20% Membership Growth Inspires IATSE Convention Unconventional Wisdom at the IATSE's 63rd Conclave by Jeff Burman The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada (the IA for short) held its 63rd convention in Toronto, from July 20th to the 24th. This was the first convention held by our "umbrella" union on its new triennial cycle. Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Cleveland, Ohio) holds his congressional voting card in his right hand and his IATSE Local 600 union card in his left. He gave a militant and rousing speech to the IA convention in July. There were 789 delegates from 368 Canadian and American locals, according to the official count. The Editors Guild sent a delegation of thirteen - Guild Secretary Diane Adler, Treasurer Jim Butler, Sergeant-at-Arms Rachel Igel, Executive Director Ron Kutak, and board members Jan Ambler, Richard Burton, Joanne D'Antonio, Bill Elias, Bruce Fortune, Maureen O'Connell, Mary Prange, Karen Rasch, and myself. Changing for the Future The theme of the convention was "Changing for the Future." It was no idle statement. If the IA generally resembles a mid-sized steamship, laboring on the high seas, reluctant to change direction at this convention it moved gracefully, looking more like a catamaran as it tacked and changed course. Perhaps the most notable change was a constitutional amendment which requires that "any person who has achieved vested status in a local or national defined benefit pension plan shall immediately be taken into membership without [a] vote..." It seems that not all IA locals were allowing people into membership even though they had been working in that local's jurisdiction. Karen Rasch and Jeff Burman share experiences with delegates from Local 771 at the Guild's get-together. Money for More Organizing Another constitutional amendment funds a new national Director of Organizing, with subordinate new departments for motion picture and television production, for stage craft, and for trade shows. The funding stream is from a "per capita tax paid to the International from each local union...increased by $3.00 (from $32 per quarter to $35 per quarter) effective January 1, 1999. This increase in the per capita tax is [for]... the aggressive pursuit of our overall goals with the necessary funds to secure more employment for our membership." While we're on the topic of money, it would be unfair to overlook IA President Tom Short's increase in salary to $200,000 a year. If one compares this level of pay with what many studio executives get, it doesn't sound quite as alarming as it did in Daily Variety. A New Deal for Same-Gender Partners at District 2 Another stunning note of progress, felt perhaps more in its tone than anything else, was a matter-of-fact pronouncement by 2nd IA Vice President Eddie Powell at the District 2 meeting which took place on the Saturday and Sunday before the convention began. 776 delegates Karen Rasch and Richard Burton enjoy the Presidential Ball hosted by the IATSE. Mr. Powell reaffirmed the policy of the IA and the Health Plan offering health benefits to qualified same-gender partners. An assertion not stunning in point of fact, but one that might well have been either heckled or stifled in the past. By the way, the question of health benefits for "domestic partners" was answered politely in the negative. Such coverage is not offered because a) the option of marriage is generally available, b) other benefits were readily available, and interestingly c) there proved to be little demand for such benefits and d) the cost for these benefits was relatively low. He-e-ere's Dennis The broadening scope of the IATSE was evident in President Tom Short's glowing introduction of fellow Clevelandite and keynote speaker, U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Mr. Kucinich is not only from a union family - his dad was a Teamster - he's also a member of IATSE National Camera Local 600. At the age of 27 he was elected to the Cleveland City Council. In 1977, when he became mayor of Cleveland, he was the youngest person ever elected to lead a major American city. He demonstrated his commitment to the cause of labor by delivering a rousing speech, culminating with him singing a few bars of Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons." Try these excerpts on for size: "I've never seen the IA as united, focussed and in sync as it was at this convention," said Guild delegate Bill Elias of this, his 13th convention. "In the United States...attempts to privatize public assets and public services is an attack on the idea of democracy. The attack on education with vouchers and charter schools takes money away from public education. The attack on Medicare, the creation of HMOs and medical savings accounts takes money away from public resources for health care. The attack on Social Security, the attempt to turn Social Security over to Wall Street for investment is an attack on people's right to a secure retirement. "This destruction of the public realm has a symmetry with the attacks on government and unions...the privatization of waste collection, of sewers, of water systems, state services, converts the public wealth to private wealth, to private profits, and energizes this broad attack that we're experiencing on wage levels and benefits. We must repeat in every city and state that public services are a public trust, not private loot to be distributed. (Left to right) Delegates Jeff Burman, Diane Adler, Mary Prange, Maureen O'Connell and Jan Ambler enjoy a night away from convention work at a local restaurant. "We cannot look, brothers and sisters, working men and women, members of the IATSE - we cannot look to the global marketplace to protect democratic values, the environment or human health. The business, indeed, the duty of the global market is to seek profit, not to dispense fair wages, safe working conditions, freedom to speak, freedom to organize, to worship or to vote. Unionists have to protect democratic values. "I can almost hear that voice of old Tennessee Ernie Ford, 'You load sixteen tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store.' No more company stores! Bill Elias chats to a Local 771 delegate at the party the Guild hosted to get acquainted with our New York counterparts. "When both work and workers are valued, when all men and women are given a chance to earn their daily bread, when all are paid a living wage, when hands, strong and weak, can clasp in common enterprise to seek and to build a newer world, then every day will belong to workers and every voice will praise the moment when human toil has lifted the human condition. Solidarity, brothers and sisters! Thank you!" Just imagine the applause and cheering. Toward a National Editors Guild In a fitting denouement to a remarkably congenial convention, the Editors Guild hosted a dinner for our New York and Chicago counterparts. Working relationships were forged and friendships renewed. IA President Tom Short dropped by to bless the proposed union. Fathers and Sons Highlighting the overall theme of harmony was a pair of touching gestures. When it came time to nominate executive officers, in two instances sons nominated fathers. First Joseph Short, of local 27 in Cleveland, nominated his dad, Tom Short. Then George Palazzo, of local 729 in L.A., nominated his dad, Fifth Vice President Carmine Palazzo. Later, when I congratulated George Palazzo for lending such good grace to his father, his own small son found his father in the crowd and embraced him. There is something warm and enduring about union families. Ted Troll (president of 771) , Andy Younger (Chicago Local 780 business agent), our Executive Director Ron Kutak and Bill Hanauer of 771 all got together at the Guild's party.   Jeff Burman is an assistant editor representative on the Guild's Board of Directors. Photographs by Diane Adler and Maureen O'Connell.   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 19, No. 5 - September/October 1998   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1998, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 776