Iatse Local 849 Motion Picture Studio Production Technicians

What Iatse Local 849 Motion Picture Studio Production Technicians does

IATSE Local 849 — the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees local representing Motion Picture Studio Production Technicians in Canada's Maritime Provinces — is the exclusive statutory bargaining agent for film and television technicians across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. It represents workers in 18 departments (Animal Wranglers, Costumes, Craft Service, Diving, Greens, Grip, Hair, Lighting, Make-up, Marine, Props, Scenic Paint, Script Supervision, Set Construction, Set Decoration, Sound, Special Effects, and Transportation) and operates under the constitution and bylaws of IATSE International, headquartered in New York. Its headquarters are at 1-617 Windmill Road, 2nd Floor, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

The local operates a tiered membership architecture: full union membership (quarterly dues of $100/quarter, $360/year with pre-payment discount, plus 2% working dues remitted from gross earnings), a paid Referral Program for non-members ($30 one-time registration plus $50/year admin), and a free Sister Status Program for members of other IATSE Locals working temporarily in the Maritimes. Member-facing technology includes a member portal (members.iatse849.com) for daily availability, resume uploads, voting on membership applications, and dollar bank management; a training portal (learn.iatse849.com); and a Producer Access Database for productions to query crew availability.

Revenue flows from dues, working dues, referral fees, and member benefit contributions. Benefits are delivered through third-party vendor partnerships: Union Benefits administers the health plan (vision, dental, prescriptions, paramedical) at $186.25/month single or $449.62/month family as of August 1, 2025; Canada Life/CEIRP administers RRSP and non-registered retirement savings; Shepell provides the Employee and Family Assistance Program; and UnionSavings.ca supplies member discounts. Training is structured through Film Industry Orientation, approved certification courses, and a Pilot Trainee Program offering 4–6 week mentored placements at $18–$19/hour, with up to $500/year in training reimbursement. The local also publishes standard collective agreements, rate schedules, and production forms, and is governed by an Executive Board, Officers, and a Board of Trustees for Medical Benefits.

Name

Iatse Local 849 Motion Picture Studio Production Technicians

Legal name

I.A.T.S.E. Local 849

Website

https://iatse849.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IATSE Local 849 is the exclusive union representing motion picture studio production technicians across 18 departments in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, delivering collective bargaining, hiring priority, training, and health/retirement benefits to film crew.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dartmouth

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Benefits administration, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Quarterly Membership Dues: Full members pay quarterly dues of $100 per quarter ($400/year) with a 10% discount for annual pre-payment ($360). Dues cover IATSE International per capita, IATSE District 11 per capita and defense fund, provincial labor federations, and local administration.
2. Working Dues: Working dues are remitted from paycheck at 2% of total gross earnings each week when working under an IATSE 849 contract. These are deducted by the production and paid to the local.
3. Referral Registration Fee: A $30 registration fee is charged when applying to become a referral. Students from NSCC Screen Arts or NSCAD Film programs may have this fee waived.
4. Annual Administration Fee: Referrals must pay a $50 annual administration fee at the beginning of each calendar year to maintain their listing.
5. Medical Plan Premiums: Members contribute to health plan coverage with monthly premiums of $186.25/month (single) or $449.62/month (family), with employer contributions accumulating in dollar banks.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IATSE Local 849 is a labor union that represents motion picture studio production technicians across 18 technical departments in Canada's Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island). The union provides collective bargaining, job referrals, daily hire dispatch services, member benefits administration (medical, dental, RRSP), professional training programs, and a member portal for availability tracking and voting. Film producers access union crew through the Producer Access Database under standardized collective agreements and rates.

Product overview

IATSE Local 849 is a labour union representing Motion Picture Technicians in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The organization operates a multi-tiered membership system comprising full union membership, a Referral Program for non-members seeking daily crew work, and a Sister Status Program for members of other IATSE Locals. Member services include an online Member Portal for availability management, voting, and document handling; comprehensive training programs including Film Industry Orientation, approved certification courses, and a Pilot Trainee Program; plus training reimbursement up to $500/year. Benefits include a medical plan (vision, dental, prescriptions, paramedical) administered by Union Benefits and a CEIRP retirement plan (RRSP) administered by Canada Life. The organization also maintains a Producer Access Database for film productions to access crew member information and availability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, standard and minor.

