NEWS

Tom Short Retires as IATSE President
by Jeff Burman


Tom Short.

Thomas C. Short has resigned from his post as president of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees after a 14-year tenure. He was elected to the position in December 1994. The announcement was made July 31 at the IATSE’s Mid-Summer General Executive Board Meeting in San Diego.

“I have put forth my energy and every effort to enrich this organization and enlisted the help of what I believe to be a phenomenal staff of intelligent, sophisticated and progressive individuals who have stood ready to work hard and assist in accomplishing the goals I believe we had to achieve in order to survive the many challenges facing this International,” said Short.

He is succeeded by Matthew D. Loeb, who has been an IA vice president since 2002 and a longtime member of IA United Scenic Artists Local 491. Loeb was elected president unanimously. The below-the-line union credited Loeb with “devising and implementing the organizing and bargaining strategies to expand IATSE’s jurisdiction and membership during Short’s presidency,” writes Dave McNary in Variety. Loeb has been the IA’s director of the motion picture and television production division for the past decade.

Short began his IA career in January 1968 when he was initiated into Stagehands Local 27 in Cleveland. He was elected to serve on the Executive Boards of Local 27 and Studio Mechanics Local 209 in Ohio in 1971 and, in 1978, was elected to serve as Local 27’s president. In August of 1988, he was elected 11th international vice president of the IA and, in 1993, the General Executive Board elected him to fill the vacated position of general secretary-treasurer of the Alliance. The following year, Short was elected to fill the president position after the resignation of the late Alfred W. Di Tolla.

Known for being a proponent of starting negotiations well ahead of contract expiration dates, Short’s strategy was based on the premise that companies are more likely to agree to favorable terms early––in exchange for a guarantee of Labor peace.

Short is also known for his bluntness. He has long had a contentious relationship with the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. In December 2007, well into the writers strike, Short criticized WGA president Patric Verrone for his lack of experience and predicted the breakdown of their talks. He went so far as to accuse Verrone of irresponsibility in the guild’s pursuit of a new contract with the producers, pointing to economic harm done to Hollywood technicians under IA contract and beyond.

Comparing the WGA leadership to “a huge clown car that’s only missing the hats and horns,” Short was exasperated that among the WGA’s prospective contract points was the illegal and unethical poaching of IA members in Reality Television already covered by the Editors Guild, and animation writers, who are members of IATSE Local 839 and have been covered by an IA contract for over 50 years. “Even if the AMPTP wanted to give the WGA jurisdiction of animation writers, they couldn’t,” said Short. “It’s not theirs to give. Those are IATSE members who have been part of our International for over half a century.”

IATSE Membership Has Grown
Looking back at Short’s accomplishments, it’s essential to note the IA’s growth at a time when many unions’ memberships have declined. In 1993, IA membership stood at 74,000. At the midway point of 2008, it has grown to 111,000, an increase of 50 percent.

One reason for this growth can be attributed to organizational restructuring achieved during Short’s term. The union is now organized into five divisions––Stage Craft, Motion Picture and Television Production, Organizing, Trade Show and Display Work, and Canadian Affairs––to better serve the various sectors of the membership.

Collective Bargaining Agreements Have Grown Stronger
Another area of growth in the IA has been in the number of national agreements. In 1993, the union had only two such agreements. Today, there are approximately 1,600.

Low-budget agreements––which didn’t exist before Short’s term––make sure IA members get proper contributions to their health and pension plans. The first low-budget agreement was signed in 1995, covering projects budgeted between $5 million and $7 million. Similar agreements were signed in 1996 with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, establishing wages and working conditions for television commercials.

In 1995, in a first for the IA, three cinematography locals were merged into one national organization, the International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600.

In 1996, HBO Pictures signed a national collective bargaining agreement for its production of long-form programming. In 1998, IA post-production locals 776, 771 and 780 were merged into one national body, the Motion Picture Editors Guild, Local 700. That same year, the IA signed a deal with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, allowing the Academy Awards telecast to be completely staffed by IA technicians. In 1999, the IA reached a first-ever Area Standards Agreement with the major studios, establishing higher standards outside traditional filmmaking hubs. Also that year, after an 81-year absence from the IATSE, the 3,100-member United Scenic Artists Local 829 was brought back into the fold.

