Labor Matters Compiled by Jeff Burman Daily Overtime Restored Governor Gray Davis recently signed assemblyman Wally Knox's bill restoring daily overtime. Working men and women are once again guaranteed time-and-a-half if they work more than eight hours a day. If they work more than 12 hours a day, they are entitled to double-time. The bill also provides for scheduling flexibility. Daily overtime had been eliminated by former governor Pete Wilson in 1997, affecting some 8 million California employees. "This bill is important to us because labor is a spokesperson for working people. Whether they are in a union or not, we are the only representative they have," says Tom Rankin, president of the California Federation of Labor. Daily overtime guarantees do not apply to collective-bargaining agreements, but without the daily overtime law on the books, many feared that overtime could be selectively ruled out by the Industrial Welfare Commission, or be back on the table during negotiations for new contracts. For more, visit their web site. Job Flight Bills Pass Assembly Two controversial bills that attempt to prevent film and television industry job flight have been approved by the California state assembly. At press time, the bills await scrutiny by the state Senate's Revenue and Taxation Committee. In a recent study by the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America, it was found that, in 1998, $2.8 billion worth of film and television productions and 23,500 entertainment jobs had "run away" to other countries to save money. Of those that ran, nine out of 10 went to Canada. The study puts the dollar loss at 16% of total U.S. film and TV production, or $10.3 billion, figuring in ripple effects of job and tax losses. There is no breakdown for California or any other state. Assembly Bill 358 (Wildman) would authorize a 10% credit for qualified production wages and salaries. Assembly Bill 484 (Kuehl) would allow a 6% credit for qualified development, production and distribution wages and salaries. Kuehl's bill would apply to productions budgeted at under $5 million. Hiring credits for both bills are based on the state's minimum wage, not on the overall industry average salary, which the assembly Committee on Appropriations estimates at $53,000 a year. Many who consider job flight a serious issue characterize these bills as "corporate welfare," since they are state-subsidized giveaways to, in this case, producers. The bills also amount to a short-sighted race to the bottom in a war of competing regional concessions. Many of the jobs in questions are, in fact, low-paying - whether they end up in Toronto, Vancouver or Los Angeles. In their place, some favor a coordinated national tax and incentive plan for film and television production, achieved by lobbying labor's friends in congress. Others have suggested an import surcharge for shows with a majority of their production and post-production work down outside the States. Still others look forward to stepped-up organizing efforts in Canada and Mexico. At press time, the bills are not endorsed by organized labor. For more on an advocacy group that supports the bills, visit their web site. For the full text of the SAG/DGA study, visit their web site. L.A. County Doctors Unionize With the State of California's MediCal managed-care program ranked 49th nationally for per-capita funding, and the number of uninsured Californians growing at a rate of 50,000 per month, things haven't looked good for the state's public-sector doctors. In Los Angeles, after a three-year cost-cutting campaign failed miserably in 1996, county-run hospitals avoided bankruptcy only because of a federal bailout. Over the next three years, more and more of the 800 physicians at L.A. County hospitals campaigned to organize a union, as reported in the last edition of this column. Finally, they've succeeded, and are now represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. How did these notoriously independent-minded doctors vote? The tally was 341-182. The L.A. County doctors can now be expected to start a new campaign: fighting for the proper care of their mostly poor and uninsured patients. Elsewhere, the conservative American Medical Association (AMA) has also shown interest in combating managed-care encroachment. At its annual summer meeting in Chicago, the AMA voted to form a "collective-bargaining unit" to help negotiate contracts with hospitals, medical schools, HMOs and other managed-care groups with salaried doctors on their payrolls. The AMA is also lobbying congress to change federal law to allow private-practice physicians to negotiate collectively with managed-care firms. For more, visit their web site. Microsoft "PermaTemps" Join Union In another sign that trade unions are alive and well, a determined group of Microsoft temporary workers has joined the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (WashTech), a Seattle affiliate of the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The employees include certified public accountants, attorneys, certified financial managers and MBAs. They contend that they are denied pay and benefit equity, and are pressured to sign restrictive contracts as a condition of employment. The effort could have national ramifications for Microsoft, which employs as many as 6,500 temporary workers, many of whom are on assignments lasting as long as 18 months. Labor unions generally have a tough time organizing professionals, and have had precious little success with skilled temporary workers, who play an increasingly critical role in the high-tech sector. In May, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that up to 15,000 past and present Microsoft employees may be entitled to some of the same benefits as permanent employees. Microsoft has asked for a review of the decision. For more, visit their web site. NABET/CWA Settles with Disney The National Alliance of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians (NABET)/ CWA has ratified a new contract with Disney/ABC Television. The agreement covers editors; field, studio and master control engineers; videotape operators; camera operators; and others. At issue were wage increases of approximately 3% and the clarification of a variety of work rules. More than 1,800 NABET/CWA members are affected by this agreement, which translates to roughly 80% of the union's membership. Ballots were counted at CWA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on July 16. The NABET contract has no effect on work covered by IATSE bargaining units. For more, visit their web site.   Jeff Burman is an assistant editor representative on the Guild's Board of Directors. He can be reached via e-mail   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 20, No. 4 - July/August1999   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1999, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700