Cannon Film Group, Stage Workers Union Sign First Contract

Cannon Group Inc. and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) have reached a first-ever collective bargaining agreement covering all Cannon movies with a budget of more than $6 million to be made in 1987 and 1988.

The agreement, jointly announced by Cannon and the union, brought to an end a brief strike by IATSE against the company last week.

Cannon had been the largest Hollywood studio operating in the movie industry without a contract covering basic crafts workers, such as camera operators and costumers.

Union and company officials also said they will begin negotiations in January on a separate contract that would cover low-budget films made by Cannon. Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, the company’s top executives, issued a joint statement with Al DiTolla, the union’s president, hailing the new pact and predicting good future relations.

‘No Problems’

“We are pleased at this agreement and can conceive of no problems arising that will hinder our negotiations (for a low-budget contract) next year,” the statement said.

Harry Floyd, the union’s chief official on the West Coast, said the contract would assist the union in reaching agreements with other film companies that have been operating outside its jurisdiction.

In June, DiTolla announced that the union was going to step up its organizing efforts at the growing number of non-union film companies. Mack St. Johns, a union spokesman, said about 40% of domestic films were being shot non-union before the new agreement.

More Non-Union Films

The growing number of non-union films has caused major Hollywood studios to put pressure on IATSE to modify contracts and cut labor costs.

Last Tuesday, the union picketed three Cannon productions--”Tough Guys Don’t Dance” in Provincetown, Mass., “Shy People” in Lafayette, La., and “Masters of the Universe” in Los Angeles. As part of the settlement with Cannon, the union has agreed to allow those films to be completed outside its jurisdiction, Floyd said.

The joint statement said Cannon has already scheduled five films to be made in the United States next year that will be covered by the new agreement, including “La Brava,” a mystery set in Florida adapted from the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard.