Jump to content

union minimums $ payrates


wolfvid

Recommended Posts

"Per Negotiation" = low bidder wins...

That's certainly not how it works out here. The 'set' rate is the 2nds rate, 'per negotiation' has helped our keys get closer to what they feel they are worth, since we're a studio mechanics local and can't set individual key rates. (for example, if we set key rates, the mixer, video assist, key grip, gaffer etc would simply get the same rate)

This is untrue for Low budget one offs, 'Tier' movies and the commercial agreement, obviously, where all rates are set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I'm not union (yet), so forgive my ignorance....

Are the East and west coast rates in sync? When a production shoots in (square state with no local union), which rates apply for sound? Does it depend on the home base of the production, which seems kind of arbitrary if the whole thing is shot on location.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let's say for the sake of example they are shooting in Boston, since that's where I am. If they pull crew from LA they pay their Hollywood rate, plus housing, per diem, and all the compensation required by their contracts for working away from home. When they hire local they deal with the local ASA contract and treat us accordingly. As far as I know there is no area that isn't covered by either the hollywood basic or an ASA contract, so it depends where you're from.

Same work, lower pay. Feel free to tell me cost of living applies, and I'll tell you it cost me less to live in LA than it does here, but hey, what do I know. I have no doubt studios are aiming for the ASA to be the ONLY contract, and as I've said before, having multiple contracts in what has become a national industry only hurts the employee.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jason, do you know anything about the outcome of ASA negotiations? Are they done yet?

Hey Laurence,

Local 52 and ASA locals walked away from the table several weeks ago. There has not been a scheduled date to come back. There are some who think they will not go back until the Basic is ratified.

Whit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whit,

I expect the Basic will pass by a landslide, so expect to bend over in the ASA "negotiations".

And Jace, FWIW, Local 695 out of Los Angeles "allows" its members to work at the ASA rates if the production is shooting under that agreement. So while we should get our Los Angeles rates when hired out of Los Angeles, that's not always the case. And I agree that Boston costs as much as Los Angeles, so it sucks that your rates are and will continue to remain so low.

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whit,

I expect the Basic will pass by a landslide, so expect to bend over in the ASA "negotiations".

Hey Robert,

It may pass by a landslide, but I have only met one person that says they are voting yes everyone else has said they were voting no. This is across many crafts, camera, sound, grips, electric and props. I'm not sure they are going to bend over... we will see.

Cheers,

Whit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And Jace, FWIW, Local 695 out of Los Angeles "allows" its members to work at the ASA rates if the production is shooting under that agreement. So while we should get our Los Angeles rates when hired out of Los Angeles, that's not always the case. And I agree that Boston costs as much as Los Angeles, so it sucks that your rates are and will continue to remain so low.

Robert

I've heard of this happening, but it seems under most normal circumstances the LA hires get their hollywood rates (as you should, it's the contract you've earned) Clearly things are not always as they should be, though.

Regardless, it's certainly a double edged sword for me. Without the ASA allowing productions to get $31/hour utilities locally I wouldn't have been able to break into features by returning to Boston. But, I'll continue to fight for fair pay knowing that the money they COULD pay me is being used for silly things like flying in PAs, and padding the pockets of the 20 VIPs on their cell phones talking over takes.

Sorry if this post makes no sense. It's 4:45AM and I'm about to get back at it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Robert,

It may pass by a landslide, but I have only met one person that says they are voting yes everyone else has said they were voting no. This is across many crafts, camera, sound, grips, electric and props. I'm not sure they are going to bend over... we will see.

Cheers,

Whit

I hope you're right. On my set, everyone talked about voting no, but in actuality I believe most voted yes. The scare tactics really worked.

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with Robert here - The people I've heard about (friends in 600) have pretty much all voted yes, b/c they thought the numbers sounded "fair" somehow or they thought that a no vote would mean they wouldn't get more work b/c they would be on strike.

Yay for misinformation. Grr.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 years. Unless there are changes in leadership, expect to keep losing more and more. Because all the crafts and guilds are divided, we will fall.

Always remember that Jim Osborne said that 400 hours for heath care benefits was a good thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nobody ever said 400 hours was a "good" thing. Single-payer health-care? Now THAT woulda been a good thing and there would probably be no 400 hours and no monthly premiums and a 3% annual raise.

Expecting actual LEADERSHIP and follow-through on campaign promises? Can I have some of whatever dream-sicle you are enjoying there? :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nobody ever said 400 hours was a "good" thing. Single-payer health-care? Now THAT woulda been a good thing and there would probably be no 400 hours and no monthly premiums and a 3% annual raise.

I heard those very words, "400 hours was a good thing", come out of Osbornes mouth when they were railroading the previous contract past us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I heard those very words, "400 hours was a good thing", come out of Osbornes mouth when they were railroading the previous contract past us.

I'm not sure of the context or the intent of the comment you heard but I've discussed this with him at great length on numerous occasions and it's quite clear how he really feels about it... which is to say it is NOT a "good thing". You might find people who believe it was an acceptable solution to a very big problem... which is a position I vehemently dispute... but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find even one single person in the IA, from the top to the bottom, leadership or membership, who thinks it was a good thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course NOW he doesn't think it's a good thing because everyone else thinks it blows and he would lose his job if he now supported it. But, at the time the IA was sneaking the contract by us, Osbourn was in lock-step with Tom Short. Tom would say jump and Osbourn would say, "how high, Master"? Tom said the 400 hrs were great, Osbourn said it was great too. I heard it from his mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Variety reports that the Teamsters and Basic Crafts made their deal today...

