by A. Maddy Shirazi, Eastern Region Guild Board Member

Eastern Region representatives have accelerated outreach efforts for the Guild in locations from Boston to Florida. In the last six months, they have met with new or potential members in Boston, Washington, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Nashville.

They have been attending COMPTU (Council of Motion Picture and Television Unions) meetings in New York, and field representative Annie Ballard and assistant executive director Paul Moore sat with other union leaders on a panel hosted by the NYC Department of Education and the Museum of the Moving Image. “Career preparation for the entertainment
industry” was the topic discussed in front of an audience of high school educators.

A large portion of the East Coast postproduction market is in reality television and telecine, therefore the Guild is focussing on organizing these jobs. Two of the contracts in negotiation as of this writing are Granada Television (New York) and “Knock First” (Scout Productions, Boston). In January, the IATSE General Office in New York invited all their locals to a meeting to discuss organizing cable television, with an emphasis on reality television programming.

Representatives have also been bringing a Guild presence to the quarterly meetings of Film Florida, a statewide, industrywide association of vendors, unions and film commissioners. This group is a vital part of the industry in Florida. The Guild has learned a tremendous amount from them about trends and issues in Florida production; and has also been able to solidify relationships with our IATSE colleagues there, as well as with their labor-friendly Film Commissioner Susan Albershardt.

Another avenue for outreach has been industry events, such as those held by Women in Film and Video. The Guild recently had a booth at the WIFT Job Fair in Washington, D.C., which had an excellent turnout and provided good exposure to a broad cross-section of the Washington postproduction community. In addition, our staff is working on outreach at New York universities to inform future generations about the Guild and the craft of editing.

Eastern Region participated in ShowBiz Expo in New York on March 4th with a distinguished panel of re-recording mixers, picture, sound and music editors and assistants. A full report is filed in this issue.

The staff is working with an increasing number of Guild member editors to negotiate and write new “one production” agreements for independent documentaries. This type of contract can originate anywhere, not just from New York. If you have a documentary job coming up and you need healthcare and retirement benefits, call Paul Moore or Annie Ballard at the Guild office to discuss the possibility of an one-production agreement with your production company.

Eastern Region members are always urged to report their union and nonunion jobs and any general industry news to the Guild office by calling: 212.302.0700, x19, or E-mail: aballard@editorsguild.com.

Voters Registration
Thomas C. Short, IATSE International President, wrote the following in an article in the Second Quarter 2003 issue of IATSE Official Bulletin: “The Washington political scene is not worker-friendly. Now, more than ever, as individuals and as organized labor, we need to stand up, be heard and be counted. The very least you should do is register and vote. Every vote does count.” In response to Short’s earnest request, the Guild formed a voter registration committee to encourage members to register to vote and participate actively in our country’s political process. Sharon Smith Holley and I volunteered to head this committee. With the help and creativity of Harry Peck Bolles, we have produced a flyer that has been distributed in New York and California. Many members on the west coast have been helping Sharon distribute flyers, do phone banking and organize other voter registration activities. Here on the East Coast, we have received help mainly from executive board members. We are now asking for the Eastern Region membership to get involved in this very important task.

Guild executive director Ron Kutak, in the January/February 2004 issue of the Editors Guild Magazine, wrote: “Labor is under attack in Washington, and it would be irresponsible to claim otherwise. Since 2004 is a presidential election year, it is important that members understand the Guild’s motivations and policies as an institution.

“With the 40-hour workweek in serious jeopardy, at this time, we must, as union members, organize for the survival of the principles that so many of our predecessors fought (to preserve). Our democracy can only work if we participate in the electoral process. If every union household in this country took the responsibility of registering one new voter, the number of eligible voters would increase by tens of millions.”

The great anthropologist Margaret Mead, in stressing her belief that people, in large numbers and small, are capable of making a crucial difference in the world, said it best: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Yes, every vote counts. [212.866.5608 or E-mail: shirazny@aol.com]

History Project
The History Project is moving along; and, since our last report, we have interviewed three more members on videotape. Ted Troll joined Local 771 in 1954. Elected to the Executive Board in1968, he was president of the Local from 1978 until Local 771 merged with Local 776 to form Local 700. Ted retired in 2002 after serving one term as an Eastern Region director. Wally Katz joined Local 771 in 1955. During his long and active membership, he served on various committees of the Executive Board, and as the Local’s secretary. After his retirement in 1987, Wally remained on the Election Committee until the merger. Robert Braverman, another long-time member, joined Local 771 in 1958. He served on the Executive Board as chairman of the membership committee and also on the merger committee during the merger negotiations with Local 776.

As of this writing, we have plans to interview more members in the New York area, and as many members as possible who have moved to the west coast over the years. We are also planning a 20-minute promotional piece that we will use to apply for grants to continue the project. If any of our members have leads in this regard, please contact me.

Recently, the Guild’s Board of Directors approved some funding for these preliminary plans, so we can continue this very exciting and important work. Many talented Guild members are participating in this endeavor, but we always can use more help, ideas and advice. This is your union and your story. We are open to any suggestions you may have to advance the History Project.

[212.866.5608 or E-mail: shirazny@aol.com]