The largest crew union in Hollywood has endorsed Tom Steyer, the hedge fund founder whose anti-corporate rhetoric has attracted labor backing in the race for California governor.
In making the announcement, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees noted Steyer’s interest in keeping film and TV production in Los Angeles. Steyer has also slammed the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. and proposed a tax on AI computations in order to fund training for displaced workers.
“Tom Steyer is committed to protecting union work, advancing labor standards, and keeping production in California in live events, film and TV,” said Brigitta Romanov, the president of the California IATSE Council. “He recognizes that without immediate action, we risk losing the jobs and infrastructure that power our industry.”
Steyer is among the top Democrats running in the June 2 primary, according to polls. He has spent more than $115 million of his own money on TV and radio ads, vastly more than his rivals.
He has also picked up endorsements from the California Teachers Association, the California Federation of Teachers, and the California Nurses Association. He supports a single-payer health system for California and promised to tax wealthy people and corporations to pay for health care and education.
In an interview with Variety last week, he said he wants to expand the state’s tax incentive for film and TV production, though he did not offer a specific proposal.
“I look at this tax credit and I see it as an investment where we get more than our money back,” Steyer said. “So I don’t see this as a cost.”
Steyer also blasted Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav, saying that his $700-$800 million buyout as a result of the Paramount merger is “truly disgusting.”
Other candidates have also vowed to increase the tax incentive. Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, and Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, promised to eliminate the $750 million cap on the tax credit, though neither said how much that might cost.
Meanwhile, the Teamsters union — including its Hollywood local — has thrown its support behind former Rep. Katie Porter.
IATSE represents about 50,000 motion picture workers in California and 130,000 workers overall in the U.S. Its ranks include grips, prop masters, cinematographers, set dressers, boom operators, sound mixers, hair and makeup workers, costumers and others.
“I look forward to safeguarding the entertainment industry and ensuring production not only stays in California but thrives with substantial tax credits and a commitment to unionized labor — and I’ll never be a rubber stamp for the AI industry,” Steyer said in a statement. “I’m honored to have IATSE’s support.”
IATSE has led the way in pushing for a federal subsidy for film and TV production, which it argues is needed to put Hollywood on a level playing field with foreign competitors like London and Toronto.
The Entertainment Union Coalition, a group of Hollywood labor groups, has met with nine candidates for governor, including three who have since dropped out. Rebecca Rhine, the president of the coalition, said that all of them, including Republican Steve Hilton, were generally receptive to the group’s point of view. The coalition does not make endorsements.
