Teamsters Local 399

Overview

Teamsters Local 399 is the Hollywood-based local union representing approximately 6,000 motion picture industry professionals in the transportation, location management, animal handling, and casting departments. Affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 399 covers productions shooting within the 30-mile studio zone in Los Angeles and throughout the western United States. The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) and independent producers, establishing minimum wage rates, working conditions, and benefit contributions for covered classifications.

The current Black Book Agreement (the primary drivers' contract with the AMPTP) runs from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027. It includes wage increases of 7% in year one, 4% in year two, and 3.5% in year three, compounded. For producers, signing a Local 399 agreement commits a production to hiring union-covered crew, paying union minimums, and making pension and health contributions. For crew members, Local 399 membership provides health insurance, pension benefits, and contractual wage protections. Visit ht399.org for current rate sheets and contract documents.

Leadership and Notable Members

Secretary-Treasurer Lindsay Dougherty was re-elected in October 2025 with 70.97% of the vote (approximately 1,600 of 5,700 members voting, 37% turnout). Dougherty, a second-generation Teamster from Detroit who began her film industry career over 20 years ago, also serves as Director of the Teamsters Motion Picture and Theatrical Trades Division and International Teamsters At-Large Vice President. She has negotiated contracts with major studios, term agreements, and one-offs in television and features, and has organized new workers into Local 399 throughout her tenure.

The 2026 to 2028 executive board includes President Joshua Staheli (succeeding the retiring Kenny Farnell), Vice President Shaun Ryan, Recording Secretary Amy Gorton, and Trustees Joe Mora, Philip Quansah, and locations manager Robert Paulsen. All were elected on the Hollywood Teamsters United slate.

Local 399's membership of approximately 6,000 includes the drivers, location managers, casting directors, animal trainers, and support staff who physically execute film and television production in Los Angeles and the western United States. The union's slogan reflects its central role: "Nothing moves without the Teamsters." Notable members are working crew rather than above-the-line talent, but their work is essential to every production. Location managers in Local 399 have worked on nearly every major film and television production shot in Los Angeles, and the union's drivers transport cast, crew, and equipment across the 30-mile studio zone and beyond.

Covered Classifications

Local 399 represents several distinct job categories on film and television productions:

Transportation Department

Location Department

Animal Department

Casting Department

Additional Classifications

Chef Assistants, Chef Assistant Drivers, and Dispatchers are also covered under separate agreements.

Membership Costs and Requirements

How to Join

The entry path to Local 399 membership requires:

1. Work one day in a Local 399-covered position on a union production
2. Submit a paystub to the union hall to become a permitted member
3. Pay monthly permit fees for each month worked as a permittee
4. Accrue 30 days of union work within one year
5. Apply for full membership once the 30-day threshold is met
6. Pay initiation fee and quarterly dues (can be arranged through payroll deduction)
7. Membership vote and oath: The union votes to approve the application, and the member swears an oath of obligation to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Days must be registered with the Contract Services Administration Trust Fund (CSATF) Industry Experience Roster (IER). Contact the Local 399 front office at (818) 985-7374 or office@ht399.org to confirm specific requirements for your classification.

How Eligibility Actually Works in Practice

Local 399's entry system is more structured than most Hollywood unions because it combines a permittee system with a day-count requirement. Here is how it works in practice:

The one-day trigger. You must first work one day in a Local 399-covered position on a union production. This means a production that has signed a Local 399 agreement must hire you into a covered classification (driver, location scout, casting assistant, etc.). After that first day, you submit a paystub to the union hall to become a permitted member, which allows you to work additional union days while paying monthly permit fees.

The 30-day accumulation. Once you are a permittee, you must accumulate 30 days of union work within one year. The days must be on Local 399-covered productions, and they must be registered with CSATF's Industry Experience Roster. Keep detailed payroll records and employment verification letters, because CSATF requires documentation before placing you on the roster. The 30-day requirement creates a structural bottleneck: you need consistent union work to qualify, but union work is dispatched through the local, which prioritizes full members over permittees.

The membership vote and oath. Once you meet the 30-day threshold, you apply for full membership, pay the initiation fee, and the union votes to approve your application. If approved, you swear an oath of obligation to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. This is a formal ritual that distinguishes Teamsters membership from other Hollywood unions, which typically do not require an oath.

