Members of Teamsters Local 399 and Hollywood Basic Crafts have each voted to ratify their respective new contracts, averting another potential labor strike in the film and TV industry.
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For the Teamsters, the Locations Managers Agreement was ratified with a margin of 98 percent of those participating voting in favor, and the Black Book Agreement was ratified with a margin of 96 percent of those participating voting in favor. The guild saw 80 percent turnout among members.
Both contracts were ratified just under the wire, as each of the prior contracts expired yesterday, July 31. The new deal will be effective starting August 4.
Lindsay Dougherty, Chairperson of the Basic Crafts and Teamsters Local 399 Principal Officer, said in a statement: “Our member-led negotiating committee worked for months on end to prepare for this negotiation cycle. While we are proud of what was accomplished for our members regarding wage increases and adjustments across many classifications and improved working conditions, it will never be enough for the hard work, skill, and expertise of our members. Our focus now will shift from negotiations to education and enforcement to make certain contract gains are actualized by our members. Preparation for the next round of negotiations starts now. We will continue to keep an eye on technological advancements, advocate for increased work here in California, make certain Teamsters and Teamsters only are doing our work and fight for all Motion Picture Teamsters for the compensation, working conditions and respect that is owed. I want to thank the Hollywood Basic Crafts for the collaboration throughout this process.”
Hollywood Basic Crafts consists of Local 399, IBEW Local 40, LiUNA! Local 724, UA Local 78 and OPCMIA Local 755. They represent roughly 8,000 workers, including drivers, location managers, electricians, chef assistants, animal wranglers, plasterers, and more. After nearly two months of negotiations that extended well beyond scheduled time with the AMPTP, the Teamsters finally reached a deal late in the evening on July 27, days before the deadline.
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Production had slowed in Hollywood over fears that either the Teamsters or IATSE could wind up on strike again after last summer resulted in dual strikes from the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA. The studios and workers will likely view this deal as a big relief with the hope that production ramps up.
Though Hollywood is not out of the labor woods yet. SAG-AFTRA recently called another labor strike of its members against video game companies for its Interactive Media contract, namely over concerns in protecting actors from the use of generative artificial intelligence in video games. While signatories to that contract primarily include gaming developers without media components, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are also subject to it.
Animators within IATSE will also be negotiating their own contract separate of the larger union. They are roughly 6,000 members strong and head to the negotiating table in mid-August. Hollywood Basic Crafts and the Teamsters have more work to do too. Casting negotiations with the AMPTP are scheduled to begin at the end of August. Teamsters Local 399 and Local 817 will bargain jointly on behalf of Teamster Casting Directors and Associate Casting Directors.
There is also an ongoing NLRB election taking place for freelance casting assistants seeking representation from the Teamsters, with the potential of fighting for their first union contract this August. The election concludes Aug. 9 and results will be revealed Aug. 12.
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