Contract Services Flags Thousands of IATSE Crew for Roster Removal as Union Hours Drop 36%
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 21
Contract Services Flags Thousands of IATSE Crew for Roster Removal as Union Hours Drop 36%
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 21
Summary
A few thousand IATSE members have been told they are flagged for removal from Hollywood’s Industry Experience Roster after failing to log at least one union workday between April 2023 and March 2026.
The cull resumes for the first time since 2022 after removals were paused through the strikes and weak recovery, with Contract Services reviewing a roster that currently covers about 47,000 West Coast crew workers.
78.9 million hours worked by IATSE members in 2025 were nearly 36% below 2022 levels, while U.S. live-action scripted productions with budgets above $40 million fell 37% from 2021 to 2025.
Affected workers can protest over the next few months, and some locals including Art Directors Guild Local 800 have already filed blanket objections on members’ behalf.
Losing roster status could make union hiring harder because employers generally hire from the list first; workers can requalify, but many would need 30 days on eligible productions within a year.