The dispatch system. Local 399 operates a referral system where productions contact the local when they need crew. The local dispatches qualified members from its roster. Busy members get called first, and permittees fill remaining slots. This creates a structural incentive to maintain good standing and consistent work history, because your dispatch priority depends on your work record.

Geographic jurisdiction. Local 399 covers the 30-mile studio zone in Los Angeles and the 13 western states. Productions shooting outside this zone deal with different Teamsters locals (for example, Local 817 in New York). Crew members moving between zones may need to register with multiple locals or transfer their membership.

Initiation Fee

Quarterly Dues

Dues are paid quarterly in January, April, July, and October. Members have until the last business day of the first month of each quarter to pay without incurring late fees.

Late Fees and Suspension

A member is considered in good standing when paid through the current quarter with no outstanding initiation, re-initiation, late fees, or other fees owed.

Current Collective Bargaining Agreements (2024-2027)

Black Book Agreement (Drivers)

The 2024-2027 Black Book Agreement covers studio transportation drivers and runs from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2027. Key wage provisions:

Wage increases: 7% effective August 4, 2024, 4% effective August 3, 2025, 3.5% effective August 2, 2026 (compounded).

Basic Rate increases (for non-$15 Million Contributors): $0.30/hour in year one, $0.45/hour in year two, $0.45/hour in year three.

Selected minimum rates for August 3, 2025 to August 1, 2026:

Overtime: 1.5x after 8 hours daily and/or 40 hours weekly. Full rate schedules are available on the AMPTP website/Wage%20Scales%20%E2%80%93%202024-27%20Local%20399%20(Drivers)%20Agreement.pdf) and ht399.org.

Location Manager MOA (2024-2027)

A separate Memorandum of Agreement covers Location Managers and Scouts with the same 2024-2027 term. Rate sheets for Basic Feature, Episodic, and MOW productions are published on the Local 399 website.

Casting Director Agreement (2024-2027)

The Casting Director Agreement covers casting professionals working on AMPTP and independent productions. The 2026 Casting Contributions Primer for Independent Projects and the Casting Individual Account Plan (IAP) Chart (September 28, 2025 to October 3, 2026) are available on the union website.

Commercials Agreements (AICP)

Local 399 maintains separate agreements with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP):

• AICP 2026-2029 Driver Agreement: Five-year term starting May 3, 2026
• AICP 2026-2029 Location Scout/Manager Agreement: Same term
• Updated rates for drivers and location scouts/managers effective 2026-2029
• Minimum production budget threshold: $70,000 (agreement does not apply below this threshold)

The AICP agreement includes specific overtime provisions: 2.5x after 18 hours on days 1-5, 3.75x after 18 hours on day 6, 4x after 12 hours on day 7 or holidays, and 5x after 18 hours on day 7 or holidays. MLK Day and Juneteenth are recognized holidays.

Music Video Production Association (MVPA) Agreement

A separate MOA covers music video productions with a five-year term starting May 3, 2026 and terminating June 1, 2031.

Fringe Benefits

Local 399 members receive benefits through the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans (MPIPHP), the same trust fund that covers IATSE members. Benefits are funded entirely by employer contributions negotiated in collective bargaining agreements, not by member dues. Producers make contributions on top of wages, adding approximately 25 to 30% to total labor cost.

Motion Picture Industry Pension Plan. A defined benefit pension plan funded by employer contributions, providing a monthly retirement benefit based on credited contributions and years of service. Contributions vary by agreement and producer classification ($15 Million Contributor vs. non-qualifying).

Motion Picture Industry Health Plan. Provides medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage for participants and qualified dependents. Eligibility is earned through hours worked on covered productions, with minimum thresholds determining qualification for active coverage. Separate hourly contributions fund the health plan.

Individual Account Plan (IAP). An additional defined contribution retirement benefit funded by separate employer contributions, providing a supplementary retirement savings component on top of the defined benefit pension.

Post-60s and Supplemental Market contributions. Certain producers make additional contributions for post-60s work and supplemental market reuse, providing extra benefit funding for members whose work appears in secondary markets.

Wage and hour protections. The Black Book Agreement and other Local 399 contracts establish minimum hourly and weekly rates by classification, overtime rules (1.5x after 8 hours daily and 40 hours weekly), turnaround requirements, and meal penalty provisions. The AICP commercials agreement includes enhanced overtime provisions: 2.5x after 18 hours on days 1 to 5, 3.75x after 18 hours on day 6, 4x after 12 hours on day 7 or holidays, and 5x after 18 hours on day 7 or holidays.

