Deal Reached Between Fantasia Film Fest and Union Workers

Following a one-day strike on July 11, the Syndicat des employé-es de l’événementiel-CSN, which represents approximately 60 Fantasia Film Festival workers, reached a tentative agreement late Friday night, thereby preventing additional labor disruptions.

The union has yet to disclose specific details of this agreement, pending a vote by union workers early next week. If formally ratified, the deal will allow the 24th edition of the Fantasia Film Festival to proceed as scheduled on July 18 in Montreal.

“We are proud of the commitment and determination of our members in the negotiation process. The employer took act of our mobilization and showed open-mindedness regarding our last negotiation proposal. We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to present the tentative agreement to members at our upcoming general assembly,”  Théa Trudeau-Tremblay, a spokesperson for the Syndicat des employé-es de l’événementiel-CSN, said in a statement on Saturday.

A representative for Fantasia confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that a tentative deal had been reached around 10 p.m. on Friday night. However, Fantasia Fest organizers refrained from offering additional comments on the agreement until the union employees have voted on the new labor deal.

The Fantasia union, aligned with the Syndicat des employé-es de l’événementiel-CSN, signed their first collective agreement in September 2023, shortly after the festival’s 2023 edition. However, recent bargaining efforts to establish a minimum wage for unionized Fantasia employees hit a snag. Festival management wanted to continue paying employees as freelancers, offering a lump sum for work on the 2024 edition regardless of the number of hours worked.

The union claimed that the festival aimed to introduce changes to employees’ short-term, seasonal contracts only for the 2025 edition. Nevertheless, after negotiations resumed on Friday following the one-day strike, enough progress was made to reach an agreement in principle.

North America’s largest genre festival is now set to open on July 18 with the world premiere of Elijah Wood’s “Bookworm” and later, the international premiere of “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The 24th edition will run until August 4 in Montreal.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter