A Conversation with Miguel Contreras
Interview by Scott Essman
How large is your LA affiliate's jurisdiction?
We are a federation that has 750,000 union members in LA County and over 350 unions that they belong to. We are the second biggest labor federation-central labor council-anywhere outside New York City. We represent entertainment unions - the IATSE locals, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Teamsters who work on sets - also tourism, amusement parks, and sporting venues. We also represent the ports, communications, utilities, manufacturing operations, health industries and government, including teachers and school districts.
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What do you feel is the role of IATSE as a union within your representation?
Clearly, the industry is important to us, and therefore, the unions are important to us. IATSE has close to 35,000 members in the county of Los Angeles, and 700 is one of the largest of the locals. They help run an industry that is critical to the economy of Los Angeles. It is important for us to help IATSE have their fair share of the work under their jurisdiction organized.
In what ways do you think that IATSE locals need the attention of your office, or could their locals function well enough without strong union ties?
The union has been able to represent that craft for such a long time and sets a premium and a standard for that craft. Without it, there would be a big supply of talent, and there would be a reduction in wages. The union maintains their stronghold in that industry. Individuals can't, but the unions can.
How do
you feel about the proposed tax incentive
for film/TV productions to stay in California?
Right now, the initiative is a two-year bill at the State Legislature, and we are going to go back at it in the year 2000 to get it to pass. It is an attempt by the industry to keep the jobs in film production here in California since we saw much of it going to not just Canada, but more and more to Australia. We are particularly worried how to compete against the cheaper Canadian dollar.
What do
you think the goal of the average Local 700 member
should be in terms of their status as a union
participant?
They are part of the labor movement. Our office's politics and policies are not driven by left vs. right and progressive vs. conservative; they are driven by the haves and the have-nots. We represent the bottom workers, not the top management. Our job is to lift them up and try to create a big middle class in LA County. After all, we want to make sure everybody's standard of living is improved, from editors to janitors. There is a great group in poverty here in LA county, and we have to address that need. People shouldn't sit back and say, "I live in a more affluent area, therefore those problems are not my problems." They are everybody's problems. We all live in LA County.
What can Local 700 members do to get involved in that sense?
They should come to meetings, talk to the union leadership that they elect, and also get involved in other people's issues. Solidarity is a two-way street. We were picketing 4MC in support of Local 700 - those weren't our jobs, but we took workers out there to demonstrate. Local 700 members must do the same thing for workers at the airport or the supermarket who are unorganized - it's all one fight.
What do
you think comprises a strong union,
whether or not an IATSE local?
Three things create a strong union. One, is that the membership has to be informed, through communication and personal contact. Two, is that they have to be supportive of the goals and leadership of the union. Three, is that when leadership calls, they have to be willing to act. They have to come out to demonstrations at non-union shops, support the organizing efforts of the union's organizers, and support the union when they go to the collective bargaining table to represent their best interests. Be informed, be supportive, and be willing to act.
How do
you see the status of union influence
in Los Angeles at this point in time?
This year alone, the LA unions have organized 91,000 new members into their ranks. We had two great victories - 70,000 home health care workers and 800 doctors. Across the country, no one has had the success that we have had. That's because more unions here are putting more resources into organizing. We feel good about unions including 700 who have been hiring more organizers on their staff. We know that we need to be organized if we are going to be effective at the bargaining table.
Do you have an ultimate wish for the future regarding IATSE members?
They ought to be looking at how to be inclusive. What kind of talent are they bringing in behind them? Where is that talent coming from? What are the training programs and apprenticeship programs? How do we spread some of the wealth and talent that the industries have? What hope does the entertainment industry have for people who live in the poor communities in LA county? We have union after union who have lost control of their industries. The leadership and the rank-and-file members of Local 700 are fighting not just their fight. It belongs to all of us, and we want to be there with them when they organize.
And for Miguel Contreras in the future?
From where I sit, I know a little of a lot. I've been in this position at the Los Angeles AFL-CIO about three years now, but this year marks my 30th year in the union movement. I worked for six years directly for Cesar Chavez. He taught us the meaning of dignity and self-worth, standing up for yourself and speaking out. Whether it be a grape grower or an editor, workers have to learn to stand up and realize that they can't be treated like an instrument whether in agriculture or entertainment.
Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter
Vol. 20, No. 6 - November/December 1999
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