Mark Ruffalo, Quinta Brunson, Ryan Coogler Among Hollywood Union Members Signing Letter Of Solidarity Urging AMPTP To Bargain “Fair Contract” With IATSE, Basic Crafts

Katie Campione
·12-min read

EXCLUSIVE: Members of the Hollywood guilds are throwing their weight behind IATSE and the Basic Crafts as the below-the-line unions continue to chip away at new three-year deals with the studios.

Deadline has obtained a letter of solidarity signed by nearly 400 members across the WGA, PGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA. Signatories include Alan Ritchson, Amy Schumer, Lily Waschowski, Boots Riley, Connie Britton, Chelsea Handler, Mark Ruffalo, Lamorne Morris, Gina Prince Bythwood, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Charlie Kaufman, Kerry Washington, Quinta Brunson, Natasha Lyonne, Ryan Coogler, Will Forte, and Sarah Polley.

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The letter, addressed directly to the Alliance of Motion Picture Television Producers, urges the Carol Lombardini-led group to give the unions “a fair contract that acknowledges their essential contributions to production and allows these behind-the-scenes artists, artisans, and craftspeople to live and retire with dignity.”

“We support their requests for protectionists from emerging tech and AI, wage increases commensurate with cost of living increases, increased residuals and diversified contributions to their health and pension funds,” the letter continues. “These crewmembers dedicate their lives to their artistry and to their departments – working long hours in often challenging conditions to bring stories to life. Being able to do their jobs safely and compensated fairly is essential for our membership to be able to do our jobs. ‘Nothing moves without the crew.'”

The letter, which Deadline understands was conceived and circulated by a mutual aid group formed during last year’s strikes called The Union Solidarity Committee, also acknowledges the “sacrifices” that below-the-line crew made during the work stoppages, insisting that the signatories “will never forget” those contributions.

“We commit to stand alongside them throughout the entirety of their fight and are prepared to take action and elevate their issues throughout the process in their pursuit of a fair deal prior to their contract expiration on July 31st of this year,” the letter concludes.

A letter from some of Hollywood’s top brass may be the extra bit of muscle needed as the Teamsters are nearing the end of a second week of negotiations with the AMPTP, before IATSE will head back to the table Monday for four additional days of bargaining after its own talks stalled earlier this month.

In a statement to Deadline, an IATSE spokesperson said: “We welcome this show of support from Writers, Actors, and Directors at this important moment in the film and TV industry. Despite the film/TV industry contraction harming workers globally and the threat AI poses to all those in creative jobs, this letter shows the workers of Hollywood remain united in achieving fair agreements that safeguard the future of work in this business.”

Deadline understands that the major sticking points for IATSE are wage increases as well as pension contributions, which have been severely impacted by the lack of work for below-the-line folks in recent years due to both the coronavirus pandemic as well as the strikes. Teamsters are seeking similar contract provisions, though it’s not clear how much progress they’ve made thus far.

As the letter mentions, all current contracts expire on July 31. Both IATSE and the Teamsters have already expressed they are uninterested in extending their contracts past this date to accommodate further negotiations.

As we head into the last week of June, anxieties about a potential strike are growing, though there is still time for all the unions to make deals. So far, none of the unions have called for a strike authorization vote, which is necessary before they think about walking any picket lines.

Read the full letter below:

To the AMPTP:

We write to you today to affirm that we stand in solidarity with our TV and filmmaking siblings in IATSE, and the Hollywood Basic Crafts which includes Teamsters, LiUNA!, IBEW, OPCMIA and UA. We call on you to give them a fair contract that acknowledges their essential contributions to production and allows these behind-the-scenes artists, artisans, and craftspeople to live and retire with dignity. We support their requests for protectionists from emerging tech and AI, wage increases commensurate with cost of living increases, increased residuals and diversified contributions to their health and pension funds.

These crewmembers dedicate their lives to their artistry and to their departments– working long hours in often challenging conditions to bring stories to life. Being able to do their jobs safely and compensated fairly is essential for our membership to be able to do our jobs. “Nothing moves without the crew.”

We will never forget the sacrifices IATSE, Teamsters and the Hollywood Basic Crafts made in the WGA / SAG fights for a fair contract in 2023. We commit to stand alongside them throughout the entirety of their fight and are prepared to take action and elevate their issues throughout the process in their pursuit of a fair deal prior to their contract expiration on July 31st of this year.

