Hollywood Teamsters 399 is reasserting its opposition to Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, joining a wave of executives, unions and others in the entertainment industry laying out their stances on the merger after the trial for California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s lawsuit to block it was set for a March 2027 start date.
“At every step of the way, Teamsters have asked for data to show how this merger would be good for our industry, our members and domestic production. Touting worker prosperity, without commitments, while simultaneously threatening their livelihood in the press as a bargaining chip begs the question — what is in this deal for American film and television workers?” Secretary-Treasurer Lindsay Dougherty said in a statement on Thursday.
“Fast-tracking corporate greed often lends to the creative and skilled workforce losing. Stop playing games and show us more of your commitment to the workforce,” she added.
Dougherty’s statement comes a day after Directors Guild executive director Russell Hollander and IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb sent out a joint letter to Bonta and Paramount leadership urging a settlement that would allow the merger to close, warning that allowing the lawsuit to go to trial would put both Warner and Paramount in a state of limbo in terms of greenlighting new projects, leading to fewer jobs for directors and crew workers.
“As our members struggle to find employment, the uncertainty surrounding the proposed merger is only making matters worse,” the letter states. “We are aware of productions that have been put on hold or canceled altogether, leading to further reductions in available work for our members and other industry workers.”
But the letter also contained a list of nine conditions that the unions sought to be included in the settlement, including keeping the studios wholly separate with their own production, marketing and distribution divisions.
The merging of such divisions is widely expected to be part of any merger process as Paramount would look to cut costs and redundancies. The unions also called on Paramount to keep its headquarters in Los Angeles as CEO David Ellison has threatened to move the company to another state if a settlement isn’t reached.
In response to the DGA/IATSE letter, Bonta said that his office remains committed to the lawsuit.
“The California Department of Justice always appreciates the opportunity to hear from workers and communities directly impacted by our work,” representatives for Bonta said in a statement to TheWrap. “As it stands today, the proposed Warner Bros./Paramount merger will mean higher costs, less competition, lower wages, job cuts and fewer movies and TV shows. This merger violates long-standing federal antitrust law. We remain committed to enforcing the law.”
Teamsters joins SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild among the unions that have firmly opposed the merger, with the WGA filing its own lawsuit looking to block the merger. Hollywood Teamsters and the WGA have been the most outspoken against media mergers, as Dougherty has released similar sharp statements against the merger between Nexstar and Tegna.
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