or IATSE, and the major studios is at an all-time high. The more than 43,000 workers in the film and entertainment industry are pushing for better rest periods, improved wages, residuals from streaming that are in line with other distribution channels, as well as increased contributions to health and pension plans. Studios have insisted they won’t respond to the union’s demands, citing the costs they have incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason. Studios are also looking for concessions from the union, such as eliminating the financial penalties they must pay if crews miss meal breaks and increasing the number of hours to qualify for health benefits. For weeks, union leaders have been meeting with union members to discuss next steps including voting to give them authority to call a strike.
The EMMYs are certainly a time to celebrate the masterminds behind some of our favorite shows. But producing shows and films is an extremely collaborative process. It takes an incredible amount of talented people to pull off sound, lighting, costumes, hair, makeup, camera, special effects and more to bring entertainment to the masses. What better way to acknowledge and support fellow crew members requests than to opt out, not walk the red carpet or at least give a soundbite? Out of the incredible acceptance speeches given Sunday night, not one person bothered to shed light on or mention this matter at such a pivotal time.
Industry leaders using COVID as an excuse to not respond to our demands is unacceptable because we know these conditions existed long before the pandemic. We can save ourselves, but not if we keep getting in our own way by playing into the very system that has subjected crews to these poor working conditions for so long. ‘Solidarity’ means that we stand in agreement to make decisions as one unit. Together, we hold the type of power that can charter the progressive changes we have been desperately seeking. Our ability to stand together on this could be the difference between a colleague receiving cancer treatment, providing for their family or finding financial freedom.
This is our time to take action and exercise our power.. Vote “YES,” and remember that change never comes from a place of comfort.
