Teamsters Reach Tentative Agreement with AMPTP

The most suspenseful moment in Hollywood this year didn’t happen in a movie. It happened in a conference room with producers at one end of the table and union members at the other.

The Teamsters, along with members of the Hollywood Basic Crafts, spent most of June and July locked in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), racing towards a July 31 deadline. 

The dealmaking came down to the wire with a tentative agreement announced only this past Saturday, July 27. How did the two sides get there and what does it mean for the industry moving forward? Read on to find out!

How was the tentative agreement reached

Negotiations between the Hollywood Basic Crafts and the AMPTP began on June 10, 2024.

Led by Teamsters Local 399 and representing members of IBEW Local 40, LiUNA! Local 724, UA Local 78, and OPCMIA Local 755, the Hollywood Basic Crafts union held a firm position from the very first meetings: they needed a deal that was fair for all members.

During the last week of negotiations, the head of Local 399, Lindsay Dougherty, and Teamsters general president, Sean O’Brien, held a town hall to reiterate that they were not looking for a strike but wouldn’t settle for a deal that left anything on the table.

“I want to be clear; we aren’t looking for a strike, we’re fighting for a fair deal for our members,” said Dougherty. “We won’t, however, bargain against ourselves, we won’t be intimidated to take our priorities off the table, and we won’t be taking any concessions.”

Late Friday, July 26, the AMPTP put forth a “last, best and final’ offer” that the Teamsters and Basic Crafts responded to with a counterproposal that they felt they could recommend for ratification to their membership. 

Hollywood held its breath until late in the day on July 27, Local 399 announced to its members that it had reached a tentative deal that they would recommend to the membership.

What are the details of the agreement

Both sides are currently playing the details of the agreement close to the chest, making it hard to say for certain what the deal looks like.

While the union’s health and pension plans were already negotiated as part of the AMPTP’s deal with IATSE, which was ratified on July 18, many issues impacting the organization’s 8,000 workers like drivers, animal wranglers, plasterers, and electricians remained.

Of particular importance for the Teamsters was securing a double-digit increase in wages, along with strict protections against subcontracting and driverless trucks. They also bargained their location manager and “Black Book” contracts, which cover drivers and multiple other classifications.

It’s likely that the deal being recommended for ratification offers a satisfactory resolution to these issues.

When will the agreement be voted on

Local 399 held a members-only meeting on Sunday, July 28, to discuss the progress that had been made over the weekend, but there is no publicly available information on when the deal will be voted on by union members.

With the industry suffering from work stoppages and a general top-to-bottom contraction since last year’s strikes, a resolution can’t come soon enough.

Wrapping up

After nearly 18 months of labor struggles in Hollywood, it seems like order has been restored–at least until 2026, when the WGA agreement with the AMPTP will be up for re-negotiation.   

Make sure to stay up to date with Wrapbook for everything you need to know about how to handle complicated union paperwork and how to become a union signatory when the time comes.