Teamsters Remain ‘Far Apart’ in Talks With Studios as July 31 Expiration Nears

The Teamsters are sending a shot across the bow, warning that they remain “far apart” in talks with the studios with less than three weeks to go before their contract expires.

Teamsters Local 399 and the other Basic Crafts unions have spent four weeks in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and have further discussions set through July 19.

In an update on Friday night, the union said “we still remain far apart on our core priorities,” and warned that the contract would not be extended beyond the July 31 expiration.

The Teamsters union is seeking a sizable wage increase — significantly above the 7% first-year increase won last month by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The union is also trying to crack down on subcontracting, which would help boost demand for union drivers during a slack time in the Hollywood economy.

In the update, the union said its members are “some of the lowest paid in production.”

“We have been extremely clear on the reasonableness of what we have brought to the table,” the union said. “Many of our proposals would cost the employers very little, and in some cases no money, but would be huge wins for our members.”

Teamsters Local 399 — the union’s “Hollywood” local — represents about 6,500 drivers, animal wranglers, location managers, and other crafts. The union bargains alongside four smaller unions, collectively representing 8,000 workers.

The union told members that Sean O’Brien, the union’s general president, and Lindsay Dougherty, the leader of Local 399, would hold a call with rank-and-file members on Sunday morning. The union will issue an update afterwards.

IATSE is expected to ratify its contract next week. The downturn in the entertainment economy was a key theme of those talks, and many were wary that a strike would make a bad situation worse.