Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 has hired former Netflix senior counsel Kay Kimmel to serve as the local’s in-house counsel, where she will also assist as counsel to the Teamsters Motion Picture and Theatrical Trade Division.
Kimmel took on her new roles May 2, the first day of the Writers Guild of America strike. Her appointment was made official at Sunday night’s Teamsters Local 399 membership meeting.
Kimmel, who left Netflix late last month, worked for the streaming giant for almost six years and previously served as VP Labor Relations at Paramount and Entertainment Partners.
“It’s almost unheard of to see lawyers move from management side to the side of working people,” said Lindsay Dougherty, secretary-treasurer of Local 399 and director of the Teamsters’ Motion Picture and Theatrical Trade Division. “We feel very fortunate to have Kay joining our team. She has always been a fair and respected lawyer, even while working for the employers. Her decades of experience in our Industry, and thorough understanding of our Local 399 contracts, positions her to be a great asset to our members and the division.”
Local 399’s current contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will be up for renegotiation next year. Kimmel will join the Local 399 negotiations team and also will assist with increased contract enforcement.
