Teamsters and Basic Crafts put pressure on AMPTP to make a deal

The Hollywood Basic Crafts put the ball clearly in the hands of the studios, who must sign new three-year contracts with the below-the-line unions before midnight on July 31.

The Basic Crafts – which includes Teamsters Local 399, LiUNA! Local 724, IBEW Local 40, OPCMIA Local 755 and UA Local 78 – wrapped up their second week of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Friday, ending their June scheduled meetings. But they will return to the bargaining table with IATSE on Monday to resume talks on their joint performance plans.

In a statement released Friday evening, chief negotiator Lindsay Dougherty and the rest of the negotiating committee assured that they “remain united and ready to continue the fight on behalf of our collective membership.”

However, the tone of the statement suggests that the talks may not be as productive as union leadership had hoped. The committee said it had sensed “a noticeable lack of urgency from employers in addressing the issues facing our members.”

“Although this process only began last week, our contract expires next month on July 31. We have no intention of extending our agreement beyond the expiration date, but would rather have productive discussions. We have openly expressed our intention to find a compromise on our members’ core priorities while working together to get Hollywood back on its feet,” the statement continued.

Priorities identified by the Basic Crafts include improved working conditions and higher compensation, similar to some of the priority demands that the IATSE has also called for. The IATSE is scheduled to return to the bargaining table with the AMPTP next week to not only discuss the joint performance plans, but hopefully also to finalize negotiations on its own Basic Agreement and Area Standards Agreement.

These talks stalled earlier this month as wage increases and pension contributions emerged as the main points of contention. The parties then agreed to four additional days of negotiations from 24 to 27 June.

The Basic Crafts bargaining committee concluded its Friday evening statement by saying: “The ball is now in the employers’ court, who must set the tone for our final month of negotiations as we return to the negotiating table.”

It’s worth noting that so far neither union has called for a vote to authorize a strike, which is necessary before they consider picketing. This suggests that leadership is probably still hoping a deal can be reached without a strike, but depending on how those talks go, next week could be a turning point.

Earlier this week, nearly 400 members of the WGA, PGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA signed a solidarity letter addressed directly to the AMPTP, urging the group led by Carol Lombardini to “negotiate a fair contract that recognizes their essential contributions to production and allows these behind-the-scenes artists, performers and artisans to live and retire with dignity.”