Contract enforcement. Local 399 enforces collective bargaining agreements through grievances and arbitration, pursues unpaid wages and benefit contributions, and advocates for workplace safety. Non-union productions that hire Local 399 members without signing an agreement risk unfair labor practice charges and retroactive liability for unpaid benefit contributions.

The Fringe Benefit Sheet is available on the Local 399 website. Benefit contribution rates increase under the 2024-2027 agreement for non-$15 Million Contributors: $0.56/hour in year one, $0.86/hour in year two, and $0.86/hour in year three.

Picture Cars and Specialty Vehicles

The picture car coordinator, a Local 399-covered classification, sources and manages the specialty vehicles that appear on screen in film and television productions. Period vehicles, customized cars, and specialized vehicles that appear in the frame are the picture car coordinator's responsibility. This work is distinct from the production vehicle logistics that the transportation captain manages: picture cars are storytelling tools that must be visually appropriate, mechanically reliable, and available in sufficient quantities for continuity across production days.

For productions set in specific historical periods or featuring distinctive vehicles as visual elements, the picture car coordinator's network of vehicle sources and expertise in period-appropriate vehicle selection is a specialized craft that directly affects production quality.

Animal Trainers

Local 399's coverage of animal trainers reflects Hollywood's long tradition of animal performance in film and television. Certified animal trainers working under Local 399 agreements must meet American Humane Association standards for the treatment of animals on set, with AHA representatives monitoring productions that include animals under an agreement with the major studios.

For productions involving animal performance, Local 399's animal trainer community provides both the specialized training skills and the welfare compliance framework that protects both the animals and the production from the reputational and practical risks of inadequate animal care.

Historical Context

Teamsters Local 399 traces its roots to the 1930s when Hollywood transportation workers organized under the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union's Black Book Agreement, formally known as the Producer-Studio Transportation Drivers Agreement, has been the foundational contract governing transportation department wages and conditions for decades.

The 2024 negotiations produced a three-year agreement with the AMPTP without a strike authorization vote, following the disruptive 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The agreement includes compounded wage increases totaling approximately 15% over three years, improved rest provisions, and enhanced benefit contributions.

The Transportation Captain role is central to the union's jurisdiction. Under the AICP agreement, a Transportation Captain must be employed on any production using covered vehicles (with exceptions for productions with 4 or fewer production vehicles). The Captain supervises all covered employees, clears hires with the Union, and manages parking of rolling stock. A Transportation Captain cannot work in any other job classification simultaneously and cannot work on multiple productions at the same time.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Producers

Signing a Local 399 agreement commits your production to hiring union-covered crew in all classifications where Local 399 has jurisdiction, paying union minimums and benefit contributions, and complying with overtime, turnaround, and meal penalty rules. The 2024-2027 Black Book Agreement's wage increases (7% + 4% + 3.5% compounded) affect budget projections for 2025-2027 productions. Fringe benefit contributions add approximately 25-30% on top of hourly wages. For low-budget productions, the AICP commercials agreement does not apply below $70,000 budget threshold. Contact the union during pre-production to confirm which agreement applies and what your total labor cost will be.

For Crew Members

The entry path requires working one day on a union production, then accumulating 30 days within a year. The $3,000 initiation fee can be paid through payroll deduction. Quarterly dues are $348 ($116/month). Keep detailed payroll records and employment verification letters for your CSATF IER registration. Non-union productions that hire Local 399 members without signing an agreement risk unfair labor practice charges and retroactive liability for unpaid benefit contributions.

For Budgeting

Local 399 benefit contributions (pension, health, IAP) add approximately 25-30% on top of hourly wages. The Transportation Coordinator weekly rate ($4,160/week for August 2025 to August 2026) is the single largest transportation department line item. Overtime accrues at 1.5x after 8 hours daily. Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to estimate total crew costs including Local 399 fringes.

See Also

For the broader IATSE union structure covering other below-the-line departments, see IATSE in this directory. For the AMPTP as the management-side bargaining counterpart, see AMPTP in this directory. For casting directors working alongside Teamsters coverage, see Casting Society of America (CSA) in this directory. For how below-the-line union costs appear in production budgets, see Above the Line vs Below the Line. For estimating crew costs on your production, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For current rate sheets and contract documents, see ht399.org.