Teamsters Pound Paramount Over WBD Merger Promises & Threats: “Stop Playing Games”

The DGA and IATSE may want to play footsie with Paramount over the state attorneys general antitrust lawsuit and hopes for a settlement. However, as the WGA has joined the charge against David Ellison‘s currently stalled $111 billion purchase of Warner Bros Discovery, a very strong arm of Hollywood labor has declared it’s time to cut the crap. “At every step of the way, Teamsters have asked for data to show how this merger would be good for our industry, our members and domestic production,” Teamster Local 399’s Lindsay Dougherty told Deadline Thursday. “Touting worker prosperity, without commitments, while simultaneously threatening their livelihood in the press as a bargaining chip begs the question — what is in this deal for American film and television workers?” Watch on Deadline With Paramount leaks threatening to leave California if Golden State AG Rob Bonta and others don’t strike a deal by October 1 clearly in mind, the plain-speaking Dougherty added: “Fast-tracking corporate greed often lends to the creative and skilled workforce losing. Stop playing games, and show us more of your commitment to the workforce.” RELATED: Don’t Believe Paramount’s Hype: California AG Rob Bonta Claims David Ellison Muddying WBD Merger Waters With Misinformation & Side Deals; “We Intend To Win” – Guest Column While MAGA-friendly Ellison and other Paramount brass have indicated that everything’s “on the table,” for better or worse, the hard fact is a trial on the AGs’ action has been set for spring 2027. That timetable leaves any ParaBros meld frozen, and Paramount could start accruing hundreds of millions in “ticking fees” for WBD shareholders ($7 million a day starting at the end of September), as well as more regulatory hurdles for Team Ellison. Of course, with Oracle founder and David’s dad Larry Ellison personally backing a big portion of the merger amid a decline in net worth, the finances of the WBD deal could get sticky before the actual Oakland-based trial begins. Then, adding to it all, there’s the $80 billion in debt a ParaBros combo would carry — and the pink-slipping expected. Plus, even with assurances galore of editorial independence for CNN and a 30-movie-a-year release schedule, Ellison’s credibility as newly minted mogul intent on a new Hollywood golden era is getting pretty frayed pretty fast the past few weeks. RELATED: Paramount Making Deals To Theaters For 30 Films A Year Post-WBD Acquisition; Cinema United Still Anti-Merger More from this Story Arc Paramount WB