California Attorney General Rob Bonta faced fresh opposition this week as two of Hollywood’s largest labor unions called on him to settle his lawsuit challenging Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) issued an open letter on Wednesday addressed to Bonta and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, urging a resolution to the legal battle.
In the letter, the unions expressed a nuanced stance: while they have historically viewed mergers as offering few benefits to workers, they are now deeply concerned that the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the proposed deal is hurting their members and the broader industry. The letter was signed by Russell Hollander, national executive director of the DGA, and Matthew Loeb, international president of IATSE.
“As our members struggle to find employment, the uncertainty surrounding the proposed merger is only making matters worse,” the unions wrote. “We are aware of productions that have been put on hold or canceled altogether, leading to further reductions in available work for our members and other industry workers.”
The unions’ plea stands in stark contrast to the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which has backed the lawsuit. The split highlights a growing rift within Hollywood over how to respond to the merger, with below-the-line crew members and directors feeling the immediate economic pinch while writers’ leadership takes a more adversarial stance.
The letter comes on the heels of a similar appeal from Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post urging Bonta to drop the case. Marshall argued that the lawsuit is driven more by politics than law, citing Paramount CEO David Ellison’s claim that opposition to the deal stems from concerns about the political direction he would take CNN, which is owned by Warner Bros.
“The attorneys general who brought the case appear to be so fixated on preserving CNN’s liberal bent that they would kneecap an effort to revitalize Hollywood,” Marshall wrote.
Marshall also highlighted the financial stakes of the legal delay. Beginning after Sept. 30, Paramount is contractually obligated to pay roughly $650 million per quarter to Warner Bros. shareholders until the merger closes. That money, he noted, could have funded movie and TV productions that would drive employment in California and across the United States.
“That is the cost of valuing a political win over workers and families,” Marshall added.
The DGA and IATSE’s letter underscores the real-world consequences of the prolonged litigation. With productions already being shelved, union leaders argue that every additional month of uncertainty translates into lost jobs and missed opportunities for their members, many of whom are still recovering from recent industry-wide disruptions.
Bonta, a Democrat, has not publicly responded to the unions’ latest appeal. The lawsuit, which challenges the merger on antitrust grounds, has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over media consolidation and political influence in Hollywood.
For now, the industry watches closely as the legal battle continues, with workers caught in the middle. Whether Bonta will heed the unions’ call remains unclear, but the pressure is mounting from multiple corners of the entertainment world.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/08/13/directors-guild-iatse-urge-california-ag-rob-bonta-to-settle-paramount-lawsuit/