The agreements a producer deals with
Local 399 lists several separate contracts, each with its own rate sheets:
| Agreement | Who it covers |
|---|---|
| Black Book | Drivers, animal trainers and wranglers, dispatchers, mechanics, and related crafts |
| Location Manager Agreement | Location managers, key assistants, assistants, scouts |
| Casting Directors Agreement | Casting directors and associates |
| AICP commercials agreements | Drivers and location scouts on commercials |
| Music Video Agreement | Music video production |
The Black Book rate schedules separate features, episodic series, distant locations, and low-budget theatrical work, so the right number depends on what you're making and where.
What it means on the ground
The transportation coordinator hires the drivers, and on a union show those drivers move every truck and trailer at base camp: the camera truck, the grip and electric trucks, the honeywagon, cast trailers, the water truck, and the passenger vans. A PA can't hop in the cube truck to move it across the lot, even for a minute, if that work belongs to a Teamster.
Location managers and casting directors are also covered, which surprises producers who think of them as office roles. In prep, the location manager on an LA show is working under the Local 399 agreement.
Common mistakes
Budgeting drivers only for shoot days. Drivers pick up trucks from the rental house before the first day and return them after wrap, and those days are paid. On a 20-day shoot with a camera truck, a grip truck, an electric truck, and two vans, count at least one prep day and one wrap day per driver, then check the agreement's minimum call.
Forgetting that picture cars need a driver too. If a production vehicle is being driven off camera between setups or locations, the transportation department decides who can move it under the agreement.
Assuming the rules follow you. A Los Angeles producer shooting in Georgia deals with a different Teamsters local and a different contract. The union overview covers how the other guilds divide up a set.