IATSE_3rd2017_web

Bulletin in advance of those receiving the
paper copy.
I thank those Locals and members
who have contributed stories of their activities
and successes for publication in
the Bulletin. I also wish to thank General
Secretary-Treasurer James B. Wood and
Assistant to the Editor MaryAnn Kelly for
their dedication to making the Bulletin
one of the International’s most valuable
and enduring tools.
EDUCATION AND
TRAINING DEPARTMENT
I continue to firmly believe that furthering
the education of our members,
elected local union leaders, and International
personnel will stimulate the
IATSE’s future growth. Under my leadership,
the IATSE’s Education and Training
Department has fostered an extraordinary
culture of continuous learning in
every segment of our Union. The Department
has divided its energies among
three primary areas: (i) union leadership
training, (ii) craft skills and safety
training (in conjunction with the IATSE
Training Trust Fund), and (iii) outreach
to high school and college students. As
described below, each of these areas includes
multiple initiatives, which the
Department has continuously expanded
since the close of the 2013 Convention.
Thankfully, our education and training
programs have received tremendous
support from IATSE Locals and workers
across the U.S. and Canada.
Union Leadership Training
In May 2014, the Alliance debuted one
of the most groundbreaking initiatives
of the Education and Training Department—the
IATSE Officer Institute. This
inventive one-week training course offers
local union leaders access to the skills they
need to effectively run their IATSE Locals.
It is a key part of our vision of strengthening
the Alliance from the bottom up. The
curriculum offers measures of knowledge
for effective leadership in areas
such as: labor history, labor law, strategic
planning, organizing, contract administration,
collective bargaining, record
keeping, communications, activism, and
time management. Participants are also
introduced to a range of other resources
available to IA Locals through the International
Union and the IATSE Entertainment
and Exhibition Industries Training
Trust Fund (TTF).
To help make the Officer Institute
useful and relevant, input from every
corner of the Alliance was solicited. International
Department Directors collaborated
on the curricula and exercises.
The Education and Training Department
consulted local representatives about the
proposed subjects of study, logistics, and
goals for the program. Finally, in April
of 2014, together with IATSE Vice Presidents,
officers, representatives and other
key staff members, I participated in the
program as an inaugural student. This
experience allowed many members of
the IA family to refine their core competencies
while assisting with further development
of the program.
As the Officer Institute has evolved,
we have welcomed instructors and advisors
from leading educational institutions
including Cornell University,
McMaster University, the University of
Arkansas, the University of Oregon and
the AFL-CIO’s Bonnie Ladin Union
Skills Program. Prominent lawyers and
accountants who work with the IATSE
have also provided valuable contributions.
Beginning with the first session in
May 2014, IATSE leaders from every territory
and craft have attended the Officer
Institute. These officials serve virtually
every segment of the Alliance, from the
largest Locals to the smallest. To date, 597
local union representatives from 174 local
unions have graduated from the Officer
Institute. The skills imparted by these
programs have consequently reached
over 92 percent of the IATSE’s membership.
Sessions of the Officer Institute have
been hosted in locations throughout
the U.S. and Canada including Atlanta,
Austin, Baltimore, Calgary, Cambridge,
Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and
Vancouver. An additional session will be
scheduled for October 2017 in Orlando.
At every stop, host local unions partnered
with the International to welcome participants.
Without their support, this initiative
would not have been possible.
To aid small Locals and encourage
their participation in the Officer Institute,
the General Executive Board voted
in 2016 to provide thirty subsidies (ten
for each of three consecutive sessions) to
IA local unions with less than $250,000
in gross receipts during the previous year.
These subsidies were eagerly utilized by
the leaders of our smaller Locals. Along
with the staff of the Education and Training
Department, I continue to hear complimentary
remarks from participants.
This training has helped leaders flourish
within their local unions as they share
the skills that they learned.
IATSE Officer Institute participants
62 OFFICIAL BULLETIN