IATSE_3rd2017_web

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However, in other areas around the country fewer broadcast workers enjoy union representation, putting the hardearned living standards of our members at risk. In America’s competitive broadcast marketplace, employers have tremendous economic incentives to outsource work, cut pay, and cut benefits. In some areas, our broadcast members are competing with non-union employers offering poverty wages. The only solution is to grow the IATSE’s influence by organizing these unorganized workers. I am pleased to report that against this background, our Broadcast Department representatives have skillfully served our members, organized more work, and negotiated respectable contracts. IATSE broadcast Locals representing workers in traditional television stations have faced a wide range of obstacles during the last four years. Decentralization of television distribution because of the internet has produced new generations of consumers known as “cord cutters” (people who have opted out of standard cable television subscriptions) and “cord nevers” (those who never had standard subscriptions). Because of these trends, market share for local television news has decreased. In response, many stations have embarked upon rounds of cost-cutting measures that often include technical automation and job reductions. Employers have plotted ways to pool news content from multiple stations rather than dedicating their local news to one specific region. Much like similar efforts in print journalism, this practice could lead to local news roundups, a practice sometimes called “commodity news.” Employers have also explored “hubbing” (consolidating job functions at central locations) and sought to eliminate the Union’s exclusive jurisdiction. Collectively, these schemes and practices have led to employment cuts and increased workloads for remaining IATSE employees. Local news companies have experimented with smartphone apps to encourage freelance paparazzi shooters to cover breaking stories. These events are then broadcast digitally. If the shooters’ footage is used, they are paid a flat rate. The IATSE, which has a long history of representing news photographers and photojournalists, has been battling against this practice with multiple employers. Along with the changing nature of TV news, another major event threatening to disrupt historic broadcast trends is the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) auction of portions of over-the-air television broadcast spectrum. The FCC’s efforts will reallocate portions of the television broadcast spectrum to the telecom industry for use by mobile devices and to provide the bandwidth for the introduction of fifth generation wireless systems (i.e., “5G”). These changes will revolutionize the so-called internet of things and usher in new levels of personal automation. Users will be connected to a vast array of media devices that anticipate the needs and patterns of users. It will also allow for direct distribution of content, which may disrupt current distribution models. IATSE broadcast officials have predicted that some local TV stations may go off the air and instead transition exclusively to internet distribution. This transfer of public airwaves into private hands will have long lasting consequences for individuals working on local and regional broadcasts. Many broadcasters have engaged in hard bargaining and evaded deals on successor contracts with IATSE Locals until the spectrum auction is over. This has forced our Locals to continually fight to maintain IATSE standards in this area. IA members working at local stations have seen some progress in the last year after engaging communities (through town hall meetings and political activism) with dogged determination. These efforts led to staffing guarantees and wage increases for broadcast members working on the West Coast. Freelance remote broadcast employees working on regional sports networks—many of whom have now been represented by the IATSE for years— enjoy some of the best wages and benefits in the industry. The broadcast Locals involved in remote sports events now bring content to air for fifty-two professional sports teams, including members of Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the Women’s National Basketball Association. Along with these professional sporting events, IA Locals cover certain National Football League events; semi— professional, college, and international soccer; boxing and other fighting events; collegiate sports; tennis; golf; and other assorted sporting events. Over a decade ago, when the IA began expanding its jurisdiction in the broadcast industry, it represented freelance sports broadcast technicians working under five contracts. Today, the IATSE has forty-seven contracts with employers involved in live sports content. 70 OFFICIAL BULLETIN
To increase our strength at the bargaining table, eight local unions in the Southwestern U.S. recently came together to bargain the IATSE’s first multi-region contract with Fox Sports Net. Locals representing technicians at Fox Sports Net West/Prime Ticket, Fox Sports Net San Diego, Fox Sports Net Arizona, and Fox Sports Net Southwest all participated in developing proposals and negotiating the combined regional contract. I believe the resulting agreement, which was ratified by the Locals, will set models, patterns, and customary standards for this work. It will lead to greater bargaining strength for the entire IATSE Broadcast Department. As with automation in local newsrooms, media companies are also experimenting with automation in live broadcast situations. For low-revenue content, companies are replacing traditional mobile broadcast units (i.e., remote broadcast trucks) with employees located in studio hubs. Camera operators, audio assistants, and utility technicians remain at the event site and feed content to the studio. The studios may be hundreds of miles from the city where the feed originates. We expect this practice will expand as companies refine these procedures. So far, the IA has negotiated terms that keep this work covered by our contracts and we will work to make sure it stays that way. As the Broadcast Department gains greater bargaining power with our existing employers, it remains committed to new organizing. Many fellow technicians working in regional television across the country still covet the benefits of a union contract. And the IATSE’s broadcast contracts and benefit plans are second to none. Bringing more unrepresented technicians together will provide the strength, solidarity, and unity needed to make further progress. During the past four years, the Alliance has seen major growth in college sports broadcast networks. The IATSE prevailed in two separate elections to represent regional employees of the Big Ten Network (BTN) in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Both groups achieved a first contract with BTN and have established a positive working relationship. Additionally, broadcast members in Indiana now fall under the terms and coverage of the IATSE’s BTN contracts. BTN has also recognized the IA as bargaining representative for employees from Iowa and technicians who travel throughout BTN territories on college football broadcast crews. The IA has made additional headway by bringing Union protections to other employees working on nationally distributed sports content. Four years ago, the IATSE won an election to represent employees working for Golf Channel. The parties bargained over the terms of a first contract for nearly two years. On the same day that employees ratified the new agreement, a decertification petition was filed against the IATSE with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The IATSE won the decertification election, but several procedural failures called the election results into question. The NLRB found that the employer failed to provide a full and accurate list of employees to the parties during the election process. The NLRB also found that it had mishandled some ballots. These flaws lead the NLRB to dismiss the results of the election and order a rerun. In the meantime, the IATSE has carefully monitored its current Golf Channel contract. Over the past two years, we filed several unfair labor practice charges against the company. The NLRB has issued complaints associated with many of the charges, including the company’s failure to provide information the Union needed to fully implement and administer the contract, providing late and inaccurate contributions to the IATSE National Health and Annuity Plans, and failing to pay employees for certain expenses owed to them. Earlier this year, the IA settled these violations and the settlement awarded monies to crew members for payments due to them. The Company agreed to turn over the information needed to administer the IA’s contract and agreed to cease its unfair practices. Now that the unfair labor practices have been settled, a rerun election will be held. Under the terms of the IATSE’s contract, over 100 people who would not otherwise have employer-subsidized health insurance now have coverage under the IATSE National Health plan. And for the first time in memory, employees received general wage increases because of our contract. We have an involved and committed group of stewards and craft leaders in the unit who represent employees at job sites and in negotiations. The first contract expired in June 2017 and the IA is actively negotiating with the employer for a successor agreement. The IATSE also recently petitioned for an NLRB election to represent technicians working on nationally televised broadcasts of National Hot Rod Asso- THIRD QUARTER 2017 71
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Stand Up, Fight Back! The Stand Up,
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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Matthew D. Loeb
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OFFICIAL NOTICE This is to advise t
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INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICA
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Sarah Payne sang the anthems of the
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AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Ka
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INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT LOEB PRESEN
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SERGEANT-AT-ARMS AND PAGES Ben Adam
Page 19 and 20: Actions of the Convention AMENDMENT
Page 21 and 22: Actions of the Convention CONVENTIO
Page 23 and 24: that we must do all within our powe
Page 25 and 26: and applied the two Resolves to all
Page 27 and 28: THE DIPLOMAT RESORT HOTEL • HOLLY
Page 29 and 30: his tenure, he served the Internati
Page 31 and 32: The IATSE West Coast Office operate
Page 33 and 34: were achieved through the solidarit
Page 35 and 36: ties within their Locals, workplace
Page 37 and 38: solutions to IATSE Locals when nego
Page 39 and 40: for the 2016 work period contributi
Page 41 and 42: vider. The MPI Health Plans have ex
Page 43 and 44: agreement. It provides a mechanism
Page 45 and 46: concluded. Between November 2015 an
Page 47 and 48: cludes standard provisions such as
Page 49 and 50: Local 105 as the bargaining agent f
Page 51 and 52: successor negotiations with its oth
Page 53 and 54: nizing efforts have focused on thre
Page 55 and 56: The Department is led by Vice Presi
Page 57 and 58: provide safety and skills training
Page 59 and 60: under contract in recent years thro
Page 61 and 62: members, and the labor movement at
Page 63 and 64: immediately began requesting more i
Page 65 and 66: with topics that often arise on Int
Page 67 and 68: the IATSE has participated in “Hi
Page 69: could be used by local experts to t
Page 73 and 74: cers throughout these states have i
Page 75 and 76: motion picture and television indus
Page 77 and 78: Our involvement in legislative matt
Page 79 and 80: NAME LOCAL NAME LOCAL NAME LOCAL NA
Page 81 and 82: LOCAL SECRETARIES AND BUSINESS AGEN
Page 83 and 84: MAHSG 706 HOLLYWOOD‐John Jackson,
Page 85 and 86: LOUISIANA S 039 NEW ORLEANS‐Darre
Page 87 and 88: M 311 MIDDLETOWN/NEWBURGH/KINGSTON
Page 89 and 90: 3340 Poplar Avenue, Suite 129, Memp
Page 91 and 92: ! B a c k i n t h e ! S o u t h e a
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