Posted: Fri., Jun. 29, 2012, 5:32pm PT

Studios, craft unions reach tentative deal

Majors, drivers and four other unions come to three-year agreement

By Dave McNary

A tentative three-year deal has been reached in negotiations between the major studios and Hollywood Teamster drivers along with four other basic craft unions.

Deal was announced Friday and covers about 5,000 below-the-line workers. Key pension and health issues had been already settled in April when the five unions had jointly negotiated on healthcare issues for the first time with the West Coast locals of Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees -- which reached a tentative overall deal in April that's out for ratification.

"I believe the tentative agreement is fair and equitable for both parties," said Leo T. Reed, chairman of the Basic Crafts negotiating committee. "It is my sincere desire to keep as much production in Los Angeles as possible."

In response to the agreement, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said: "The tentative agreement with the Basic Crafts Unions calls for additional funding of the health plan and the same two percent annual wage increase as has been negotiated in all recent AMPTP agreements. The deals will help keep productions working without interruption in the Los Angeles area and, for Teamsters Local 399, throughout the 13 Western states as the industry continues to adapt to the challenges of producing in today's market."

The negotiations cover about 4,000 Teamster drivers in the 13 Western states with the contract negotiated jointly with four other Basic Crafts unions repping about 1,000 workers: Local 40 of the Intl. Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Local 724 of the Studio Utility Employees; Local 755 of Plasterers and Cement Masons; and Local 78 of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipe Fitting Industry.

IATSE agreed two years ago to form an alliance with the Teamsters and the unions synched up their contract expirations so both current deals would expire July 31.

The IATSE deal includes a 2% annual wage hike along with $250 million in new employer contributions to the health plan. IATSE has touted the deal as better than the master contract deals in 2010-11 for SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, which provided for 2% in minimum wage hikes and a 1.5% increase in benefit contributions.

When the deal was announced on April 13, IATSE president Matthew Loeb said it would resolve an anticipated funding shortfall of more than $400 million in the union's pension and health plans. In exchange, IATSE agreed to the first-ever premiums for health plan coverage -- $25 per month for participants with one dependent and $50 for those with two or more dependents, or $75 and $150 per quarter, beginning next year, while those without dependents will continue to not pay premiums.

Reed told members earlier this month that it would be "foolish" to strike on a contract on a total package that has wage increases and no takeaways -- even including the premiums. He also praised Loeb and IATSE motion picture chief Mike Miller.

"It is still the best plan in Hollywood, and one of the best in the country," he said. "Facing the huge deficit of $425 million dollars, Matt Loeb and Mike Miller had the members' interest at heart, and we support them. We will never condemn the men in the arena."

In the 2010 negotiations, Teamsters sought 3% in annual wage hikes but the companies insisted on a 2% wage gain, which the Teamsters accepted with several sweeteners along with the same 1.66% hike in benefits contained in the earlier IATSE deal. The Teamster deal set the template for negotiations in late 2010 and early 2011 with SAG, AFTRA, the WGA and the DGA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

Reviving an old thread here because normally I'm in the commercial/promo or corp/industrial game but here and there I'm asked to do a short or feature...and someone left me a voicemail today asking me about doing a feature.

With non-union commercials here in LA I can usually expect $750/10 or more. With lower level promo I'll see $500-$700, and corp can be as low as $450 up to $750. These are usually all in with a pretty basic package, but I'll add more for comteks every time.

So, when it comes to feature, what is the current union labor min rate for a mixer? Boom op? Gear is always tough. $250 is the target for basic package but I always throw my gear list at producers and it has rental house rates. I try to get those much higher rates on gear.

Anyway, I'm sure this feature is a low budge thing that I'll end up passing on but I'd like to get some real numbers to throw at these people so they know what real professionals are charging for sound services. That way, if they pass on me for a solo bag mixer for $300/15 and get shit sound, they'll know the realities :)

 

Yes I've done a couple short/feature type deals for those crap rates and they got what they paid for. It's very hard to convince me to venture into short/feature work these days!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know about LA, but some unions have set rates for films under a million dollars. I think around here they are classified as tier 0. I'm not union, so those rates are a secret to me, but I think they are low compared to what you are used to making. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Tier 0 allows for crew to be paid minimum wage. Tier 1, which reaches up to $5m now, I think, is about $23/hr, give or take, with boom about $21.

Area Standard Agreement is about $32/hr with boom getting about a buck or two less.

These are hourly rates, meaning OT after 8 and double at 12 if minimum wage requires it in your state (Tier 0) or double after 14 elapsed time in set if Tier 1.

Gear is typically $1750/wk from my previous Tier experience, but I have heard of people getting less and more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yikes. In Pennsylvania, a minimum wage 12 hour day is about $100. As many people said, the union minimum is the MINIMUM. If that's what a line producer has in their budget, good luck getting something respectable out of them. That $100 is before taxes, so you'll take home something more like a tuna sub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep in mind, Tier 0 minimum wage is considered "acceptable" because you get union hours. For those who need it, a few weeks at minimum wage can save health insurance, etc. I still think it's bullshit. Feeding off the desperation of someone who hasn't been able to get much work. A proper wage could be just as helpful.

Minimum wage is clearly not a good starting point for non-union work.

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...