International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)

It is a member of the AFL-CIO union federation and claims more than 170,000 members. ¹

Overview

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees was formed in 1893 as a theatrical stagehands’ union. ² Today, it represents backstage and front-of-house workers in live theatrical, movie, television, and online video productions. ¹ Its members include stagehands, ushers, treasurers, ticket sellers, wardrobe and makeup artists, scenic artists, and other backstage workers.  ¹

IATSE is generally considered one of the most powerful unions in the entertainment industry, along with SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild of America (WGA East and WGA West), the Directors Guild of America, the Actors’ Equity Association, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. ³ IATSE is notable among major entertainment industry unions for never having called a nationwide strike, although its members did vote to authorize one in 2021 before a contract agreement was reached with Hollywood studios. ^{4  5}

The president of the IATSE is Matthew D. Loeb, who was first elected in 2008. ⁶ Loeb is also a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.  ⁶ In 2024, the IATSE reported paying Loeb $706,371 in total compensation. ⁷

Activism

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees broadly supports left-of-center social and political causes, including the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements. ^{8  9}

In 2018, IATSE New Mexico official Jon Hendry resigned from his positions as the union’s local business agent and the New Mexico Federation of Labor president after he, IATSE, and the IATSE local were sued by two women alleging that he had sexually harassed and discriminated against them while they were IATSE employees. ¹⁰ New Mexico Democratic Party chair Richard Ellenberg was also forced to resign after he questioned the validity of the accusations.  ¹⁰

In 2025, the IATSE joined SAG-AFTRA and other unions to publicly pressure Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) to reduce or eliminate regulatory burdens, film permit fees, and bureaucratic delays that made the city less attractive to film and television productions. ¹¹ IATSE international vice president Vanessa Holtgrewe said many Los Angeles-area IATSE locals were facing unemployment rates of as high as 50 percent among their members, thanks in part to productions leaving Los Angeles for locations with lower costs and regulatory burdens.  ¹¹

This high unemployment rate among its Southern California locals pushed IATSE to organize smaller-scale productions, such as a May 2025 music video shoot for musician, actor, and political activist Will Smith. ^{12  13} Production on the video was disrupted after IATSE members allegedly were dismissed from the shoot for attempting to unionize the project, prompting an IATSE picket line.  ¹²

In December 2025, members of the film crew for the crime drama “The Gun on Second Street” walked off the set after the IATSE alleged its members on the crew had been denied employee protections after being incorrectly classified as “independent contractors” rather than employees. ¹⁴ The union later claimed the film’s producers refused to negotiate when the union members voted to be formally recognized, thus leading to the walk-out and the film’s production being halted.  ¹⁴

The film’s listed executive producers include U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and actor Sean Penn. Rep. Swalwell released a statement alleging he would remove himself from the film’s credits if the matter was not resolved, while Penn’s production company later removed its name from the film.  ¹⁴ The film’s producers also released a statement arguing against the IATSE’s allegations, claiming it had “properly compensated workers.”  ¹⁴

Political Activism

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is aligned with the Democratic Party and regularly endorses Democrats for office, including presidential candidates Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020, and Kamala Harris in 2024.  ^{15  16}

After the 2016 election, IATSE president Matthew Loeb warned, “The middle class and working people are in jeopardy of experiencing severe consequences based on the positions and proposed policies espoused by President-Elect Trump.”  ¹⁵

In 2021, the speakers at the union’s annual convention included Anita Hill, then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. ¹⁷

The IATSE supports the creation of a federal film tax credit, and broadly supported President Donald Trump’s proposed 100 percent tariff on foreign films. ^{18  19} The IATSE reportedly “engaged with” the Trump administration after the tariff announcement to advocate for exempting Canadian productions employing IATSE members from those tariffs. ²⁰

The union opposed the second Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), lobbying specifically against proposed workforce reductions at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. ²¹

In 2025, some producers of events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. canceled their shows in response to President Donald Trump’s appointment of new board members for the Kennedy Center, including himself as board chair.  ²² The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees released a statement opposing the cancellations, citing the financial impact on IATSE members employed at the venue. ²²

Finances

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is largely funded by “per-capita taxes” on union members’ dues collected by its locals. In 2024, it collected $37,665,663 of its $42,481,110 in revenues from those payments.  ⁷