IATSE Local 52 (New York)

Overview

IATSE Local 52 is the Motion Picture Studio Mechanics union representing below-the-line film and television production workers in the New York metropolitan area. Founded in 1924, it has grown from 7 members to over 5,000 cardholders. Its jurisdiction covers New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Greater Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware. If you are producing a film, television series, commercial, or streaming project in any of those states, Local 52 likely governs your grip, electric, sound, construction, set painting, and property departments.

The current collective bargaining agreement with the AMPTP runs from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027, with 4% wage increases each year. Minimum daily rates under the 2024-2027 contract start at approximately $327/day for a sound person and reach $560/day for a production mixer, with rates increasing annually. Producers planning a New York shoot need these numbers in their budget from day one.

Membership Paths and Qualification Requirements

Local 52 has two paths to membership: a Vested Application and a New Member Application. Both are demanding, and the union has faced public scrutiny over its admissions process.

Vested Application

The vested path requires that an applicant has achieved vested status in either the MPI Pension Plan or the IATSE National Benefit Fund Pension Plan C, based on years of service working in a Local 52 covered craft within Local 52's geographic jurisdiction. Specific requirements include:

• MPI Pension Plan participants: Must have worked a minimum of 400 hours per year for 5 years in a covered craft (not necessarily consecutive years)
• IA NBF Pension Plan C participants: Must have worked a minimum of 75 days per year for 5 years in a covered craft (not necessarily consecutive years)
• Residency: Minimum 18 months of residency within Local 52's geographic jurisdiction immediately prior to application
• Certifications: OSHA 10 Construction Certification and Aerial Lift Certification are mandatory
• Craft-specific training and credentials as required by the department

Applications are filed at scheduled in-person appointments only. Walk-ins are not permitted. The union reviews proof of vested status, proof of covered craft work history (payroll summaries, timecards, paystubs), proof of ID, and proof of residency.

New Member Application

The New Member Application process opens periodically through a prescreening system. The most recent prescreening window was open from June 11-15, 2024, and applicants were notified of their status by early August 2025. The union does not announce when the next window will open. This intermittent availability has been a source of frustration for non-union workers seeking entry, and in 2025, a class action lawsuit was filed alleging that Local 52 excluded hundreds of qualified workers while admitting insiders through nepotism. The suit claims that some applicants waited over 12 years for admission despite qualifying for the health plan. This follows a 2014 New York State Attorney General investigation that resulted in a $475,000 fine and outside monitoring, and a 2022 settlement over illegal bumping practices.

Current Wage Rates and Benefit Contributions

The 2024-2027 Feature and Television Production Contract sets minimum rates that increase annually. Representative daily rates for the 2024-2025 contract year (effective September 29, 2024 through September 28, 2025) include:

• Production Mixers: $560/day (8-hour minimum call)
• Sound Persons: $327/day
• Tape Operators: $376/day
• Other Sound Department Persons: $498/day

Rates increase by 4% on September 28, 2025 and again on October 4, 2026 for the final year of the contract.

Benefit contributions are significant additional costs for producers. For the Motion Picture Industry Health Plan, the basic rate for qualifying employers is $7.103 per hour worked. Under the Supplemental Digital Production Agreement, IATSE National Benefit Fund contributions are $175/day in the first year, increasing to $190/day in year two (effective September 28, 2025) and $205/day in year three (effective October 4, 2026), allocated across health and welfare, annuity, and pension funds.

The full wage scale document is available on the AMPTP website and producers should consult it directly when building a budget. The Local 52 website provides department-specific requirements and contact information.

New York State Tax Credits

New York State's film tax credit program is the economic engine driving production volume that sustains Local 52's membership. The base production credit is 30% of qualified production expenses, funded at $700 million per year through 2036. As of January 1, 2025, the tiered payout structure was eliminated, meaning productions receive 100% of the credit in the same year instead of over 2-3 years.

A new Empire State Independent Film Production Credit adds $100 million per year for independent films, also at a 30% base rate. This program has two application windows per year, with the 2026 windows opening July 13, 2026. Independent productions with qualified costs of $10 million or less apply through Pool 1 (approximately $20 million annually), while larger productions use Pool 2 (approximately $80 million annually). Non-labor costs are capped at $60 million per application.

The Production Plus program offers an additional 5-10% credit for qualifying companies that submit multiple applications. Independent companies reaching $20 million in cumulative qualified costs get an additional 5%, and those reaching $100 million get an additional 10%.

Productions with budgets over $15 million must shoot at least 10% of principal photography days at a qualified production facility in New York State. Full details are on the Empire State Development website.

Jurisdiction and Department Coverage

Local 52 covers studio mechanics, lighting technicians, gaffers, best boys, grips, construction coordinators, set painters, property masters, and related craft workers. Other New York-based IATSE locals handle departments outside Local 52's jurisdiction:

• Local 600: Camera operators, cinematographers, assistants
• Local 700: Editorial, post-production
• Local 829: Art department, production design, scenic artists

Producers must coordinate with all relevant locals when crewing up a New York production. The distinction matters because rate structures, work rules, and benefit contributions differ between locals.

New York vs. Los Angeles Production Differences

New York's production landscape differs from Los Angeles in several ways that affect budgeting. The concentration of advertising agencies, financial services, and media companies in New York generates substantial commercial and corporate production volume. Late-night television, morning shows, and news programming run continuously under Local 52 jurisdiction.

New York crews have specific expertise in urban production logistics: managing city permits through the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, working in dense urban locations, navigating traffic and noise constraints, and coordinating with the NYPD Movie/TV Unit. This expertise translates to real production value for complex city shoots, but it also means that a New York shoot budgeted like a Los Angeles shoot will have cost overruns. Rate differences between Local 52 and Los Angeles locals (Local 728 for lighting, Local 80 for grips) must be accounted for in any bi-coastal production plan.

What Filmmakers Should Know

If you are producing in New York, contact Local 52 before crewing up to confirm current rate sheets and working conditions. The 2024-2027 contract is in effect, but specific provisions vary by production type (features, one-hour series, half-hour series, pilots, long-form television). Budget for the full benefit contribution rates, not just the wage rates, as these add $7+ per hour or $175+ per day per employee depending on the agreement.

If you are a worker seeking membership, the vested path is the most reliable route but requires 5 years of qualifying work history and 18 months of residency. The New Member Application opens intermittently. Monitor the Local 52 prescreening site for announcement of the next application window.

Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to estimate your below-the-line labor costs, and add 25-30% for benefit contributions and employer taxes on top of the union wage rates.

See Also

For the Los Angeles lighting equivalent, see Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians (IATSE Local 728) in this directory. For the broader IATSE structure, see IATSE in this directory.