Entertainment · The Record
Teamsters restate opposition to Paramount-Warner merger as $1 billion delay and 2027 trial set
Lindsay Dougherty demands worker commitments as TheWrap reports delay fees, a judge-set trial and union split
Hollywood Teamsters Secretary-Treasurer Lindsay Dougherty said the union remains opposed to the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, TheWrap reported.
Dougherty said Teamsters have sought data showing the deal will help the industry, members and domestic production, TheWrap reported. She said, "Stop playing games and show us more of your commitment to the workforce." Dougherty also said fast-tracking corporate greed often leads to losses for the creative and skilled workforce, TheWrap reported.
Paramount Skydance said the delayed Warner Bros. Discovery purchase will cost it more than $1 billion in fees to shareholders and financiers, TheWrap reported. TheWrap reported the merger trial is scheduled for March 2 to 19, 2027, and U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin set the trial date.
Analysis: The reported union positions are split. Directors Guild executive director Russell Hollander and IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb sent a joint letter urging a settlement that would allow the merger to close, TheWrap reported. They said a trial would leave Warner and Paramount uncertain about greenlighting projects and would lead to fewer jobs for directors and crew workers, TheWrap reported.
SAG-AFTRA's national board voted to formally oppose the merger, TheWrap reported. A SAG-AFTRA resolution said the union supports attorneys general from a dozen states and the Writers Guild of America, who filed antitrust lawsuits to block the leveraged buyout, TheWrap reported.
Paramount general counsel Makan Delrahim said at a Politico event that the merger has been approved by the Department of Justice and by 67 countries, TheWrap reported.
Analysis: This piece juxtaposes the Teamsters' fast-tracking language with the delay fees and trial schedule reported in separate TheWrap snapshots. The statement demands worker commitments, while the record shows a delayed closing, a judge-set trial date and regulatory approvals already issued. The checkable question is what additional data or enforceable commitments would change the Teamsters' position before the March 2027 trial.