IATSE_3rd2017_web

the IATSE has participated in “Hidden
Career Path Days” which are presented
in conjunction with the Roundabout
Theatre Company in New York City.
High school students meet on six separate
days throughout the year to learn
about the work of stagehands, sound
technicians, wardrobe personnel, hair
and makeup artists, and front-of-house
staff. Volunteer members teach abbreviated
lessons on specific aspects of their
crafts and lead tours of their workplaces
in Broadway theatres and other venues
around New York City. Representatives
of New York area IA Locals have been
instrumental in assisting the Education
Department staff with these events. In
addition to volunteering as presenters
for “Hidden Career Path Days,” IATSE
members also appear at various high
school college and career days, helping
the workers of the future learn about
unions and the IATSE.
In 2016, the IATSE also began assisting
the Roundabout Theatre Company
with a new program—The Theatrical
Workforce Development Program. A
natural continuation of “Hidden Career
Path Days,” this three-year program will
train recent New York City public high
school graduates to explore positions as
young theatre technicians in entry-level
jobs upon graduation.
Meanwhile, the annual USITT conference
attracts college students from
around the U.S. It offers an excellent
opportunity to meet the workers of the
future. Recently, the IATSE has taken a
more systematic approach to this event
(e.g., leading panels and conducting preconference
OSHA training, using the
Training Trust Fund curricula) to maximize
our ability to communicate with
potential future members of the Alliance.
We must continue to introduce the
IATSE to these young people who are on
the verge of graduating from college and
graduate school with excellent skills and
energy.
Finally, IATSE representatives are
available upon request to present workshops
at theatre and film schools regarding
the IATSE. A version of this presentation
is also available upon request to local
unions that wish to use it for outreach.
IATSE TRAINING TRUST FUND
At the 67th Convention in 2013, I reported
about the historic establishment of
the IATSE Entertainment and Exhibition
Industries Training Trust Fund (TTF)—a
joint labor-management training fund
established to offer training opportunities
for IATSE members and those working
under IATSE agreements in crafts represented
by the Alliance. The Training Trust
Fund has grown exponentially since our
2013 Convention, when it was still in its
infancy.
The TTF is a trust fund governed by
federal law in the U.S. As a labor-management
fund under ERISA, the Training
Trust Fund has an equal number of
employer-appointed trustees and unionappointed
trustees. The Board of Trustees
has grown in recent years. There are now
seventeen Trustees (one employer Trustee
seat is vacant). The TTF strives to serve
all IATSE Locals, large and small. We are
satisfied that the TTF’s programs can accommodate
each group’s needs by considering
their prior training, experience,
and capacity. It has developed programs
to meet the diverse needs of the Alliance’s
varied, growing workforce. The Trust
has done so by listening to leaders and
workers from across the IATSE. At our
last Convention, a survey was conducted
to determine the IA’s most pressing training
needs and wants. Delegates’ input
from the 2013 survey was used to establish
a multitude of programs to reach
Locals and members throughout the U.S.
and Canada.
The mission of the Trust is to promote
industry recognized standards for safety,
skills and craftsmanship in the entertainment
and exhibition industries. It does
so by providing training that improves
existing skills, develops new skills, embraces
technological change, and focuses
on the safest way to perform the work of
our crafts. It supports training opportunities
for all employees working under
the jurisdiction of the IATSE. It has developed
state-of-the-art training tools,
resources and methods. Additionally,
the TTF is guided by a vision of a workforce
with the highest level of training in
skills, safety and craftsmanship, across the
IATSE’s jurisdictions.
The policies and procedures of the
Training Trust Fund have been routinely
refined to meet the growing needs of our
organization. There are now ten full-time
employees of the Training Trust Fund
working on its various programs, initiatives
and administrative functions. The
Fund is also constantly expanding the
programs it offers, projects underway, and
resources developed. This has been made
possible by the ever-increasing number of
local unions that negotiate employer contributions
to the Training Trust Fund into
their collective bargaining agreements. As
of December 2016, over 100 local unions
have negotiated for Training Trust Fund
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