Members of SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, and WGA picket alongside Local 11 hotel workers union at Netflix and Sunset Gower Studios on July 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, United States.
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The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees’ West Coast office is hosting a food drive in support of striking workers and other entertainment industry members.
IATSE has teamed with the L.A. Food Bank and L.A. County Federation of Labor to host a three-hour food drive aimed at addressing the food insecurity among industry members amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA work stoppages. In May, the Writers Guild went on strike after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers could not reach an agreement with the national union, with the actors union following in their footsteps earlier this month.
The drive will take place between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday at IATSE’s West Coast office, which is located at 2210 W. Olive Ave in Burbank. The event is open not just to all affected unionized entertainment workers in the industry but their families, with no membership ID required to receive food. Volunteers will be on hand to help attendees pick up or load into their vehicle a box of food. (If driving, IATSE requests attendees enter the parking lot off W. Olive Ave and exit off W. Oak St.)
In June, the crew union contributed $2 million in funds to aid members experiencing financial distress amid the work stoppage. The union’s general executive board unanimously approved the contribution, which was divided up among the Motion Picture & Television Fund, The Entertainment Community Fund and the Actors Fund of Canada.
The L.A. food drive is among other growing efforts beyond IATSE to support industry workers affected by the work stoppage. The Entertainment Community Fund has been one of the biggest sources of support since the writer’s strike began nearly three months ago, while other food and financial efforts — including Pay Up Hollywood, The Inevitable Foundation, Humanitas and more — have made a showing.
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