Are all union contracts the same?

No, not every union agreement is identical. Although most of our members work under contracts that closely follow patterns set by master agreements negotiated with multi-employer associations, securing a first contract at a non-union employer entails negotiations with that specific company. The specific terms of union contracts, therefore, can vary from employer to employer and may also vary according to the budgets of particular projects. A crew assembling a three-minute short for exhibition on YouTube, for instance, may not enjoy all the same terms and working conditions as a crew working on a major studio's tentpole feature. The contents of any particular agreement get determined through negotiations, and the outcome of those negotiations depends upon several factors -- e.g., the status quo from which negotiations start, what an employer is able to afford, and the leverage with which employees come to the table.

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