MPC 705 has many benefits of membership. In addition to negotiating and enforcing our contracts, our union provides community, skills training, and help with navigating the complex world of working in the entertainment industry. We maintain an Availability List that increases your chance of getting a job. We publish newsletters and e-mail blasts to keep you informed. We visit worksites to make sure members have safe working conditions. We file grievances against companies who violate your contract. We have a fund that helps pay your dues when work is scarce and pays a death benefit to your loved ones when you pass on.

No. While our health and pension benefits are top notch, they require a certain number of hours to qualify. While not guaranteed, 97% of members routinely qualify for their benefits. We negotiate to improve those benefits, and work to create more union jobs that increase the likelihood of qualifying.

No, MPC 705 does not place members directly in jobs. Many unions are what’s called a “hiring hall” and they dispatch members to jobs based on seniority or other factors. However, MPC 705 uses a system that maximizes options to build a team with the right creative skills, rather than a system of seniority. The Industry Experience Roster tracks all members who are qualified to work in each field. Producers may hire anyone on that roster who is eligible for the position to be filled.

Yes, you can work on a nonunion production after you become a member. However, if hired on a nonunion production, you are required to report that work to the Local. This makes it more likely we can organize the project and “flip” it to a union contract. As a member, you must cooperate if or when the IATSE representatives come to organize the project.

Be aware, when working on nonunion projects, MPC 705 will not be able to assist you if you have any contractual or safety issues with the production, and nothing will be contributed to your pension, nor hours paid into your healthcare.

MPC 705 initiation fees are quite low compared to the other Hollywood Locals. Most of 705’s initiation fees are $1,000.00 or less. There is also a $100.00 application fee due when you apply to join. Please contact the Business Office for more specifics.

Non-members who are working under our contract and earning their days to join 705 and get on the Roster are also charged “permit fees,” which are similar to the dues members pay. These permit fees grant these soon-to-be members union protections while working under our contracts.

Dues are paid quarterly (every 3 months) and are based on 4 hours of work at the contract rate, or the member’s classification, whichever is higher. Currently, these range from about $60.00-$200.00 per quarter. In addition to dues, members also pay a “Per Capita” fee set by the IATSE which is then passed on to the International Alliance by MPC 705 to cover the operating costs of our Union. This amount is currently $58.00 per quarter.  Members are also assessed a quarterly fee of $7.50 for the Death Benefit Fund, which provides members’ beneficiaries a payment upon their passing.

Yes. Even when you aren’t working, the union is still working for you. If your finances are tight, MPC 705 has ways to help. If you work five days or fewer in a quarter, you can request to pay reduced dues.* When members fall on hard times, they can apply to our Welfare Fund which may provide a grant to pay their dues that quarter.

*These reduced dues are referred to as “half dues,” however, the “half” only applies to the  MPC 705 dues, not the IATSE Per Capita fee or the Death Benefit Assessment. Half dues are for Active, Sworn-in Members only.

When you become a member, you will be placed in the classification you had been working in. We have rules governed by our Constitution & By-Laws, as well as our contracts, that limit certain job positions to specific classifications. Most notably, members may not be “Custom Made Costumers” and “Finished Costumers” interchangeably under most of our contracts. Members generally have to choose between making costumes or handling them.