Casting directors want access to benefits like health
insurance, pension plans and timely pay and insist they are entitled to the same
right to be protected as any other member of a film or television crew. The
Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers (AMPTP), on the other hand, contends casting directors are
independent contractors and as such will be breaking contract laws if they
attempt to strike.
With Teamster President James P. Hoffa as their potential
negotiation representative, casting directors in Los
Angeles and New
York continue to seek unionization. According to a
January 15 Los Angeles Times article, in a letter to AMPTP President Nick
Counter, Hoffa reiterated the Teamsters support for casting directors. Variety
has reported that on January 14 the AMPTP extended an offer of health and
pension benefits to the 500 casting directors seeking to unionize who swiftly
turned down the offer when no contract to bargain as a unit was extended.
