On Sunday morning March 6, 2016, Business Agent Joshua Staheli and Secretary-Treasurer Steve Dayan were notified of a big, non-Union Apple Music spot being produced by a company called Black Hand Cinema in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Gang Boss had not called the job into the Call Board and the two went down to see about getting a contract for our Members. The production had approximately 100 crew-Members. Neither the Teamsters nor the IATSE has a Collective Bargaining Agreement with Black Hand Cinema.
While trying to organize the job an altercation broke out between the Gang Boss and Steve Dayan. Secretary-Treasurer Dayan did not assault anyone. However, the Producer on the non-Union job notified the LAPD that Brother Dayan had assaulted the Gang Boss. The LAPD handcuffed and detained Brother Dayan for a few minutes. The company wisely chose not to press charges and he was promptly released. The Gang Boss also expressed his apologies to Brothers Staheli & Dayan.
Brother Dayan had this to say about the incident; “I make no apologies for organizing on behalf of our Members. I am proud to be a Teamster and I’m proud to stand up for our people. We will be filing Unfair Labor Practice charges against Black Hand Cinema. I’d also like to thank all of our Members who called and wrote me for their unwavering support of my actions this weekend.”
We urge our Members to learn more about the situation and how you can get involved.
Please call (818-985-7550) or email (callboard@ht399.org) the Call Board for more information.
