Lindsay Dougherty Appointed Teamsters’ Motion Picture and Theatrical Trade Division Director
Lindsay Dougherty, the recording secretary for the Teamsters Hollywood Local that represents thousands of workers in entertainment, has been named the international union’s motion picture and theatrical trade division director.
In the role, which she will assume on March 22, Dougherty will be tasked with managing entertainment organizing in North America, working on national bargaining efforts, interfacing with Locals and tackling industry-wide initiatives, including in the realm of safety. She will be taking over for New York entertainment Local 817’s Thomas O’Donnell, who has served in the role since 2014, and is the first woman to be named the division’s director. The international union’s general president-elect Sean O’Brien revealed the appointment on a transition team call on Sunday.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Film and TV Location Managers Reach New Tentative 3-Year Contract Deal
SAG-AFTRA, New York Public Radio Settle Labor Dispute Over Layoffs, Alleged Surveillance
iHeartPodcast Network Union Secures Voluntary Recognition From Management
“I am honored to represent the hardworking Motion Picture Industry Teamsters in this capacity. For far too long we have let some of the largest corporations in the world divide our division and make exorbitant profits off our labor,” Dougherty said in a statement. “It’s time to build a stronger and more united division to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.” She promised to find “creative” ways to organize untapped areas of the industry, improve “visibility” of entertainment workers in the international union and work on technology and education initiatives in the statement.
The appointment takes place within the context of an overall leadership overhaul at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters after O’Brien was elected the general president-elect of the union, succeeding longtime leader James P. Hoffa (son of James R. Hoffa, who led the Teamsters from 1957 until 1971 and was portrayed by Al Pacino in 2019’s The Irishman), in November. O’Brien has pushed to unionize Amazon workers and has said he wants to combat the rise of autonomous vehicles and work more collaboratively with other unions.
Dougherty, a rising star within the larger union, was also recently elected an International Western Region vice president on the Teamsters General Executive Board with O’Brien’s Teamsters United slate. She also led the 2021-2022 negotiations for the Hollywood Basic Crafts on their latest agreement and as well as talks for Local 399’s location managers contract; a tentative agreement was reached for the latter on Saturday.
Dougherty, a former dispatcher on projects including Star Trek and Transformers: Age of Extinction, has worked in entertainment for nearly 20 years and is a second-generation Teamster. Of the international union’s 1.3 million members, over 12,000 work in entertainment.
