Teamsters, Hollywood crafts unions reach tentative deal with studios

The Teamsters and unions representing electricians, location managers, caterers and other craftspeople have reached a tentative deal on a new contract with major studios, bringing an end to an 18-month period of labor negotiations in Hollywood that has slowed production across the country.

Hollywood Basic Crafts, which bargains on behalf of 8,000 workers and includes Teamsters Local 399, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399 (IBT), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40 (IBEW) and other crafts unions, announced the deal late Saturday evening, days before its existing contract expires at the end of July.

No details were provided on the new contract, but the unions sought increases in wages, benefit plan funding and limits on subcontracting, among other issues.

The deal is not final until it is ratified by union members, who will vote at an undisclosed date in the near future.

The tentative agreement comes one week after the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), another important Hollywood union representing behind-the-scenes crew members, voted to approve two contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). IATSE’s contracts go into effect Aug. 1, and expire in July 2027.

With the conclusion of both IATSE and Basic Crafts’ negotiations, industry leaders in Georgia are holding out hope that production in Georgia will increase over the next several months, as the possibility of a renewed round of labor stoppages held off a number of projects from starting principal photography. Many film industry professionals in the state were without work for months during last year’s dual writers and actors strikes. For some, the pain continued even after the labor disputes were resolved, as production has remained well below its pre-strike peak.

Between the first and second quarters of this year, production of scripted film and TV has increased 40%, according to data from global production tracker ProdPro. But the activity is still lower than its 2022 height in Georgia, a trend that is expected to continue as media companies adjust to what experts say is the “new norm” for content production amid industry belt-tightening and consolidation.

Basic Crafts’ negotiating came down to the wire. Less than 24 hours before reaching an agreement , Basic Crafts said in a statement on social media that the AMPTP’s ‘last and final offer’ did not meet the negotiating committee’s approval, and that it countered with a deal that would be recommended for ratification.

“These aren’t just proposals on a piece of paper to our members, these are meaningful terms and conditions that impacts their livelihoods,” said Basic Crafts Chairperson and Teamsters Local 399 Principal Officer Lindsay Dougherty in the statement.

The unions’ contracts typically are in effect for three years, which is in line with IATSE and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ deals with the AMPTP. This is a common duration among various industries, and allows for periodic adjustments to terms based on changing conditions and needs of union members. Both IATSE and SAG-AFTRA negotiated general minimum wage increases for each year under their new contracts.

The larger entertainment industry isn’t avoiding strikes altogether. Late last week, video game voice actors and motion capture performers under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), went on strike . The move comes after nearly two years of negotiations with gaming giants over a new interactive media agreement. Artificial intelligence protections were the linchpin.

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