Council of Motion Picture and Television Unions (New York, N.Y.)

COMPTU, founded in 1972, is a coalition of 15 unions and guilds joined to promote and attract motion picture production in New York City and to uphold union conditions in the industry.

NABET Locals 11 and 16 were founding members of COMPTU, but jurisdictional problems with the Teamsters, the Writers Guild at ABC, and the Animation Union led to their exclusion. NABET Local 15 left in solidarity. COMPTU furthered its goals by promoting a positive image of New York City's unions. Television commercials provided the bulk of employment for motion picture employees in post-World War II New York. COMPTU often fought against non-union productions of television commercials. The Council led a Madison Avenue protest march in 1973, promoting the slogan "Don't sell America cheap", urging the production of television commericals domestically. COMPTU boycotts and union concessions have brought back some production work to New York City.