Who We Are

Local 16 is part of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada (IATSE). The IATSE represents technicians who serve all parts of the entertainment industry.

Since the birth of our organization over 100 years ago, IATSE stagehands and movie operators have been joined by a great variety of other crafts. Technicians and artists in motion picture and television production, product demonstration and industrial shows, conventions, facility maintenance, audio visual presentation, and motion picture computer graphics, to name a few, have all banded together to achieve the maximum unified strength possible.

Our Goal

Our goal at IATSE Local 16 is to represent workers in the San Francisco Bay Area, wherever they work, and to work to provide them and their families with benefits that can travel with them from employer to employer.

With union representation, you could change jobs without fear of losing your health insurance and with a consistent retirement benefit, two of the basic necessities for achieving and maintaining a quality life.

Worker Rights

The Federal Government has determined that workers have the right to organize and to bargain collectively and that it is in the best interest of commerce for employers to accept collective bargaining when the workers determine that they want it. The government has also determined that the inequality of bargaining power between unorganized workers and powerful employers tends to cause depression and low wages. Therefore the government has protected these rights by the Taft-Hartley Act and the National Labor Relations Act.

Workers have the right to elect a union or organize their own union to represent them, and employers can not legally dismiss a worker for looking into joining a union, for promoting union membership or for belonging to a union.

Commitment to Technology

IATSE members have always embraced new technology. As the film industry has evolved new technologies from 3-D Stereoscope, Cinerama, and Cinemascope, to IMAX and beyond, the IATSE has innovated to support and propel the industry.

For nearly five years, Local 16 has represented CG artists and technicians at Industrial Light and Magic. Through union representation, ILM employees enjoy the best of all worlds: working for a world class employer with world class benefits provided through Local 16's agreement with Lucas Digital.

CG - A Film Craft

The use of computer graphics imaging is a logical progression of the technologies developed in the motion picture industry over the last 50 years. As producers, directors, and crafts people strive to make films more extravagant, more exciting, and yet more believable, new technology is welcomed. The recent boom in CGI is a demonstration of that trend, and its success has cemented its place in the industry for the foreseeable future. As such, those who practice its arts and support its use deserve a home in the IATSE, the union that represents the artists and technicians in the film industry.

Education & Training

As the industry is ever changing, training and education are critical to the IATSE. Local 16 has a comprehensive apprenticeship program. CG members have the opportunity to learn about other aspects of film making such as cinematography, set design, lighting, grip, rigging, etc.

Organizing

To provide workers with the greatest opportunities, Local 16 negotiates contracts with major employers in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are actively interested in organizing the computer graphics facilities in Northern California. We welcome freelance artists as well who want to maintain quality benefits as they work for different employers.