• Canada Life / CEIRPcoreOthersThe Canadian Entertainment Industry Retirement Plan (CEIRP) is administered by Canada Life and provides RRSP and non-registered savings plans for IATSE 849 members. Both employers and employees contribute, with employer matching up to certain percentages negotiated in collective agreements.
• Union BenefitscoreOthersUnion Benefits serves as the Third Party Administrator (TPA) for the IATSE Local 849 and 709 Health Plan, administering medical, dental, vision, and paramedical claims. The plan covers costs not included in provincial health plans including prescription drugs, paramedical services, and hearing aids.
• Shepell (Employee Assistance Program)standardOthersShepell provides the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EAP/EFAP) offering free services including short-term counselling, legal support, financial support, family support, nutrition support, naturopathic services, and health coaching to members and their families.
• UnionSavings.castandardOthersUnionSavings.ca provides union member discount programs across various brands and industries, accessible to IATSE Local 849 members.
• IATSE InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) is the parent international union. Local 849 pays per capita dues and operates under the International Constitution and Bylaws. The International office in New York approves all membership applications.
• IATSE District 11standardOthersDistrict 11 is the regional grouping of IATSE locals in Canada. Local 849 contributes per capita to the district which includes defense fund and provincial federation dues.
• Nova Scotia Federation of LabourstandardOthersLocal 849 contributes per capita to the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour as part of quarterly dues.
• New Brunswick Federation of LabourstandardOthersLocal 849 contributes per capita to the New Brunswick Federation of Labour as part of quarterly dues.
• Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative (AFCOOP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFCOOP is recognized as an alternative provider of Film Industry Orientation course. The union recommends AFCOOP for people interested in getting experience on smaller sets and taking courses on filmmaking.
• Directors Guild of Canada - MaritimesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DGC-Maritimes is recommended for those interested in AD, accounting, or office roles. The union and DGC work together in the Maritime film industry and share reciprocal agreements for health benefit portability.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NABET-CWA: US-based union representing broadcast and technology professionals in television and film production. Provides a comparable unionization and collective bargaining model for technical production crew in the North American entertainment industry.
• SAG-AFTRA: The dominant US-based entertainment union covering performers and broadcast professionals with millions of members. Operates a far broader scope than Local 849 but engages with the same Hollywood production economics, strike cycles, and streaming-era labor dynamics.

Direct peers

• IATSE Local 891: Represents motion picture technicians in British Columbia under the same IATSE International umbrella. Operates an analogous membership, referral, training, and benefit structure for film/TV production crews, making it the closest functional peer despite the different geography.
• ACTRA: Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, the national union representing performers in Canada's film and TV industry. Operates adjacent collective bargaining and benefit administration frameworks covering overlapping productions in the same Maritime Canada region.
• Directors Guild of Canada (DGC): National Canadian union representing directors, assistant directors, production accountants, and other production-side craft workers. Operates the same model of jurisdiction-based collective bargaining, member benefits administration, and reciprocal agreements with IATSE Locals (including Local 849's portability deal).
• IATSE Local 667: International cinematographers' guild local affiliated with IATSE in Toronto, representing motion picture technicians across multiple departments. Shares parent union affiliation, collective bargaining framework, and benefit administration model with Local 849.
• IATSE Local 514: Montreal-based IATSE local representing motion picture technicians in Quebec. Operates the same union model for crew representation, collective bargaining, and member benefits as Local 849, making it a structural twin in a different regional market.
• IATSE Local 873: Toronto-based IATSE local representing motion picture technicians. Mirrors Local 849's multi-department structure, training programs, and member portal infrastructure for film/TV production crew representation in Ontario.

Others

• Screen Nova Scotia: Regional film industry association serving as the screen industry body in Nova Scotia. While not a union, it is a key ecosystem partner that Local 849 collaborates with to promote production activity and provides a complementary view of the local industry's health and pipeline.

Regional players

• Teamsters Local 855: Teamsters local in the Maritimes representing drivers including motion picture transportation drivers in the same regional productions that Local 849 covers. Operates as a peer union on overlapping film/TV productions with parallel collective bargaining structures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iatse-local-849-motion-picture-studio-technicians

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iatse Local 849 Motion Picture Studio Production Technicians