In 2001, a first-ever Digital Supplement to the Basic Agreement was instituted, ensuring that digitally produced motion pictures––including television––would be under IATSE jurisdiction. Now such digital work dominates the market. In 2002, a breakthrough national agreement was reached with the Music Video Producers Association, laying out terms and benefits with 58 signatories. Also, in 2004, a national collective bargaining agreement grew out of a deal signed with a subsidiary of cable giant Comcast.

IATSE in Politics
The IA under Short has also become involved in political activity. In 1999, the union established its own political action committee, the IA-PAC, in an effort to help pro-Labor candidates and influence legislation. In October 1999 in Berlin, he was elected first vice president of the Media Entertainment International (MEI). MEI is a federation of over 130 media-related trade unions around the globe.

In 2001, Short began a relationship with Tony Lennon, president of BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinemato-graph and Theatre Union in the United Kingdom), allowing him to discuss international organizing and other areas of common interest.

In 2005, Short was elected vice president of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, an election that marked the return of the IATSE to the council after a 32-year absence.

The IA and Short have endorsed candidates in local, state and national races and have encouraged IA members to walk precincts, work phone banks and, most importantly, to get out and vote. He made it clear that he believes in the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships with city, state and nationally elected officials.

Contractual Benefits Improved
Contractual benefits have expanded and increased in value during Short’s term. In 1993, the pension and annuity benefits of the West Coast Industry Plans––which include health and welfare––stood at $1.5 billion. Today, their cumulative value has risen to $5.5 billion.

During the span of years from 1996 to 2005, the motion picture industry’s Individual Account Plan (IAP) grew in value from $308 million to $1.67 billion, an increase of fivefold. As a tribute to the Plan’s capable stewardship of its investments, even when the stock market tumbled in 2002, dropping 22.1 percent for the year, the IAP lost only 8.9 percent of its value.

In the motion picture industry’s traditional Defined Benefit Plan, the monthly benefit received by new retirees, increased by 83 percent since 1994. It’s also important to bear in mind that the Motion Picture Industry Health Plan has remained on solid financial footing, providing high-quality healthcare with no monthly premiums and moderate co-pays–– despite a 135 percent rise in healthcare costs over the last decade.

With the help of employer contributions, the New York-based IATSE National Benefit Funds more than tripled from 2001 to 2006, growing from $175 million in 1993 to over $560 million today.

In 1993, the total assets in the IATSE’s general fund stood at $2.7 million. Today, it stands at almost $40 million, which includes the ownership of two buildings in two major production centers.

At Short’s final meeting of the General Executive Board he summed things up thusly: “I am extremely proud of these accomplishments and the IATSE has been such an important part of my life. As hard as it is for me to believe that this time has come, I am now prepared to move on. I am not leaving for political reasons or for health reasons, but rather because I have learned that life is short and there is a great deal that I have yet to experience and enjoy.”


Outgoing IATSE president Tom Short, center, flanked by the IA’s newly elected president, Matt Loeb, right, and Craig Carlson, newly elected IA vice president, at the IA’s National Executive Board Meeting on July 31 in San Diego. Photo by Vivian Zink. Courtesy of IATSE

The IATSE’s Human Legacy

If you ask Short, his real legacy consists of the human assets he has drawn around him in areas like organizing and leadership. “I was in my mid-40s when I became president,” he said in an interview with David Geffner in the IA’s Official Bulletin. “I wanted to surround myself with smart, aggressive people who were even younger than myself and would inject some much-needed energy into this union. Not only with international reps and division directors, like Matt Loeb, Jamie Wood, Mike Miller, Jr. and John Lewis, who are some of the smartest people you’ll find anywhere, but also with public relations and marketing, benefits experts and writers…who have worked toward changing the perception of this Alliance in the minds of those who did not have generational ties to unions in their families.”

Short believes that union membership offers significant benefits, despite a cynical perspective held by many in the media.

“The public has been presented with this perception of union bosses as being greedy and willing to steal and rob to line their own pockets. Of course, CEOs of corporations are never greedy and never steal and rob from their shareholders, right? Quite honestly, the best organizing tool American and Canadian labor unions have right now is the insatiable greed of employers,” said Short in the Official Bulletin. “I think the tide of perception has shifted and unions are seen more favorably now. People have come to realize: How do you support a family on an eight-dollar-an-hour job with no benefits? It’s simply not possible.”

Jeff Burman represents Sound Editors on the Guild’s Board of Directors. He can be reached at jeffrey.burman@nbcuni.com.

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