NOR'EASTER
The Importance of Being Organized
by Martin Levenstein
 Martin Levenstein |
Union leadership must devote its energies to serving union members. A primary focus, if not the primary focus of the staff and Board of Directors for the Eastern Region is to organize jobs and facilities and to administer union agreements. I believe this is the most important function our union can perform for us. Companies and productions that hire our members––either staff or freelance––are important targets to explore for the possibility of negotiating a contract. That way our members––most of whom work freelance––can go from one job to the next, from employer to employer, secure in the knowledge that they enjoy all of the protections of a union contract, including health and pension benefits.
For example, a recent signatory to our agreement is Goldcrest Post-Production, which has a facility in Greenwich Village. Goldcrest has editing space, a mixing/dubbing stage and a screening room, among other provided services. Our agreement allows them to contract post-production work on signatory projects and hire our members to work on those shows. The terms of each individual union agreement will be imported into Goldcrest and union wages and benefits will be paid. This agreement covers all Guild classifications, including picture editors, sound editors, music editors, assistant editors, re-recordists, machine room operators, etc. Members now have another venue at which they are able to enjoy the benefits of working union.
By organizing, we will also gain new members. There are many capable people working in post-production who are not Guild members and are working for non-signatory companies. Many of them are interested in the union but don’t know how to join. Others are not interested in joining because they see no benefit to themselves or worse, feel the union is a hindrance to their employment.
One of the most damaging things we can do to ourselves is to allow the existence of an alternate, non-union workforce. This will only help to sustain an alternate, non-union, post-production universe. The more we organize, the more benefit it will be to our members––and the more appealing the union will be for non-members. In time, we will attract these workers and gain in numbers and strength.
As members, what can we do to help the organizing effort? Report your jobs! This lets the union know what companies are hiring and which members are working. On shows in Reality TV, where many editors may come and go over an extended period of time, reporting of jobs gives the union knowledge about the scope of production and may enlarge the pool of individuals able to sign representation cards.
If the job is non-union, call the Eastern Region’s Assistant Executive Director Paul Moore or Field Representative Annie Ballard and help them create a strategic organizing campaign that is tailored to the specific situation. It is the responsibility of each member to assist the union in advertising. If you know people who are not members and are working non-union, please encourage them to contact the Guild as well. If we all work together, we can make a difference.
Pension and Health Plan Changes
After June 30, Eastern Region members will no longer be able to self-pay premiums
for themselves and their families to have health coverage under the Motion
Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan (MPIPHP). Since the merger of the
Local 771 Plans into the MPIPHP, members who have not worked enough hours
under signatory agreements (where the employer contributes to the plan) to
maintain eligibility have been able to pay their own premiums to make up the
difference.
This has been possible even if a member has had no employer contributed hours in any qualifying period. Now some members may find themselves having to make very difficult choices regarding their health care coverage. This underscores the importance of Guild agreements. To be blunt, working under Guild agreements is the only way we are going to get our MPIPHP benefits paid.
Final Cut Pro Seminar
On February 23, a seminar was held as an introduction to working on Final
Cut Pro. Comparisons were made to working on Avid. The seminar was coordinated
by Board member Carrie Puchkoff, and featured editor member Sara Thorson,
who has much experience working on the two platforms. The seminar was open
to all active members, and was followed by another weekend of workshops that
provided members with hands-on access to Final Cut Pro under instructor supervision.
If this is the first you are hearing of this seminar, it might be because we don’t have your e-mail address. Contact Sandy Fong-Ging, the New York Office Manager, if you would like to be placed on the notification list. Her e-mail is sfong-ging@editorsguild.com. Seminars and events for the Eastern Region will also be posted on the Guild’s website). They are open to all members, no matter where they live.
Our training room also offers unsupervised lab time on Adobe Products and Final Cut Pro. We are working toward obtaining Adrenaline and Pro-Tools systems from Avid and will increase our offerings of seminars, workshops and lab time on these products. Contact Field Representative Ballard for training information.
Martin Levenstein, a Picture Editor member, is the Second Vice President of the Editors Guild.