Teamsters remain ‘far apart’ in talks with studios

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 contracts expire.

Teamsters Local 399 and the other Basic Crafts unions have been negotiating for four weeks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and further discussions will take place through July 19.

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

The Teamsters union is seeking a significant pay increase — significantly above the 7% first-year increase achieved 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 executives at a slow time in the Hollywood economy.

In the update, the union said its members “are among the lowest paid in manufacturing.”

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

Teamsters Local 399 – the union’s “Hollywood” local – represents approximately 6,500 drivers, zookeepers, site managers and other tradespeople. The union negotiates together with four smaller unions, which together represent 8,000 employees.

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

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