#12 in a Series

The Eastern Breeze

Meetings Focus on Contract Issues

by Martin Levenstein, Guild 2nd Vice President

Eastern Region Contracts

Guild contracts have lately been the subject of considerable discussion among Eastern Region members. Unlike the West Coast, where most covered employment is done under the IATSE West Coast Basic Agreement, the situation in the East is complicated by the fact that we work under a number of different contracts. Many of these trace their origins to agreements negotiated by Local 771, which remained in effect after the merger. In addition, we have agreements negotiated collectively by the seven New York production locals for television series and certain motion pictures that are produced and edited in New York. And finally, there are IATSE national agreements that can cover our members, as well.

Quarterly Membership Meeting

The June 6 Quarterly Membership Meeting was very well attended. Many members came to express their concern about “negotiating down” our Independent Feature Agreement. Some producers are willing to sign an IATSE contract but plead very low resources. The Independent Feature Agreement is flexible and is negotiated separately for each show. Working under a union contract is always better than working non-union. Some shows end up paying lower rates than our Majors or Independent agreements because these shows are lower budget, and they are bargained jointly with the other NY production locals. Rate reductions are shared equally from one local to another. Editors, and sound crews in particular, are under pressure to do enormous amounts of work in a short time. Overtime is often a subject the producer doesn’t want to hear about, and consequently some editors find that they put in the extra time without asking for extra pay (re-recording stages tend to pay overtime much more consistently). The Guild wants all members to put in for overtime and will support members who do. If you’re being pressured to ignore your overtime, we strongly encourage you to call the Guild office.

Lively Eastern Region Board Meeting

The discussion continued at the June 27 Eastern Region Board of Directors meeting. Approximately 20 members attended, including many who had not been at the quarterly meeting. A lively exchange of ideas took place, with all in agreement that working under covered employment was very important, not only for benefits, but also because Guild agreements provide a mechanism to protect and support our members.

It was pointed out that no rate scale for sound editors exists in the IATSE National Low Budget Agreement. Norman Gay, Eastern Region Business Representative, explained that IA negotiators modeled the contract on the West Coast experience, in which sound for these projects is generally done by fixed facilities that have their own agreements with the IA. As new agreements are negotiated, a sound editor rate will be included. Meanwhile, sound editors working under an IA Low Budget agreement should call the Guild office, and the Guild will establish a rate with the producer on a case by case basis.

The Eastern Region Directors and I feel that the opportunity to exchange ideas with members is the backbone of our union activities, and we are grateful that members have brought their concerns to our attention. An active organization with free and vital communication between members and elected officials guarantees a strong and effective Guild. Please join with us and be heard. Meetings occur on the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Guild office. Please call the office to confirm before coming.

BECTU Comes To New York

In June, Martin Spence and Peter Cox, officials of BECTU, the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph & Theatre Union of the UK, visited the Editor’s Guild in New York. They were met by Ron Kutak, Cathy Repola, Norman Gay and me.

The meetings covered various items of common interest, including training opportunities, patterns of international corporate ownership, work permits and immigration laws, rates of pay and working conditions, new media and the exchange of member directories. It was also an opportunity to meet on a friendly level and share information with union members from a country with whom we have many professional affiliations. The information we exchanged was valuable for both guilds. (Ron offers his perspective on the meetings.)