The Conference of Studio Unions (CSU) played a pivotal, albeit ultimately tragic, role in the history of Hollywood labor. As an international union led by United Painters organizer Herbert Sorrell, the CSU represented a diverse array of crafts essential to film production, including carpenters, United Painters 644, the Screen Cartoonists Guild, electricians (IBEW 40), laborers, and the Set Decorators Guild. Its efforts to secure fair contracts and jurisdiction
for its members led to significant confrontations, most notably the violent Hollywood Black Friday, and ultimately contributed to its dissolution.
The CSU's influence grew from the independent actions of various craft unions. A key moment was in 1937 when seventy-seven set decorators broke away from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to form the Society of Motion Picture Interior Decorators (SMPID). The SMPID successfully negotiated an independent contract with producers. In 1943, the SMPID joined the CSU, strengthening the conference's position in representing these specialized workers. However, this expansion also brought the CSU into direct conflict with IATSE, setting the stage for future jurisdictional battles.
Jurisdictional Battles and Producer Resistance
The CSU's contract negotiations for the set decorators were met with prolonged resistance from producers, who stalled for nine months. This delay was exacerbated by IATSE's challenge to the CSU's jurisdiction over the set decorators, leading to an additional five-month stalemate. An independent arbitrator, appointed by the War Labor Board, eventually sided with the CSU in February 1945, affirming their jurisdiction. Despite this ruling, the producers refused to acknowledge the assessment, a decision that directly precipitated a major strike.
In March 1945, approximately 10,500 CSU workers initiated a strike, picketing studios across Hollywood. This action disrupted film production, delaying projects like "Duel in the Sun" and "Night and Day." While some smaller studios like Disney, Monogram, and other independents engaged in bargaining with the CSU, major studios such as Columbia, Fox, MGM, Paramount, RKO, Universal, and Warner held firm. The studios' ability to withstand the strike was bolstered by having around 130 completed films on hand, allowing them to comfortably endure the work stoppage for a time.
The Aftermath: Lockouts and Decline
The strike culminated in the violent Hollywood Black Friday on October 5, 1945, a day of intense clashes between strikers and non-strikers at Warner Bros.' gates. Although the strike ended a month later, the CSU's victory was short-lived and ultimately Pyrrhic, as ongoing disputes over arbitration wording continued to fuel jurisdictional questions between the CSU and IATSE. The situation worsened in September 1946 when, following meetings between IATSE and studio representatives, studios guaranteed IATSE workers would fill positions held by CSU employees.
On September 23, studios implemented a plan to permanently remove CSU members. Construction supervisors, foremen, and maintenance men belonging to the CSU were reassigned to work as journeymen carpenters on "hot sets," a role many had not performed in years. When these workers protested and refused, citing job description violations, they were given pre-prepared paychecks and locked out. This forced the CSU into another devastating 13-month strike. Despite some solidarity, including a walkout by IATSE 683 film laboratory technicians, the CSU's efforts were undermined by open fighting and a Screen Actors Guild vote that turned its back on the union. The CSU never recovered, eventually allowing its long-unemployed members to cross picket lines. The CIO provided assistance to struggling CSU members, helping them find jobs elsewhere. The turmoil in Hollywood, coupled with studio lobbying and accusations of Communist Party membership against CSU leader Herb Sorrell, contributed to the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, leading to the CSU's eventual decline into obscurity.
