I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest

Entertainment Industry Labor Unioniatse488.org

IATSE Local 488 is a non-profit labor union local representing 700+ film, television, and commercial crew across 20+ crafts in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements, provides health and retirement benefits, and supplies productions with qualified union crew.

Company typePrivate
Founded1992
HeadquartersPortland, United States
Headcount501–1,000
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest does

IATSE Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest, is a non-profit labor union local chartered under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, it represents 700+ below-the-line crew members across more than 20 crafts -- including Art, Costume, Electric, Grip, Sound, Hair, Make-up, Special Effects, and Video Assist -- working in film, television, commercial, and digital media productions across Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho. The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements, enforces wage minimums, and channels employer-paid health and retirement contributions through the IATSE National Benefit Fund. Supporting services include a Member Directory and Referral List for productions seeking qualified crew, an online Work Permit System for out-of-jurisdiction hires, OSHA 10/30 and MEWP safety training programs, an Anonymous Tipline for safety and contract grievance reporting, a Hardship Fund, and scholarships for members' dependents.

The organization operates on a three-stream revenue model: (1) one-time initiation fees of $600 for new members (plus $100 international processing and $81 first quarterly dues, totaling $781), (2) recurring quarterly membership dues of $81 per quarter, and (3) a 3% work assessment on the gross wages of all crew -- including non-union workers -- performing under IATSE collective bargaining agreements within the local's jurisdiction. Distribution to productions is structured through Business Agent coordination, mandatory good-standing verification, and formal referral partnerships with Oregon Film, Washington Filmworks, Montana Film Office, Idaho Film Office, and the Oregon Media Production Association. The technology stack is administrative: the UnionActive platform powers the union's website, member management, and job postings; Connext functions as a member portal; CrewBunny operates as a job board; and LinkedIn Learning is resold as a training resource. The organization is governed by elected officers including President Rebecca Cook, Vice President Luce Cousineau, General Secretary Tiffany Ayers, and two Regional Business Agents, with regional Executive Board members and Trustees supplementing the governance structure.

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest firmographics

Firmographics

Name: I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest
Legal name: IATSE Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest
Website: https://iatse488.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1992
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 501–1,000 employees
Short description: IATSE Local 488 is a non-profit labor union local representing 700+ film, television, and commercial crew across 20+ crafts in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements, provides health and retirement benefits, and supplies productions with qualified union crew.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest industry classification

Industry

Product category: Entertainment Industry Labor Union
NAICS: Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)
SIC: Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
akta.pro industry: PRIMARYBPAGAEAJ
Employment & Job Readiness Support Services
Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

Labor union representation
Film crew services
Collective bargaining agreements
Entertainment industry unions
Motion picture technicians

Where I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Portland
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Membership Initiation Fees: One-time initiation fees for new members: $781 for new members ($600 Local 488 initiation, $100 International processing, $81 first quarterly dues), $381 for transfers from other IATSE Locals ($300 Local 488 + $81 quarterly dues), $781 for dual-card members, and $778 for reinstated members.
Quarterly Membership Dues: Recurring quarterly dues of $81 per quarter for stamp purchases. International dues separate at $61/quarter (2026 rate).
Work Assessment (3% Assessment): 3% of gross wages deducted from all work performed under IATSE collective bargaining agreements within Local 488 jurisdiction. Applied to all covered crew including non-union workers in covered positions.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
One time/ perpetual license	One time	New Member Application
One time/ perpetual license	One time	Transfer from Another IATSE Local
One time/ perpetual license	One time	Dual Card Membership
One time/ perpetual license	One time	Reinstatement Fee
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Work Assessment Dues
Subscription	Quarterly	Quarterly Membership Dues

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest product offering

Product offering

Core offering

IATSE Local 488 is a chartered labor union local of IATSE International that represents studio mechanics in film, television, commercial, and digital media production across Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho. The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements, provides member benefits (health, retirement, scholarships, hardship fund), enforces must-join provisions, supplies qualified crew to productions via its member directory, and delivers OSHA and craft-specific safety training. Supporting services include a referral list for pre-members, online work permits, an anonymous tipline, job postings, and coordination through elected Business Agents.

