The Los Angeles-based Teamsters Local 399 has begun onboarding dozens of new members who work on film and television projects after “a pattern of systematic errors, omissions and oversight” was alleged to have been uncovered through an audit of the Oklahoma City-based Local 886.
After a unanimous vote from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ general executive board sealed the deal, Local 399 has assumed jurisdiction for motion picture work in Oklahoma. “A local union has a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of the membership, ensuring the proper use and management of union funds, resources and assets,” International Brotherhood of Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien explained in a recommendation memo shared on Thursday. “As such, I believe it is in the best interests of the members in the motion picture industry, currently represented by Local 886, to be moved to Teamsters Local 399 which has provided and continues to provide support and leadership for its Motion Picture members.”
Roughly 100 Teamsters are joining the Hollywood Teamsters as a result of the change, which The Hollywood Reporter has learned was preceded by the results of an audit of Local 886.
In a notice dated March 11 that was shared with THR, Teamsters chief O’Brien said that the Local had been placed under an emergency trusteeship following audit findings that “revealed a pattern of systematic errors, omissions and oversight that is harmful to both the membership and the International Union.”
Among the alleged findings were receipts for dues and deposits into the Local’s General Fund that were missing, a neglect to file an IRS Form 990 that resulted in a “significant penalty,” a lack of transparency with members about the Local’s assets, staff raises that weren’t approved by union members, inappropriate entries in accounting software and “check-signing irregularities including pre-signed checks, checks with one signature and improper signature stamps.” An internal investigation, meanwhile, found “unaccounted cash dues payments and collection of cash dues by unbonded and unauthorized persons.”
The Local had previously been audited but did not follow the international union’s prior guidance on “the proper handling of receipts, motions and financial transactions requiring membership or Executive Board approval, dues structure, the creation of a Travel/Expense policy and more,” O’Brien added.
As an investigation is underway, O’Brien appointed the business manager of an Alabama Local to serve as a trustee overseeing Local 886. The trusteeship will aim to “correct the financial malpractice described above,” make sure contracts are intact and “restore democratic procedures and oversight of the membership over the affairs of the Local Union.” As of Monday, the Local’s webpage and Facebook page had been taken down.
Local 886 has been the subject of complaints before. Just a few months before the trusteeship went into effect, the Tulsa-based Fox23 news station published two reports investigating hiring practices for local Teamster film and television drivers and workplace irregularities. In one of the reports union driver Susan Dale (Twisters, Reservation Dogs) described discriminatory hiring practices that favored men and drivers on the western side of the state. “There’s a select few that get to work all of the jobs,” she said.
A lawyer for Local 886 told the news station that the union keeps a list of potential drivers that is not ranked by seniority and that project producers have “complete control” over who on that list is hired.
Dale filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against the Local in late 2024. The board has yet to rule on the case.
Reached on Friday about the news that Local 399 was assuming jurisdiction for Oklahoma motion picture work, Dale claimed she had been advocating on behalf of a larger group and sending information to the international union for about a year. Of Local 399, she said, “We know that they will do a far better job than what our union was doing.”
It’s a moment of déjà vu for Local 399, which assumed responsibility for union members in New Mexico in 2022 following a reported financial audit. After “significant member concerns around the referral rules and financial structure” of the New Mexico Local, the international’s general executive board moved its motion picture jurisdiction to Local 399, Deadline reported that year.
Oklahoma has become a major player in the domestic production scene in the last few years, playing host to projects including Minari, Tulsa King and Killers of the Flower Moon in addition to Reservation Dogs and Twisters, thanks to a generous rebate program, capped at $30 million annually. In some cases, local governments like the Cherokee Nation offer their own tax perks for productions looking to locate to their jurisdictions.
In a statement to THR, Teamsters motion picture division director and Teamsters Local 399 leader Lindsay Dougherty said she was looking forward to working with Oklahoma film and television workers and making the transition “as smooth, expedited, transparent and efficient as possible.” She added, “We are dedicated to representing each member equally with the utmost dignity and respect.”