IDA And Communications Workers of America Reach Tentative Labor Agreement For Non-Management Employees
The Writers Guild strike goes on, but there’s peace on one labor front in the entertainment industry.
The Communication Workers of America Local 9003 and the International Documentary Association announced in a joint statement today that they have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement covering Documentary Workers United, a group of non-management employees at the IDA.
According to the parties involved, “We are aiming to ratify our 2-year contract in the next 45 days.” The CWA, IDA and DWU added, “This is an important moment for the documentary field. We hope that others follow suit in recognizing, investing in, and supporting documentary workers.”
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Terms of the proposed labor agreement call for:
- An average of a 20-30% wage increase, with a baseline minimum of $30/hr
- A guaranteed annual rate increase
- Differential pay for additional labor
- A comprehensive reproductive health policy
Negotiations on the contract began in October 2022.
“We feel this is a great first contract,” said Kenyon Johnson, CWA Local 9003’s executive board member. “Though we faced some difficult moments, we made it through. I hope we did our members proud, and that the Bargaining Unit votes to ratify.”
In a statement, the IDA’s interim executive director Ken Ikeda said, “The bargaining process has been invaluable for IDA, requiring us to navigate a steep learning curve around unionization and allowing us to negotiate and align around shared values.”
The unionization drive came during a period of turmoil at the IDA, which saw well over half the staff depart in a period of months. Former IDA executive director Rick Pérez, the target of a number of complaints from employees about his management style, resigned in late December 2022. Ikeda took over as interim ED after the departure of Pérez.
The IDA provides direct grants to documentary filmmakers in support of production and development of nonfiction film projects. It also facilitates fundraising through a fiscal sponsorship program. Each year, the organization hosts the IDA Documentary Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in nonfiction film. It also publishes Documentary magazine.
In its joint statement, the CWA, IDA and DWU noted, “Finally, we owe this tentative agreement not only to our current staff, who fight tirelessly for a better work environment, but to all the previous IDA staff members who collectively exercised their right to unionize on March 14, 2022.”
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