"Behind-The-Scenes" Unions
Receive Awards

The Crystal Lee Sutton Awards are named for Crystal Lee Sutton, the textile organizer portrayed in the movie 'Norma Rae.' They "recognize individuals and organizations whose efforts have contributed to presenting positive images of working people to the American public." This year's event was billed as "a special tribute to the people behind the scenes of the entertainment industry and the unions that represent them" and listed

Contingents from all the IA Hollywood locals came out to see IATSE President Tom Short honored at the Crystal Lee Sutton Awards at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A. on July 17th. Richard Masur, president of the Screen Actors Guild, presented him with a plaque.

twenty-five IATSE locals based in L.A. (including local 776, the Editors Guild) as well as IBEW locals 40 & 45, IBPAT local 829, LIUNA local 724, SEIU local 1877, AFM local 47, and NABET-CWA locals 53 & 57. Tony Valdez of KTTV and Marta Waller of KTLA hosted. Presenters included veteran actor/activists John Randolph and Ed Asner, and comedian Will Durst provided a very funny political monologue. The usually invisible hotel workers who serviced the event were recognized and received an ovation (the Biltmore is a unionized hotel).

The event is sponsored by the L.A. County Federation of Labor and the San Francisco-based Film Arts Foundation and benefits 'We Do the Work', the national public television series about workers and workplace issues. Most television news, public affairs and business programs feature corporate, political and academic leaders but rarely present the average Americans whose everyday lives are most affected by policy decision-makers in Washington and on Wall Street. Recognizing this gap in programming, a group of independent producers, community leaders, educators and labor activists formed the California Working Group in 1988. Based in Oakland, the CWG produces the 'We Do The Work' series and the new 'Livelyhood,' shown on public TV stations around the country - KCET in L.A.