In solidarity –

NAME, UNION (s)

Josh Locy, WGA, DGA

Liz Benjamin, WGA

Sarah Adina Smith, WGA, DGA

Frankie Shaw DGA WGA SAG

Beth Schacter WGA

Ry Russo Young WGA, DGA

Rachel Morrison ASC, DGA, IATSE 600

Shaka King, WGA, DGA

Dana Calvo, WG

Jennifer Phang, DGA

Chitra Sampath, WGA

Numa Perrier DGA SAG WGA

Tara Miele DGA, WGA

Alan Ritchson DGA, WGA, PGA, SAG,

Crystal Moselle DGA, WGA

Ross Partridge – DGA , SAG

Julie Plec – WGA, DGA

Rachel Lee Goldenberg- DGA, WGA

Amy Schumer – DGA, WGA, SAG,

Michael Sucsy – DGA, WGA

Bill Krebs – WGA

Sarah Jones – WGA, SAG

Lilly Wachowski – WGA, DGA

Shaz Bennett – DGA, WGA

Stacy Osei-Kuffour, WGA

Andrea Savage – DGA, WGA, SAG

Laurie Collyer – DGA, WGA

Desiree Akhavan – DGA

Rachel Goldberg – DGA

Sophia Nahli Allison – DGA

Tze Chun – WGA, DGA

Alex Winter – DGA, WGA, SAG

Antonio Campos – DGA, WGA

Anna Boden – DGA, WGA

Dan Stevens – SAG

Sophia Takal – DGA, WGA

Amy Aniobi – WGA, DGA, PGA, SAG

Gloria Calderon Kellett – WGA, DGA, PGA, SAG

Alena Smith – WGA, DGA

Nzingha Stewart – DGA, WGA

Destin Daniel Cretton – DGA, WGA

Karen Maine – DGA, WGA

Daniel Willis – DGA, WGA

Laura Chinn – WGA, DGA, SAG

Lucia Aniello – DGA, WGA

Paul W. Downs – SAG, WGA, DGA

Tony Phelan – WGA, DGA

Boots Riley- WGA, DGA

Thembi Banks- WGA, DGA

Connie Britton SAG

Alex Fernie – DGA WGA SAG

Chelsea Handler SAG WGa

James Ponsoldt DGA WGA

Kyle Marvin DGA WGA SAG

Josephine Decker DGA WGA

Simran Baidwan WGA

Hannah Fidell WGA DGA

Niceole Levy, WGA

Sarah-Violet Bliss, WGA DGA IATSE

Craig DiGregorio WGA DGA

Kelly Galuska, WGA

Diane Ademu-John, WGA

Ed Soloman, WGA, DGA, SAG

Mark Blutman WGA

Abbi Jacobson WGA, SAG, DGA

Jack Burditt WGA, SAG

Karin Gist, WGA

Timothy Simons SAG, WGA

James Stoteraux WGA

Chad Fiveash WGA

Jesse Peyronel, WGA

Pamela S. Adlon, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, DGA

Cecilia Mak, DGA

Adam Starks, WGA

Danny Chun, WGA, DGA

Mark Ruffalo SAG-AFTRA

Will McCormack WGA SAG

Richard Shepard DGA, WGA

Amy Berg WGA

Kat Candler WGA DGA

Will Forte sag wga

Nick Antosca WGA DGA

Kyle Bradstreet WGA

Bridget Everett SAG WGA

Liz Hannah WGA DGA

Moisés Zamora, WGA

Gina Welch, WGA

Téa Leoni, SAG

Kat Coiro DGA SAG

Kimberly Peirce DGA, WGA

Amber Sealey, DGA, SAG

Tanya Barfield, WGA

John Aboud, WGA

Alma Har’el, WGA, DGA

Olivia Newman, DGA

Far Shariat, WGA

Daniel Colameco, WGA

Jodie Alexandra Taylor, DGA

Ira Sachs, DGA, WGA

Lisa France, DGA, WGA, SAG.

