Teamsters Local 399 played a pivotal role in last year’s strikes, as truck drivers honored writers’ picket lines and helped shut down production. At the same time, the union’s new leader, Lindsay Dougherty, became a star, brandishing her tattoos and launching obscenities at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
On Monday, it will Dougherty’s turn to sit across the table from the AMPTP. The Teamsters and the other Basic Crafts unions — electricians, laborers, etc. — are looking for increased wages, a strengthened health and pension plan, and protections from artificial intelligence.
For the Teamsters, that means addressing autonomous vehicles — a source of labor tension across industries.