Hollywood Teamsters, Basic Crafts Unions Reach Tentative Deal on Contract

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Hollywood Teamsters and four other Basic Crafts Unions have reached a tentative agreement with producers on a successor deal to the current master contract.

Steve Dayan, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 399, made the announcement on the Hollywood Teamsters website on Monday. Negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers began on Aug. 22.

“As usual, these negotiations were difficult and extended into the night; however, in the end, we were able to come to an agreement,” Dayan said. “, all of the Basic Craft Locals, and our Driver/Coordinator Committees are unanimously recommending the contract for ratification.”

Dayan also said, “We will not be releasing details of the new agreement until we have received the Memoranda of Agreement from the AMPTP and have had an opportunity to inform our Memberships of the terms of the new agreements. We will have more details and will announce our plans for voting on the agreements in the coming weeks.”

The expiration of the current deal, which covers about 5,000 below-the-line employees, was recently extended from July 31 to Oct. 15 by the unions and the AMPTP. The deal covers the Hollywood-based Teamsters Local 399, which includes drivers and animal wranglers; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local No. 40); Plumbers and Pipefitters (Local No. 78); Studio Utility Employees (Local No. 724); and Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association (Local No. 755).

The Teamsters contract extension came after leaders of 12 of the 13 West locals of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees agreed on July 26 to a new three-year deal — five days before that contract expired. Leaders of the Editors Guild, which operates as Local 700, have strongly opposed the deal, which will go out for ratification next month.

“All of the Basic Crafts would like to thank the IATSE for laying the groundwork for us to be able to successfully conclude our negotiations,” he said. “We’d also like to thank our Committee Members and our entire memberships who supported us during this process and worked tirelessly through these negotiations.”