NLRB Balloting Ends June 22

June 9, 2005

Leaders of the effort to unite the nation's casting directors with the Teamsters are sending their peers two messages, according to a recent email: "If you're eligible to vote for the union, do so. If you're not eligible to vote, join the union after it's formed."

Ballots have been mailed to nearly 300 casting directors and associates in an election being conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The ballots must be returned to the NLRB in Los Angeles by 5:00 p.m. on June 22, and will be counted by board representatives the following day. If the casting directors vote to join the union, a new collective bargaining unit will be formed to begin negotiating a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the major film studios and television networks.

In December 2004, more than 400 casting directors and associates in New York and Los Angeles voted to align with the Teamsters Union. Two months later, the AMPTP, which had opposed the organizing effort, agreed to let the casting directors vote. Representatives from the Teamsters Motion Picture Division then met with the producers to decide which casting directors and associates had worked with the studios, making them eligible to vote. The final total agreed upon came to just under 300 names.

On May 17, the casting directors' steering committee sent out an email explaining the process of determining eligibility and urging those who are eligible to vote to do so, stressing the importance of having a voice in the workplace.

Throughout the organizing process, the casting directors have emphasized their desire for health and pension benefits, which they currently don't receive. There has also been a strong call for other protections that come with collective bargaining, including minimum wages and basic working conditions. The email to the casting directors included a sentence, underlined and in all capital letters, stating, "To be clear: Even if you do not vote in this election, you can still join the union."

The steering committee closed the message on a hopeful note: "With everyone's help, participation and support, we are almost there.... We are almost part of a union. Together, we have done a remarkable thing. Together, we can make things better for us all."

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