Film and TV Casting Directors Reach New Tentative Three-Year Contract Deal
Negotiators for the Teamsters Local 399 and Local 817 have reached a new tentative, three-year deal for casting director members and their associates in New York and L.A.
The Hollywood Teamsters, Local 399, announced the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Wednesday after negotiations ended Tuesday night. Talks for the agreement, which on the Teamsters’ end were led by Local 399 secretary-treasurer Lindsay Dougherty and Local 817 president Tom O’Donnell Jr., began in early March. AMPTP spokesperson Jarryd Gonzales confirmed the tentative agreement on Wednesday.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Activision Blizzard Worker Group Votes to Unionize in NLRB Election
Writers Guild's CBS News Union Ratifies New Three-Year Agreement
Details of the agreement, which Local 399 is not currently disclosing, will be revealed to members later this week, and an informational meeting is scheduled for Sunday. As a tentative deal, the agreement is subject to a ratification vote from members that will determine whether it can go into effect. The vote will kick off on Sunday, May 22.
The Teamsters’ bargaining committee for the tentative deal has recommended that members vote for ratification. “Our member-led casting committee from both Local 399 and 817 worked tirelessly throughout this entire process with tenacity, passion and perseverance,” Dougherty said in a statement. “Throughout these negotiations, we not only discussed our core issues across the table with the AMPTP, but we also identified what internal work can be done immediately to strengthen this unit moving forward. This group has never backed down from a fight, and I am proud to continue to fight alongside them in solidarity with Local 817.”
O’Donnell called the gains made in the tentative deal “significant.” He added, “I’m proud of all that’s been achieved for the casting community and is emblematic of the collective might of these unique craft locals.”
This deal marks the end of the latest round of negotiations for the Hollywood Teamsters, whose members ratified a deal for their “Black Book” agreement in early February and ratified a location manager deal in early March. Ratification votes for both agreements saw relatively significant turnout from members, with 67 percent voting on the “Black Book” deal and 75 percent voting on the location managers deal.
