IATSE, the labor union representing technicians, artisans and craftspeople in the industry, responded to Donald Trump’s proposed 100% movie tariff by advocating for a federal tax incentive program and warning that any trade deal “must do no harm” in a statement on Monday.
“The United States needs a balanced federal response to return film and television jobs,” said International President Matthew D. Loeb. “IATSE recommended that the Trump administration implement a federal film production tax incentive and other domestic tax provisions to level the playing field for American workers. We await further information on the administration’s proposed tariff plan, but we continue to stand firm in our conviction that any eventual trade policy must do no harm to our Canadian members — nor the industry overall. We seek reciprocal trade practices that ensure fair competition for all IATSE members.”
The labor union said it is engaging with the Trump administration to “level the playing field” and make the U.S. more desirable as a production hub as projects are lured overseas due to tax breaks.
“President Trump has correctly recognized that the American film and television industry faces an urgent threat from international competition,” IATSE said in a statement. “Foreign governments have successfully lured film and television productions, and the multitude of jobs they create, away from the United States with aggressive tax incentives and subsidies. Films intended for initial release in the U.S. are increasingly being shot overseas — and American workers and our economy are paying the price.”
The Teamsters Union, meanwhile, applauded Trump’s move without specifically backing the decision to impose tariffs.
“For years, Hollywood studios have hollowed out the industry by following Corporate America’s crooked playbook of outsourcing good union jobs. Studios chase cheap production costs overseas while gutting the American workforce that built the film and TV industry,” the Teamsters said. “The Teamsters Union has been sounding the alarm for years. If studios want to benefit from American box offices, they must invest in American workers. We thank President Trump for boldly supporting good union jobs when others have turned their heads. This is a strong step toward finally reining in the studios’ un-American addiction to outsourcing our members’ work.”
The Teamsters Union statement concluded: “We look forward to continuing to work with the administration to build a trade agenda that benefits our members and workers throughout the American motion picture and TV industry.”
The statements come as Hollywood studios were silent on Monday after Trump announced a 100% tariff on movies not shot in the U.S.
By Monday morning, the White House had somewhat walked back Trump’s declaration.
“Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again,” spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
Agents and producers who spoke to TheWrap on Monday said they are skeptical that any plans on tariffs would actually move forward.
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