Product overview

IATSE Local 488 is a labor union representing Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest, offering a single unified membership program rather than a technology product platform. The core offering is union membership for film, television, and commercial crew members across over 20 covered crafts. Supporting services include the Referral List for pre-members, Safety Education & Training with OSHA certifications, a Work Permit System for out-of-jurisdiction crew, an Anonymous Tipline for safety/reporting, a Member Directory for hiring, Job Postings, a Hardship Fund, and Scholarships. The organization operates on the UnionActive website platform and provides access through Connext member portal, CrewBunny job board, and LinkedIn Learning for training resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Union Membership Services Union membership for film, television, commercial, and digital media production crew across 20+ crafts including Art, Costume, Lighting, Grip, Sound, Video Assist, and more. Provides representation, pre-negotiated wage minimums, employer-paid health and retirement benefits, and job referrals.
Referral List Pre-union registry for qualified crew members not yet eligible for full membership (less than 18 months residency or 30 on-set days in the jurisdiction). Made available to productions when no full members are available, serving as a talent pipeline to full membership.
Safety Education & Training

Companies that use I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest

Customer profile

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Teamsters Local 399: Entertainment division of the Teamsters covering drivers, location managers, and casting directors on film/TV productions — operates under the same collective-bargaining, work-assessment, and must-join framework in the same Pacific Northwest-adjacent production ecosystem.
IATSE Local 80: Hollywood-based IATSE local representing Grips, Lighting Technicians, and others — the closest sibling local, sharing IATSE International parent, must-join structure, dues/assessment revenue model, and below-the-line crew focus.
IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild): Major IATSE local covering camera crews and publicists across the U.S. and Canada. Same IATSE parent, same collective bargaining and work-permit framework, and directly comparable member-services offering (training, benefits, referral).
IATSE Local 44: Affiliated Property Craftspeople local in Los Angeles — another IATSE chapter with the same dues/assessment structure, jurisdictional exclusivity in its territory, and below-the-line craft coverage that directly parallels Local 488's model.

Broad incumbents

Writers Guild of America (WGA): Labor union for film, TV, and news writers — same entertainment industry, same collective-bargaining framework, and historically a leading indicator for the production-wide labor disruptions that materially affect Local 488 work volume.
American Federation of Musicians (AFM): U.S./Canadian labor union representing musicians across live, recording, and film scoring — operates under analogous union structures with local-chapter governance, dues, and work assessments tied to entertainment production activity.
SAG-AFTRA: Largest U.S. entertainment labor union covering actors, broadcasters, and recording artists. National-scale union with similar revenue mechanics (dues, agency fees, assessments) and co-negotiates many of the same production-wide agreements that govern Local 488 productions.
Directors Guild of America (DGA): National entertainment union representing directors, UPMs, and ADs — uses the same collective-bargaining model on the same film/TV productions and represents an adjacent but parallel labor constituency to IATSE crew members.

Regional players

Oregon Film & Media Office: State-level film office that drives production volume in Local 488's primary jurisdiction. Not a labor peer, but a key ecosystem participant whose incentive policy and production attraction directly determine Local 488's work-assessment revenue base.

Others

AFL-CIO: National labor federation to which IATSE Local 488's parent is affiliated; multiple Local 488 officers serve as AFL-CIO delegates. Provides political/advocacy infrastructure that is adjacent but materially affects the local's operating environment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance2 records

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest

What does I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest do?

Is I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest a public or private company?

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest founded?

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest was founded in 1992. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.

Where is I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest based?

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.

How does I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Initiation Fees are the primary driver. The others are quarterly Membership Dues and work Assessment (3% Assessment).

Who are I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Teamsters Local 399, IATSE Local 80, IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) and IATSE Local 44. Broad incumbents are Writers Guild of America (WGA), American Federation of Musicians (AFM), SAG-AFTRA and Directors Guild of America (DGA). Oregon Film & Media Office is listed as a regional player. AFL-CIO is listed as an others.

Does I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest have an API?

No public API is recorded for I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest.

What industry is I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest in?

I.A.T.S.E. Local 488, Studio Mechanics of the Pacific Northwest's product category is Entertainment Industry Labor Union. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAJ, Employment & Job Readiness Support Services. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.