We, the undersigned, petition IATSE leadership to renegotiate our labor contract with HBO.
The current agreement sets wages and overtime pay far below the basic contract. While these concessions may have been necessary to bring a fledgling HBO into the union fold, that is no longer the case. HBO has achieved record profits due in no small part to the sacrifices of our IATSE brothers and sisters. We believe it%u2019s time for this to end.
Presently, most crews on HBO productions work at rates ten to thirty percent below scale. AMC, FX, Showtime and other cable networks pay television scale when producing original content.
WHY NOT HBO?
Only IATSE has a sub standard contract with HBO. DGA, WGA and the Teamsters all work under a standard television agreement .
WHY NOT IATSE?
The current IATSE contract calls for double time to be paid after fourteen hours, rather than the standard twelve hour period. This concession encourages producers to regularly schedule fourteen hour days with little thought to the crew's well-being. Often delays arise and result in even longer days which are hazardous to crew safety and well being.
Hit shows like the Sopranos; Six Feet Under; Curb Your Enthusiasm; and The Wire have made HBO strong and prosperous. We believe it's time they stand on their own and no longer rely on worker concessions.
Make HBO honor the IATSE basic agreement!
