After the initial shockwaves subsided over President Donald Trump’s May 5 announcement that he intends to implement a 100 percent levy on all foreign-made films, Hollywood labor unions ventured cautious optimism at the idea that at least someone in Washington might be paying attention to the plight of the industry’s rank-and-file workers.
“President Trump has correctly recognized that the American film and television industry faces an urgent threat from international competition,” leaders of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), one of the largest and most powerful entertainment unions, 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.”…