The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the most powerful unions in Hollywood, has called upon the Department of Justice to stop the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Teamster general president Sean O’Brien announced on Thursday that union leaders outlined several concerns for the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division to consider as Paramount persists in its acquisition of Warner Bros., specifically the corporate consolidation of power.
“This merger threatens the livelihoods of the very workers who built these studios into industry giants,” O’Brien said in a statement. “We’ve seen what happens when corporations consolidate power: jobs disappear, production leaves American communities, and workers pay the price.”
“The DOJ has a responsibility to stop deals that eliminate competition and harm working families. Unless Paramount and Warner Bros. can guarantee enforceable protections for domestic production and labor standards, this merger can’t be allowed to move forward,” he added.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the Teamsters represent “some 15,000 entertainment workers across the country, from drivers to animal wranglers to casting directors to locations professionals.”
While Paramount has emphasized its acquisition of Warner Bros. will not lead to mass layoffs or loss of jobs, the Teamsters union seems unconvinced. Lindsay Dougherty, the head of the Teamsters’ motion picture division, called the merger “the last thing the industry needs.”
“This story is not new. Greed-fueled consolidation of corporate power is a direct threat to good union jobs and the livelihood of our members,” said Dougherty. “We will not stand by while corporate executives try to consolidate power even further at the expense of the people who make every movie, every show, and every streaming platform possible.”
The Writers Guild of America also expressed opposition to the merger.
“We have every reason to believe this merger would have a detrimental effect on writers and naturally everyone in the industry,” WGA West president Michele Mulroney told THR.
Teamster head Sean O’Brien, a quasi-ally of President Trump, previously expressed opposition to the Paramount-Skydance merger and even met with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr to discuss its potential effects on employment.
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