IATSE: Costume Designers Achieve Scale Rate in Line With Peers as Part of New Contract Achievements

As a long-time advocate for pay equity in the film and television industry, I am thrilled to witness this historic achievement for costume designers. For decades, we have fought tirelessly to bridge the significant wage gap between ourselves and our department head counterparts, who are predominantly male. This victory is the result of a collective effort, fueled by the determination and dedication of the Costume Designers Guild’s leadership, particularly Terry Gordon and Ariyela Wald-Cohain, and the unwavering support from those who believed in our cause.

For several decades, costume designers in theaters and TV, excluding those working on half-hour shows, have advocated for equal pay. Recently, they secured a substantial raise of more than 40%. Now, their wages align closer to what other creative professionals earn.

When IATSE managed to secure a new comprehensive deal with Hollywood’s leading film studios and streaming services, EbMaster was able to acquire a summary of the guild’s accomplishments in the recent negotiations for the General Basic Agreement.

In an interview with EbMaster, the president of the Costume Designers Guild, Terry Gordon expressed, “After a meticulously planned six-year initiative, our proposal for equal pay with our design team counterparts gained recognition and was rewarded. Our extensive research, data, and studies amassed during our pay equity campaign finally resulted in deserved wage hikes for our members, along with acknowledgement of our essential role in production.” Gordon further stated, “This is a groundbreaking achievement for our Guild. The members were resolute and unified in their objectives. Our Pay Equity and bargaining teams worked tirelessly and relentlessly to ensure all possibilities were explored.”

Ariyela Wald-Cohain, a Co-Chair of Pay Equity Now Steering Committee and Emmy award-winner (known for her work on “Waitress”), expressed her joy over the recent negotiations leading to equal pay scales for Costume Designers. We’re thankful for everyone who backed us in achieving this groundbreaking milestone. Our ultimate goal is to create a more welcoming and equitable industry, providing opportunities for artists of all crafts in the future.

For many years, costume designers have been advocating for equal pay through the Pay Equity Now movement. During contract negotiations, this initiative urged costume designers to request equivalent compensation to that of heads of departments like production designers or cinematographers. Additionally, they were encouraged to disclose their salaries and contract details to fellow costume designers working at the same studios.

Costume designers in the film and TV industry work long hours, with many putting in over 60 hours a week. Despite making up 87% of this field and being predominantly female, they earn significantly less than their counterparts in the creative department, who are mostly male (82-93%). According to the IATSE Basic Agreement, costume designers’ pay scales sit around 30-65% lower.

A notable advancement is that Costume Designers are now required to receive screen credits. According to the agreement, “No one besides a Costume Designer can receive screen credit or imply they have provided costume design services on a film under this contract.”

If the tradition of acknowledging contributions to a film continues (apart from the Producer, Director, Writer, and actors), the Producer promises to provide screen credit for Costume Designers on all related movies as well.

In films shown in theaters, the Director of Photography, Editor, and Art Director will each receive individual recognition with a clear and noticeable credit. This could be through a separate card during the opening credits or at the end of the movie.

Producers have the flexibility to decide where to place credits for movies shown on TV, and these credits can appear on a single shared card.

“The designation for costumes on screen should read as either ‘Costumes Designed by…,’ ‘Costumes by…’ or ‘Costume Designer.'”

Gordon commented on the necessity of giving costume designers screen credit, stating, “This long-overdue recognition ensures that producers will give due credit to Costume Designers in every film production they’re involved with. For theatrical movies, this means a dedicated card credit, either at the beginning or end of the credits. In television productions, however, the producer decides where to place it and may share the credit with others. It will be labeled as ‘Costumes designed by,’ ‘Costumes by,’ or ‘Costume Designer’ followed by the designer’s name.”

In the battle for fair compensation, Gordon highlighted the difference between costume designers and assistant costume designers in the production of half-hour shows.

Costume designers for a half-hour TV show received successive annual raises: a 12% boost in the first year, followed by a 4% bump in the second year, and a 3.5% hike in the third year – with each raise building on the previous one.

In the world of theater and TV, assistant costume designers, excluding those working on half-hour shows, experienced significant wage bumps. These increases amounted to 10% in the initial year, followed by 7.5% in the second and third years respectively. On the other hand, assistant costume designers for half-hour TV productions received smaller but still notable raises: 10% in the first year, 4% in the second year, and 3.5% in the third year.

“Wald-Cohain acknowledged that we hadn’t managed to reach equal pay for costume designers in half-hour TV productions, and also for our assistant costume designers. As Terry pointed out, there’s still more progress to be made.”

2024-07-18 22:17

IATSE: Costume Designers Achieve Scale Rate in Line With Peers as Part of New Contract Achievements

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