The crew members of the upcoming gun violence-themed drama, "The Gun on Second Street," are striking the ongoing production in a bold attempt to secure a union contract. On Thursday, the IATSE union announced that a "majority" of the approximately 40-member crew had walked off the set in the Wheeling area of West Virginia that morning. The film's producers, however, have declined to voluntarily recognize the union, per IATSE.
With this walkoff, the crew is fighting for a contract that establishes union-mandated wages, health, and pension benefits, as per IATSE's statement. The union also alleges that workers on the production have been "misclassified as 1099 independent contractors rather than employees."
"The Gun on Second Street" is written and directed by Rohit Karn Batra, who previously directed the 2019 crime drama "Line of Descent" starring Brendan Fraser and Ronit Roy. The film is described as an examination of gun violence in the U.S. through the tale of an accidental shooting. Years after a police officer mistakenly kills his partner while responding to a domestic violence call, he falls in love with the man's widow and must reckon with his past.
Democratic Congressman and California governor hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell is executive producing the film alongside Sean Penn, whose shingle Projected Picture Works is producing with Batra's The Film Compartment. Dianna Agron, Jack Kesy, and Tom Arnold star in the film, which does have a SAG-AFTRA union contract for performers, said IATSE (THR has asked SAG-AFTRA for comment).
In a statement, Swalwell shared his involvement in the film after sharing personal law enforcement stories with Batra but never invested or was involved in the film's business decisions. "However, I am a lifelong supporter of labor," he continued. "While I am prohibited by Congressional ethics rules from participating in the negotiations between production and labor, I joined the film expecting labor standards would be adhered to. I urge the production team to seek a fair outcome for the crew. Should that not be achieved, I will remove my name from the film's screen credits."
"Every production, regardless of budget or political connections, must respect the rights of the people who make film and television possible," IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said in a statement. "The Alliance is prepared to support this crew as they take collective action to secure safe working conditions, fair compensation, proper classification, and a voice on the job."