Lynda Tarryk, DGA

Sarah Polley WGA DGA

Tessa Blake WGA, DGA

Siân Heder DGA, WGA, SAG

Lisa Gunning DGA

Holly Sorensen WGA DGA

April Prosser WGA

Andrew DeYoung, DGA

Austin Nichols DGA, SAG

Alethea Jones DGA

Eliza Skinner WGA SAG

Amy Talkington, WGA

Ellen Rapoport WGA, DGA

Dustin Milligan SAG-AFTRA

Joshua Corey WGA, IATSE

Jack Falahee SAG

Payman Benz DGA

Jenni Hendriks WGA

LP, DGA

Allison Hord, WGA SAG

Liz Tigelaar, WGA

Mary Neely, SAG-AFTRA

Anna Fricke, WGA

Avital Ash, SAG-AFTRA

Harper Steele WGA

Stacie Passon DGA, WGA

Jen Derwingson-Peacock, WGA, DGA

Amy Seimetz, WGA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA

Gina Fattore, WGA

Raphael Bob-Waksberg, WGA, SAG-AFTRA

John McCutcheon, WGA

Paul Briganti, DGA, WGA

Alyson Fouse, WGA

Jocelyn Richard WGA

Brad Evans, WGA, SAG

Rupinder Gill, WGA DGA

Jaclyn Moore, WGA

Eleanor Jean, WGA

Zach Dunn, WGA

Johnny Berchtold, SAG-AFTRA

Jana Schmieding, WGA, SAG

Alison Fouse WGA

Crystal Liu, WGA

Olivia Wilde, DGA, SAG, PGA

Jake Bender WGA

Jonathan Groff WGA, SAG, DGA

Sage Boggs WGA

Brooks Allison WGA

Nick Ciarelli, WGA

David Young, WGA

Alex Kavutskiy WGA, DGA

John Haskell, WGA

Keto Shimizu, WGA

Becky Krause, WGA

Lennon Parham, WGA, SAG, DGA

Katie O’Brien, WGA, SAG

Silas Howard, DGA, WGA

Laura Terruso, DGA, WGA

Melissa Hunter, WGA, SAG

Jessica Lowe, SAG

Poppy Liu, SAG

Amanda Verwey, WGA

John Krokidas, DGA, WGA

Rachel Raimist, DGA

Tchaiko Omawale, DGA

Jess Brunetto, DGA, IATSE

Bryan Donaldson, WGA, SAG

Jennifer Arnold, DGA

Amanda Marsalis, DGA

Greg Björkman, WGA, DGA

Eva Vives, WGA, DGA

Mike Royce, WGA, DGA, SAG

Manfred Lopez Grem, WGA

Regina Ainsworth, DGA, SAG-AFTRA

Joey Poach, WGA

Alejandro Brugues, WGA, DGA

Maxwell R Kessle, WGA

Maggie Levin, WGA, DGA

Anna Lore, SAG

David Chase WGA DGA

Jasmyne Peck WGA

James Carr, WGA

Marielle Woods, DGA

Tiffany Smith, SAG-AFTRA

Diego Velasco, DGA

Ted Tremper, DGA, WGA

Ryan Nemeth, SAG-AFTRA

Paul Scheer SAG/WGA/DGA

Eli Attie, WGA

Mae Smith, WGA

Jack Merrill SAG-AFTRA

Richard Tanne – DGA, WGA

Valerie Armstrong, WGA

Ian Deitchman, WGA

Ryan Coogler, WGA, DGA

America Young, DGA, SAG/AFTRA

Julian Silver, WGA, SAG

Mark Swift – WGA

Jeff Torres – SAG-AFTRA

Gillian Robespierre- WGA, DGA

Lauren Schacher – WGA, SAG-AFTRA

Antonio Campos – WGA, DGA

Reiss Clauson-Wolf – WGA

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson WGA, DGA

Jared Frieder WGA, DGA

Renée Threatte – SAG-AFTRA

Carly Wray – WGA

Christina Choe- WGA, DGA

John Lee – DGA & WGA

Dee Rees- WGA, DGA

Gina Prince-Bythewood – DGA, WGA

Verona Blue – SAG

Madie Dhaliwal – WGA

JD Dillard, WGA, DGA

Britt Matt, WGA

Paris Barclay, DGA, WGA, SAG-AFTRA

Jaime Paglia – WGA, DGA

Patrick Brice – WGA, DGA

Sierra Teller Ornelas – WGA

Nikita T. Hamilton, WGA

Sam Fishell, WGA

Elizabeth Craft, WGA

Sarah Fain, WGA

Ted Sullivan, WGA

René Balcer, WGA, DGA, WGC

James M. Connor, SAG-AFTRA, AE

Joshua Safran, WGA, DGA

Cindi Hemingway,WGA

Wendy Riss, WGA

Aiyana White, WGA

Rob Fitzgerald, SAG-AFTRA

Emily Cutler, WGA, SAG

Louisa Levy, WGA

Aniello Fontano, SAG, IATSE

Julie Hébert, WGA, DGA

Geetika Tandon Lizardi, WGA, TAG

Natalie Chaidez, WGA

Bianca Sams, WGA, SAG-AFTRA

Julie Dretzin, SAG

Sam Catlin, WGA,DGA,SAG

Liz W Garcia, WGA, DGA

Kevin Kane DGA, SAG

