Casting Directors and Studios Reach Labor Agreement

Locals 399 and 817 of the Teamsters union, which represent roughly 450 film and television casting directors, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached agreement on a new contract after a week of negotiations. The details, however, will not be released until the union holds a ratification vote on Sept. 15.

Earlier this year, casting directors wanted the studios to agree to provide compensation for casting assistants during pilot season, but it is not known if they were successful in obtaining that provision in the new agreement. Also unknown is whether the deal maintains the current contract's employer contribution rates for the union's health-care and pension funds.