Teamsters
Hollywood Crafts Unions to Studios: Don’t Hold Up Our Deal Due to Your “Poor Business Decisions”
At the end of their latest week of bargaining with Hollywood studios and streamers, the unions that make up the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition struck a defiant tone. In a statement Wednesday, the labor groups said that major entertainment firms at the bargaining table during these talks “can and should respect” the workers that the […]
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Hollywood Basic Crafts Leaders Claim Studios Exhibiting “Lack of Urgency” in Ongoing Negotiations
In their latest update on ongoing negotiations with studios and streamers, leaders of the Hollywood Basic Crafts union coalition singled out an alleged “lack of urgency” on the employer side of the discussions. “At the conclusion of our scheduled dates for June, we want to make it clear that we are not interested in bargaining […]
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Hollywood Basic Crafts Advocate Expanding California Film and Television Tax Credit Program as Negotiations Begin
The expansion of California’s film and television tax credit program was a major topic of conversation in the first week of negotiations between studios and streamers and the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition, according to the unions. Per the Teamsters Local 399, which is a member of the labor group, a “common theme” of the week […]
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“We’re Looking to Be More Aggressive”: Teamsters Leader Lindsay Dougherty Reveals Her Approach to 2024’s Negotiations
On Monday, the latest wave of crew members will enter contract negotiations with Hollywood studios and streamers. Following nearly three months of as-yet-unresolved IATSE negotiations, the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition will begin targeted bargaining affecting drivers, location managers, electrical workers and other classifications. The group — which spans nearly 8,000 workers in the Teamsters Local […]
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Freelance Casting Assistants Launch Attempt to Unionize With Teamsters
Freelance casting assistants are launching an attempt to unionize with the Teamsters. Nearly 150 New York- and Los Angeles-based casting assistants are supporting the drive to unionize with Teamsters Local 399 and Teamsters Local 817, the former union announced on Thursday. The group has requested voluntary recognition from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television […]
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Hollywood Teamsters, IATSE Hold Solidarity Rally Ahead of AMPTP Negotiations: “F*** Around and Find Out”
A coalition of Hollywood’s below-the-line unions rallied Sunday on the eve of their latest contract negotiations. They threatened a historic strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers if their demands weren’t met. Such a work stoppage would follow a pair of strikes in 2023 by industry writers and actors that crippled the […]
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The Next Labor Battle: IATSE and Teamsters to Begin Negotiations in Early March, Starting With Benefits
Hollywood’s top crew unions have announced that they will be bargaining their health and pension benefits together at the outset of their 2024 labor negotiations with studios and streamers. IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition (which includes Teamsters Local 399) announced on Wednesday that they will jointly negotiate their Motion Picture Pension and Health […]
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IATSE Chief: Workers “Ready to Fight” in Upcoming Contract Talks With Studios
IATSE international president Matthew Loeb did not rule out a potential 2024 crew strike when several of his union’s contracts come due this year in an appearance on Tuesday. “Nothing is off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they [studios] think they sapped us and everybody’s […]
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What Lies Ahead for Hollywood? Insiders Weigh In
The actors union and the studios have ceased negotiations for the time being, extending Hollywood’s “summer of strikes” into at least the late fall. Eventually, however, this too must end (right?). And while the town will breathe a much-needed sigh of relief when that happens, the tensions and problems that led the industry to the […]
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Teamsters Union Allocates $2M to Aid Members During Writers Strike
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union is allocating $2 million to aid members that are in financial straits amid the ongoing writers’ strike. The labor organization, which represents drivers, location managers and casting directors, among others in entertainment, will be creating a fund to assist members in need after its general executive board unanimously approved […]
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Teamsters Local 399 Hires Former Netflix Senior Counsel Kay Kimmel
Teamsters Local 399 has a new in-house legal counsel. The North Hollywood-based union has hired former Netflix senior counsel Kay Kimmel as its new in-house counsel and as a dedicated counsel for the Teamsters’ motion picture and theatrical trade division, secretary-treasurer Lindsay Dougherty announced at a membership meeting on Sunday. “It’s almost unheard of to […]
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Writers Strike: What Happens if Other Union Workers Refuse to Cross Picket Lines
As the Writers Guild of America hurtles toward a potential strike, its peer entertainment unions have been quick to offer statements of inter-union solidarity. The SAG-AFTRA national board proclaimed it stood “strongly in support” of industry scribes, while the Teamsters issued a fiery declaration that the WGA’s battle is a “shared fight.” The Directors Guild […]
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