Nick Kroll WGA, DGA, SAG, PGA

Kevin E. West, SAG

Mike C. Nelson, Sag-Aftra

Maegan Houang, WGA, DGA

Matthew Jaeger, SAG-AFTRA

Sarah Acosta, WGA

Celia Finkelstein, WGA, SAG-AFTRA

Talia Osteen, DGA

E.L. Katz, DGA, WGA

Marielle Heller, DGA, WGA, SAG

Liz Hsiao Lan Alper, WGA

Jorge A. Reyes, WGA

Yance Ford, DGA

Dailyn Rodriguez, WGA

Aadip Desai, WGA

Jennifer Lynch, DGA

Claudia Yarmy, DGA

Ashley Sims, WGA

Aaron Allen, WGA

Meagan Daine, WGA

Alan McElroy, WGA

Sam Rubinek, WGA

Chrissy Maroon, WGA

Maya Houston, WGA

Emily Hornsby, WGA

Arabella Anderson, WGA

Ildy Modrovich WGA, DGA

Corey Deshon, WGA

Ryan Terrebonne, WGA, IATSE Local 871

Alex Meenehan, WGA

Chris Hazzard, WGA

Josh Campbell, WGA, IATSE Local 700

Erica Rosbe, WGA, IATSE

Taylor Orcí, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE

Andra Whipple, WGA

Katie Avery, WGA

Cord Jefferson, WGA

Will Ewing, WGA

Kat Wood, WGA

Alexandra Pechman, WGA

Tim Ransom. SAG-AFTRA

Angela L. Harvey, WGA

JFelischa Marye, WGA

Dave Thomason, WGA

Olga Lexell, WGA

Zach Cannon, WGA

Krystal Houghton Ziv, WGA

Tyler Ruggeri, WGA

Darika Fuhrmann, WGA

Carlos Jacott, WGA, SAG-AFTRA

Julie Sagalowsky Díaz, WGA

Alex Díaz, WGA

Erica Saleh, WGA

Maggie Gyllenhaal WGA SAG DGA

Drew Pearce, DGA WGA

Declan De Barra, WGA

Diane Ademu-John, WGA

Ingrid Escajeda, WGA

Adrian Wenner, WGA, SAG-AFTRA

Annie Weisman, WGA DGA

Amanda Lasher, WGA

Jessica Kaminsky, WGA

Cara Buono, SAG-AFTRA, WGA

Dylan Meyer, WGA

Tim DeKay, SAG-AFTRA, DGA

Charlie Kaufman, WGA, DGA

Christine Boylan, WGA

Jessica M. Thompson, WGA, DGA

Aaron W. Sala, WGA

Terri Miller, WGA

Ellie Foumbi WGA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA

Cameron Johnson, WGA

Anthony Natoli, WGA

Lake Bell, WGA, SAG, DGA

Jeff Chan, WGA, DGA

Chris Sheridan, WGA, SAG

Jenna Lamia, WGA, SAG

Maggie Greenwald, DGA, WGA

Casey Wilson, SAG, WGA

Marion Dayre, WGA

Kit Boss, WGA

Karine Rosenthal, WGA

Bob Fisher, WGA, DGA

Daniel Thomsen, WGA

Hank Jones, WGA

Daniel Connolly, WGA

DScott Gairdner, WGA, SAG

Janet Lin, WGA

Jaffar Mahmood, DGA

Sarah Dollard, WGA

Jessica Rothe, SAG

Amy-Jo Perry, WGA

Alison Becker, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE Local 839

Michael Gilvary, WGA

Nikki Toscano, WGA

Dahvi Waller, WGA

Adam Toltzis, WGA

Fay Wolf, SAG

Ariana Jackson, WGA

J. Smith-Cameron, SAG-AFTRA

Blair Singer, WGA

Max Barbakow, WGA, DGA

Teresa Palmer, SAG

Danielle Uhlarik, WGA, SAG, IATSE

Andy St. Clair, WGA, SAG

Nick Kocher, WGA, SAG

Dan Levy, WGA, DGA, SAG

Kerry Washington SAG DGA

Zoë Chao SAG

Chelsea Spack SAG

Annabel Oakes WGA, DGA

Noah Wyle SAG, DGA, WGA

Abe Sylvia WGA, DGA, SAG, AEA

Cara DiPaolo WGA

Zach Strauss, WGA, DGA

Babak Tafti SAG

Michele McPhee

Lamorne Morris SAG-AFTRA, DGA

Tamara Krinsky, SAG-AFTRA, AEA

Quinta Brunson, SAG-AFTRA, WGA

Steven Weber SAG-AFTRA, DGA

Paul McCrane, SAG-AFTRA, DGA

Eliot Glazer, SAG-AFTRA, WGA

Gennifer Hutchison, WGA

Lauren Miller Rogen, WGA, DGA, SAG

Andrew Colville, WGA

Tessa Leigh Williams, WGA

Jonny Umansky, WGA

Erika Lippoldt, WGA

Scott Cohen, SAG-AFTRA

Nathan Dean, SAG-AFTRA

Evan Goldberg, WGA, DGA

Seth Rogen WGA SAG DGA

Douglas Keeve DGA

Natasha Lyonne DGA WGA SAG

Tanya Saracho, WGA, DGA, SAG

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