A tentative agreement has been reached for a new film and TV contract covering Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 and the Basic Crafts. The agreement was reached this evening, and the unions’ bargaining committee is unanimously recommending it for ratification. The deal, which covers union work in 13 Western states, must now be ratified by the members of Local 399 and the Basic Crafts, which include IBEW Local 40, Studio Utility Employees Local 724, Studio Plumbers Local 78 and Studio Plasterers Local 755.
The unions said that details of the deal will be shared with their members in the coming days, with Teamsters Local 399 indicating it will hold an informational ratification meeting on Sunday, February 6th via Zoom, and its members will vote on the agreement electronically after the meeting.
The talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers got underway December 6 but recessed 10 days later to take a break for the holidays. The bargaining resumed on Jan. 19. The current contract had been set to expire last July 31 but was extended to allow for industrywide return-to-work discussions and IATSE’s longer-than-expected negotiations for its own film and TV pact.
Steve Dayan, Local 399’s secretary-treasurer and chairperson of the Basic Crafts appointed Lindsay Dougherty, Local 399’s recording secretary and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Western vice president-elect, as lead negotiator in this round of negotiations. AMPTP president Carol Lombardini led the bargaining for the companies.
The Teamsters Local 399 negotiations involve its “Black Book” agreement that covers drivers, animal trainers/handlers, wranglers, dispatchers, mechanics, and auto-service workers in the film and TV industry. Once those negotiations are completed, separate talks will be held with the AMPTP for Local 399’s Location Managers Agreement and its Casting Directors Agreement, though dates for those discussions have not yet been confirmed.