What”s an IATSE?

IATSE is to crew members, what SAG is to actors. They provide standard working conditions, wage rates and pension/health benefits to their members. They are also the union that covers the most experienced production crew members. Like SAG, they are expensive, but can be well worth the expense when your production proceeds on time and delivers a better looking film.

Working with IATSE

IATSE provides standard working conditions and wages according to their local scale. So the LA/NY locals will have different rates than the Florida/Puerto Rico local. This makes sense if you take into account the difference in standard of living and the experience of the crew members at each location. In addition, the fringe rates vary according to the contract employed and the geographical area worked.

IATSE Contracts

IATSE has several contracts that will make their members accessible to the independent film production. Like SAG, their contracts are limited by the production budget. Be careful, if your budget is on the upper end of an IATSE contract and you go over budget, you will have to make up the difference in wage rates to the higher IATSE contract.

2009 Area Standards Agreement (August 2, 2009 – July 31, 2011)

• Budgets above $10,209,000.
• The Area Standards Agreement breaks down the rates for each type of crew member position. You can get a quick cheat sheet of these rates at EntLabor.com. As you can see, the rates vary for each position but generally fall within the range of $24.20 to $32.87/hour.
• Pension & Health (P&H) Contribution is $3.8975/hour.

Tier 3 Low-Budget Agreement (New Low Budget Contract Coming 2010…)

• Budgets between $7,220,000 and $10,209,000.
• Tier 3 Rates are located in Appendix C(2) of the Low Budget Agreement. They vary from $23.99 to $29.27/hour, but also include Camera Op rates of $42.23/hour.
• P&H Contribution within production city locals is $97/day.

Tier 2 Low-Budget Agreement (New Low Budget Contract Coming 2010…)

• Budgets between $4,230,000 to $7,220,000
• Tier 2 Rates are located in Appendix C(1) of the Low Budget Agreement. They vary from $24.01 to $27.81/hour, but also include Camera Op rates of $40.11/hour.
• P&H Contribution within production city locals is $93/day.

Tier 1 Low-Budget Agreement (New Low Budget Contract Coming 2010…)

• Budgets between $1,500,000 to $4,230,000
• Tier 1 Rates are located in Appendix B of the Low Budget Agreement. They are a little more straightforward in that there are three rates: (1) Key Rate: $21.24/hour, (2) 2nds Rate: $19.09/hour, and (3) 3rds Rate: $17.05/hour
• P&H Contribution within production city locals is $76/day.

Ultra Low-Budget Agreement (New Low Budget Contract Coming 2010…)

• Budgets under $1,500,000 AND must have at least 15 days of scheduled principal photography.
• All covered crew positions are negotiable, but must be at least the minimum federal wage (currently $7.25/hour).
• P&H Contribution within production city locals is $69/day.

As you can see, working with Unions can be confusing, but is certainly worth the money. I suggest working with a producer/line producer (like me!) that knows these contracts and can correctly work them into your budget. You can be sure IATSE will enforce all wage and P&H contributions, so ignorance is not an excuse. In addition, it is important to read your selected agreement. There are many stipulations regarding turn-around time, meal times, overtime, studio vs distant location, etc. that can severely affect your budget if you ignore them. Always ask questions, IATSE is more than happy to answer them.