First Time on the Picket Line by Elen Orson There was a letter in the mail from the Editors Guild, asking for participants to come to 4MC in Burbank and walk a picket line. I decided to join in because, when I'm working, there is little time left for me to participate in union activities, and since I wasn't working at the time, I felt I could lend a hand. The credit toward dues was also a great incentive, I might add. Sort of a win-win situation. I have heard about picket lines all my life, since my father was a union member and he had to endure some pretty tough strikes in his career. But I never had the experience myself and had no idea of what to expect. We all congregated at the Grips Local 80 parking lot. Placards were handed out and we signed in. Of the 20 people present, I noticed that there were members of other locals, not just 770 editors. This gave me insight into the unity of the IATSE and I was grateful that other locals were involved in our grievance. The word "solidarity" comes to mind, and I felt a tangible common bond. We walked together the few short blocks to 4MC and began walking in circles. It does make you a bit dizzy. Some of the more experienced members of the group started walking in the other direction, just for a little variety. Soon we were traveling in concentric circles, meeting each other and chatting amongst ourselves as we walked. This is an excellent networking vehicle, I might add. I met editors I had never met before and a spirit of camaraderie developed. Soon, 4MC management became aware of our actions and some of the managers came out and stood on the sidewalk as we orbited the driveways at both the Olive and Alameda entrances. The managers began directing traffic, urging their workers to proceed in. Cars were pausing, people seemed unsure of what was happening, but they all seemed to know there is some law of the jungle that says you never cross a picket line, especially if it's around the entrance to your company. However, this is not a strike; it's an informational picket and those rules do not apply. As we continued to walk, we became aware that one of the managers was listening to our conversations, so we made sure that we uttered sentences with phrases like "contract," "no sleep and no medical," "breaking agreements" and "corporate greed" as we filed past him. He was annoyed at the whole situation - his clients were arriving for their morning sessions - but he never said a word to us. His mouth just settled into a thin hard line. For us, it became a sort of consciousness-raising session, because the conversations really did begin to revolve around labor issues and the upcoming Board of Directors elections. From time to time passing cars honked and gave us a "V" sign or a thumbs up. This seemed to annoy the 4MC manager most of all, because in the course of an hour and a half there were at least 30 of these unsolicited signs of support. I think that was almost more unnerving to him than our presence. It also did us a lot of good to hear those honks, because after a time your knees do ache and your thoughts turn to the warmer clothes you didn't wear. These horns cheered us on, literally. So, for the next few weeks, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7:30 to 9:15 in the morning and 4:30 to 6:15 in the afternoon, try to drive past 4MC on your way to and from work and honk your horn. It means a lot to the people on the line, and to the unhappy 4MC managers who have to stand there and listen to it. For more on 4MC see: Guild Rally Leads to Adjournment of 4MC Stockholders' Meeting by Eric Chaudron   Elen Orson has been an editor in Los Angeles since 1977.   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 20, No. 1 - Jan/Feb 1999   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1999, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700