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At the 2024 Academy Awards, Kimmel addressed the actor and writer’s strikes, while spotlighting the IATSE negotiations that began on March 4.
By Mia Galuppo
Film Writer
During the telecast for the 2024 Oscars ceremony, host Jimmy Kimmel, in his opening monologue, addressed the current IATSE contract negotiations and the possibility of an impending strike, telling below-the-line workers: “Know that in your upcoming negotiations we will stand with you.”
After feting the nominees at the top of the awards show, Kimmel turned his opener towards the subject of last year’s work stoppages, praising the actors and writers resilience in getting contracts with fair protections from artificial intelligence, among other contract points.
“As pretentious and superficial as it can be, at its heart it’s a union town. It’s not just a bunch of heavily botox-ed, Hailey Bieber smoothie drinking, diabetes prescription abusing, gluten sensitive nepo babies with perpetually shivery chihuahuas,” joked Kimmel. “This is a coalition of hard working, mentally tough American laborers, women and men who would 100 percent for sure die if we even had to touch the handle of the shovel.”
Kimmel then continued: “The reason we were able to make a deal is because of the people who rallied around and beside us. And before we celebrate ourselves, let’s have a very well deserved round of applause for the people who work behind the scenes: the teamsters, the truck drivers, sound engineers, gaffers, grips, all of the crew.”
The below-the-line crew members came out on stage to join Kimmel, who asked them to “take a bow” and said that Hollywood would stand with them during their negotiations.
Top crew unions — the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Hollywood Teamsters (Teamsters Local 399) — entered the bargaining room at the top of this month with the studios and streamers over health and pension plans. Hollywood Teamsters head Lindsay Dougherty said, “We will strike if we have to” during the talks.
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