Hollywood Crew Faces Roster Crackdown as Thousands Risk Removal Amid Industry Changes

In Hollywood, the Industry Experience Roster plays a vital role in connecting freelance crew members with job opportunities. This list, managed by a nonprofit established under collective bargaining agreements between industry employers and unions since 1965, tracks various freelance professionals on the West Coast, including grips, makeup artists, and plumbers. It serves as a crucial resource for productions that require large teams, as employers typically agree to hire individuals from this roster before considering others.

However, as Hollywood studios produce fewer titles domestically and increasingly shift projects overseas, many crew members are finding it difficult to maintain their status on the roster. Recently, Contract Services, the organization responsible for managing the list, has flagged thousands of members from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) for potential removal.

Eligibility Concerns and Impact on Crew Members

The flagged individuals are believed to have not met the roster’s eligibility criteria, which generally requires having worked at least one day on a union project within a three-year timeframe. For the current review period, this spans from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2026. Members of Teamsters Local 399, LiUNA Local 724, and United Association of Plumbers Local 78, who, along with IATSE members, comprise approximately 47,000 individuals on the roster, have not yet received notifications regarding their status. However, it is anticipated that their eligibility will also be reviewed. Those flagged for removal have the option to contest the decision, initiating a dispute resolution process expected to unfold over the coming months.

This marks the first instance of Contract Services removing crew members from the list since 2022, prior to the writers’ and actors’ strikes that left many crew members unemployed. Typically, these removals occur annually, but in recent years, employers and unions have opted to pause them due to the challenging post-strike environment for workers. Employment levels have rebounded slowly since 2022, with IATSE reporting that members worked approximately 78.9 million hours in 2025, a decline of nearly 36 percent from the 122.9 million hours recorded in 2022.

Decline in Domestic Production Opportunities

The landscape for domestic work opportunities has also contracted. Data from ProdPro indicates that live-action scripted productions with budgets of $40 million or more starting in the U.S. dropped by 37 percent between 2021 and 2025. This decline has made the issue of roster removals particularly sensitive for those whose status is under scrutiny.

Michael Wheelock, an art director who recently received a notification from Contract Services, expressed concern that removing individuals from the roster diminishes their chances of securing union jobs. He noted that the issue is not a lack of work experience but rather the increasing difficulty in finding available positions. The removal from the roster effectively hinders their ability to earn a living.

Union Support and Protests

Several IATSE locals are actively assisting their members in contesting these removals. For example, the Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800, has communicated to its members that they have filed a “blanket protest” on behalf of those affected. However, eligibility for the roster is ultimately determined by contractual agreements established between the unions and employers, who are members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. This limits the extent to which unions can contest the rules they previously accepted.

Mike Miller, IATSE’s international vice president and director of the motion picture and television production department, criticized the workforce purging and attributed it to tax incentives offered by other countries that entice studios and streaming services to produce more projects abroad. He stated that these location decisions have led employers to use the lack of work as a justification for purging their rosters of eligible workers, thereby eliminating the need to provide essential training for safety, skills, and anti-harassment.

Miller also linked the removals from the Industry Experience Roster to the union’s ongoing efforts to secure a federal film tax incentive aimed at attracting more work back to the U.S. He emphasized that every day the federal government remains inactive, entertainment industry workers face the risk of being purged.

Future Negotiations and Requalification Process

The union will have the opportunity to renegotiate the eligibility threshold when it returns to the bargaining table with studios and streaming services in 2027. Workers flagged for removal have described challenges in securing employment following the 2023 strikes, with many finding non-union work instead.

For instance, Wheelock has transitioned into producing and launched his own company to create opportunities. An L.A.-based assistant editor has been working on smaller independent projects, while editor Efren Pardilla, who has primarily worked in reality television, has taken on non-union reality dating shows. Despite their ongoing work in the industry, they are protesting their removal from the roster.

The assistant editor noted that those who have consistently held union jobs seem to continue securing them, while individuals on the fringes face greater challenges in finding union opportunities.

According to the letters from Contract Services, these workers can still requalify for the Industry Experience Roster. They must reapply and meet the original criteria for inclusion, which typically requires working 30 days on eligible productions within a one-year period. This represents a significant increase from the previous standard of working just one day every three years to maintain roster status.

Concerns persist among crew members that being removed from the list will hinder their ability to secure union work. The assistant editor highlighted that roster status could be a deciding factor when competing for union job opportunities.

For those already struggling to find union-covered work in the post-strike landscape of Hollywood, the situation adds another layer of anxiety. Pardilla remarked on the lingering impact of the strikes, noting that he still keeps his strike sign as a reminder of the ongoing challenges.

As reported by www.hollywoodreporter.com.

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Published on 2026-07-21 21:09:00 • By FAME Delivered News Desk