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On July 17, the editors and assistants at Granada Factual voted 7 to 1 in favor of union representation with the Guild. Granada Factual is a subsidiary of Granada Media and is primarily a producer for Discovery Networks, creating a number of shows including World Birthday and Crime Scenes Uncovered. They are also working on a series for MTV. The campaign to organize these shows built off the momentum of the New York Times organizing success of 2001. In fact, Granada Factual is located in the same building as New York Times Television. Granada editors first approached Guild organizer Arsenia Reilly about overtime, health insurance and other issues. They recognized that in order to make a change in their work place, they need a union contract. Those who wanted Guild representation spoke to their colleagues about the advantages of the union and continued to meet with Guild staff. Ultimately, they decided to sign National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) authorization cards. Seventy percent of the editorial staff from the past year signed cards, which were then filed at the NLRB. Next, the Guild, Granada management and the NLRB determined an election date and a pool of eligible voters. The election took place without incident, and the voters went right back to work, some within a few minutes of casting their ballots. Throughout the entire process, confidentiality was kept for the employees, and the Guild staff remained accessible to answer any questions. Currently, the editors and assistants are preparing for negotiations. The Guild is committed to organizing documentary and reality programming in order to bring union benefits to those who work in cable television. We encourage all members to call in their jobs, even if they are non-union. If you have any questions about organizing a show you’re working on please call Tris Carpenter at 323-876-4770 x244 in L.A.; Arsenia Reilly at 212-302-0700 x15 in N.Y.; or Andy Larson, 773-594-6598 in Chicago. Other Organizing News Paul Moore has secured agreements for the Eastern Region for live events that cover Editors Guild-represented technical directors and assistants. These agreements have been accomplished in part due to our excellent working relationship with ICG Local 600 Eastern Region Director Chaim Cantor and ICG Local 600 Business Agent John Amman, thus including the camera department and technical directors in a joint agreement. Recent live events contracts include Macy’s 4th of July on NBC, The Tony Awards on CBS, Washington D.C. – A Capitol 4th on PBS, and the music videos Radiohead – Live at the Beacon and Shania Twain: Up & Alive in Chicago. Showcasing East Coast Post Production in L.A. Under the banner of “New York’s Production Road Show,” Assistant Executive Director Paul Moore traveled to Los Angeles this past June as part of a delegation headed by Commissioner Katherine Oliver of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Television and Broad-casting, and Pat Kaufman, Director of the New York State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Develop-ment. This is part of an initiative by both the city and state to entice filmmakers into working in the New York area. Along with representatives from IATSE Local 52, Studio Mechanics, and Local 829, United Scenic Artists, as well as the Teamsters union, Paul participated in a special breakfast presentation for film and television executives at Spago. They spoke of the latest cost-saving developments that the unions offer for producers working in New York, and reminded the audience that New York films and television shows consistently win awards and garner high ratings. Later, they continued with meetings at individual studios, including Sony, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal, Disney and NBC. We have found in the past that when people think of filming in New York, they don’t always consider post production. When the statistics are compiled, they often consist of easily gathered numbers such as permits issued and total shooting days. Who keeps track of “post days”? Taking advantage of every possible opportunity, Paul noted the many award-winning films that have posted in New York (most recently the Academy Award-winning Chicago) and the expertise and depth of our post production talent pool. It was also a good occasion to make both Ms. Kaufman and Ms. Oliver and their staffs more familiar with the close working relationship that the Eastern Region already has with many of the West Coast post production executives. It is a goal of our New York office to make our post production community more visible to the greater world of entertainment media. We want to present a positive image that will encourage producers to see the benefits of bringing their projects to our city. We also will continue to work with other guilds and unions in the New York entertainment industry. With unity, we gain the strength to help ensure jobs and fair working conditions for our members. Training Update As many members know, professional training for our Eastern Region members is supported by the Help Fund of former Local 771 and to a small degree by the Local 771 Videotape Training Fund. In addition, the Eastern Region has its own training room where members can take courses and practice on the latest Avid hardware and software. Unfortunately, demand on the Help Fund, coupled with the poor investment climate, has seriously lowered the fund’s reserves. Reluctantly, the Board must revise the way we fund training or face the fund’s depletion. Effective immediately, the fund will only reimburse one course in a calendar year, to a maximum level of $500.00. In addition, any class subject and level that is also taught in the Guild training room will not be reimbursed if taken at an outside facility. Currently, that applies to any introductory Avid course. On a second front, we are going to design a training program that can take advantage of the remaining training monies and be self-sustaining. The Board is committed to providing an opportunity for members to upgrade and practice their skills. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback. June Meeting Focused on Pro Tools 6 Following in the tradition of earlier meeting presentations by Avid and Apple (Final Cut Pro), Robert Miller of Digidesign offered a presentation entitled “What’s New In Pro Tools 6” at the June quarterly membership meeting. Miller brought a Pro Tools system to the meeting and projected the interface on a screen while demonstrating new features and answering questions from the audience. Because presentations like these often are very specialized, we’ve decided to no longer have them at the quarterly meeting, but to present them as seminars. Instead, the quarterly meetings will focus on union business and labor related topics that hopefully will be of interest to all. |
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