Amid Fatalities and New Contracts, IATSE Members Search for a Set Safety Culture Change

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A candlelight vigil mourning fallen crew members turns into a discussion on how to avert more preventable deaths

iatse-give-us-a-rest campaign
IATSE's "Give Us A Rest" campaign

The sun had just set over Burbank on a Friday night, and a group of some 40 Hollywood union members, most from IATSE, gathered in the parking lot of IATSE Local 80’s headquarters with plastic cups and electronic candles. They came to commemorate the lives of union colleagues who have died on film and TV sets across the country in the past year.

Among those memorialized at the event last month was Juan “Spike” Wu Osorio, a lighting technician and active member of IATSE Local 728, who died this past February when he fell from a perm — the wooden beams above soundstages — during production of Marvel Studios’ “Wonder Man” at the Radford Studio Center in Studio City.

Jeremy Fuster

Box Office Reporter • jeremy.fuster@thewrap.com • Twitter: @jeremyfuster

Comments

One response to “Amid Fatalities and New Contracts, IATSE Members Search for a Set Safety Culture Change”

  1. Debbie Brubaker Avatar
    Debbie Brubaker

    Haskell had it so right, but not enough management was listening. 12 on 12 off and no more Fraturdays. I hope they’re listening now. All the motion picture and TV unions, not just the IA. Everyone on set for long hours is at risk – especially the PA’s who have no union to speak for them. Just to have a foot in the door, many of them will commute long hours, to work long hours. The risk is too high. Enough is enough.

    Reply

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