Earlier this month, the Collective Bargaining Information Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration published their October 2025 Bargaining Update.
Last month, Mediation Services received information on contract settlements regarding 89 bargaining relationships, which affected over 50,000 workers.
Of those nearly 90 relationships, 19 were in the private sector and 70 were in the public sector.
Among them were 4 collective agreements for workers represented by Local 212 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Artists and Allied Crafts, and Moving Picture Operators, also known as IATSE.
They include new collective agreements for workers employed by Alberta Theatre Projects Society, Calgary Grand Theatre Society, Motion Picture Production, and Werklund Centre.
Alberta Theatre Projects Society
These 25 workers are set to receive wage increases in every year of their new 3-year contract.
| 1 August 2025 | 6.00% |
| 1 August 2026 | 4.00% |
| 1 August 2027 | 3.00% |
That is a combined 13% over the life of the contract, for an average of 4.33% per year.
Nighttime work hours between midnight and 08:00 will be paid at double the regular hourly rate. Under the previous agreement, it was at 1.5 times the regular rate.
These workers ratified their new agreement this past September.
Calgary Grand Theatre Society
Last month, the dozen workers employed by Calgary Grand and represented by IATSE 212 agreed to wage increases in every year of their 3-year collective agreement.
| 1 July 2025 | 3.50% |
| 1 July 2026 | 3.00% |
| 1 July 2027 | 3.00% |
That is a combined 9.5% over the life of the contract, for an average of 3.17% per year.
The following was added to the collective agreement:
A 1-hour unpaid meal break or ½-hour paid meal break at the base hourly rate of pay, should be scheduled no sooner than 3 hours into a shift, however, the stagehand will work no more than 5 hours without a meal break. In the event a meal break is not taken after 5 hours of work, the Employer shall pay 2 times the base hourly rate until such break is taken. The Shop Steward shall endeavour to advise the Employer that a meal penalty is imminent prior to it being incurred.
If a ½-hour paid meal break is to occur without 24-hours’ notice, then the crew affected shall be entitled to a nutritious meal delivered by the Employer, using a food delivery service.
When practicable, the Employer shall attempt to mitigate breaks longer than 2 hours for the House Crew by assigning other work, such as maintenance.
The employer has agreed to increase their contribution to workers’ RRSP from 3.5% to 4.5% of gross earnings. They will also increase their contribution to health and welfare benefits from 4.55% to 4.75%.
The new collective agreement states that if workers do not receive at least 48 hours notice of a cancellation of change of work call, rehearsal, or performance, the will be paid a minimum of 4 hours at their applicable pay rate. The previous agreement had the limit at 24 hours’ notice.
Motion Picture Production
This past April, 1250 IATSE 212 members employed by Motion Picture Production ratified a new 1-year contract, which included a 4% wage increase.
The employer has agreed to increase their health and welfare contributions. The previous agreement had them paying 5% for Tier C & D workers and 6% for Tier A & B workers, as well as high budget. The new agreement has increased those amounts to 6% and 7%, respectively.
Werklund Centre
Like their fellow workers employed with Alberta Theatre Projects Society, the 30 workers employed to Werklund Centre also agreed to a 3-year contract this past September. Their wage increases were slightly lower, however.
| 1 July 2025 | 5.00% |
| 1 July 2026 | 3.00% |
| 1 July 2027 | 3.00% |
That is a combined 11% over the life of the contract, for an average of 2.67% per year.
The employer is to meet semi-annually with the head technicians and IATSE 212 to review and update the casual crew roster. Under the previous collective agreement, any additional crew requests were to be made 7 days in advance. This has been reduced to 5 days notice in the new agreement.
The clothing subsidy has increased from $150 per fiscal year to $300. Plus, it has expanded from just dress blacks to also include work wear, PPEs, and “other personal work equipment requited to perform their duties”.
Under the previous collective agreement, a meal break was required after 7 hours of continuous work. That has been changed to between 2 and 7 hours after performance.
The following was added to the collective agreement:
Rehearsals and other work with clients or their contractors present shall normally stop 10 minutes before a scheduled meal break to allow for clearing the stage and ensuring the break begins on time.
Any work performed after 16:00 on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve will be paid at 1.5 times the regular pay rate. This was not present in the previous agreement.
