A union-backed alternative has surfaced to the proposed labor contract fashioned by Teamsters Local 399 and some 90 Southern California-based commercial location scouts. That contract has thus far garnered little support from production houses; a teamsters official confirmed that "a minority" of spot shops has signed the pact since receiving it in the mail earlier this year.
As previously reported (SHOOT, 3/3, p. 1), the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) expressed concern over that mailing, contending that the contract had potential to cause confusion among spot houses. The AICP emphasized that it did not negotiate the agreement, and that individual production companies are under no obligation to sign it. According to an AICP advisory memo, the agreement between the group of scouts and the Teamsters is in no way related to the contract covering drivers that was negotiated between the AICP and the union (SHOOT, 7/24/98 and 1/14/00, p. 1). Companies that are signatory to the drivers’ pact aren’t obligated to negotiate the location scouts category.
Last month, the Teamsters sent a follow-up letter listing the location scouts who have authorized the union to represent them. The correspondence asked the AICP to enter into negotiations with the Teamsters on an agreement covering location scouts. That letter set a deadline of March 27 for a written response from the AICP and its member companies, noting that the scouts reserved the right to take legal action if necessary.
However, that deadline has since been pushed back at least another month as the Teamsters suggested another means whereby spot location scouts can gain health and pension benefits—the goal which motivated the group of scouts to seek union representation in the first place. Teamsters Local 399 has informed AICP member companies that they can pay health and pension benefits to scouts under an ongoing "assumption agreement," which has existed as a side letter to the Teamsters feature and TV contract for location managers. Per this method, the payments would be made through a payroll service company that is signatory to the Teamsters contract covering film and TV location managers. For some time, a number of commercial production houses have utilized this for certain spot location scouts.
The AICP sent out a March 31 memo reminding its member houses that if they are interested in providing their location scouts with pension and health benefits, they can do so through a signatory payroll service. The memo also noted that production companies remain free to hire non-union scouts and pay them as non-union workers.
Teamsters business agent Steve Dayan, a veteran feature/ TV location manager, said that the union will see over the next 30 days if a majority of production companies agrees to pay pension and health benefits to spot location scouts under the "assumption agreement." Dayan expressed confidence that such a majority will materialize. If it does, he said the union and commercial scouts will be satisfied. But if the majority decides not to adopt the "assumption agreement," Dayan related that the Teamsters will have the right to exercise appropriate legal recourse.
Dayan noted that the union will continue to encourage individual production houses to sign the proposed contract agreed upon between the Teamsters and spot location scouts. He described the contract and the "assumption agreement" alternative as an interim "band aid" solution, but still "a positive step forward." Dayan said it’s his hope that location scouts will be included in the next Teamsters drivers’ contract with the AICP. The current drivers’ contract expires in June 2002.
