December 31, 2010
IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb published an Op-Ed on the Huffington Post over Labor Day weekend which focuses on the negative effects of Internet theft on workers at all levels of the entertainment industry, especially related to health and pension contributions:
"While people might think they're getting a steal when they download an illegal copy of the next big movie on the cheap, they're actually stealing from American workers. It's theft, plain and simple, and people need to understand the detrimental impact it has on the working men and women employed in the motion picture and television industry and on the greater economy. . . That's because [those employed in the entertainment industry] derive a substantial portion of their health and retirement contributions from the revenue that their work generates in what are called secondary markets -- foreign distribution, DVD sales, and airings on TV -- long after initial distribution on television or in a theater."