IATSE_1stQrtr_2018_web

for a positive ballot box outcome.
Freeman AV
As noted in previous reports to the
General Executive Board, several Canadian
Locals have good working relationships
with Freeman AV in their respective
jurisdictions and provide sizable crews
to Freeman AV on a regular basis. The
International continues to work with a
number of these Canadian Locals with a
view to incorporating these longstanding
working arrangements into formal
written collective agreements.
President Loeb recognized the significant
volume of work being done by the
Department and thanked those reporting
for their work. In doing so, he emphasized
the need for progress in expanding the
IATSE’s membership and jurisdiction in
trade show work.
IATSE COMMUNICATIONS
DEPARTMENT
Communications Coordinator
Matthew Cain appeared before the Board
to provide an update on the activities of
the Communications Department since
the July 2017 Board meeting in Hollywood,
Florida.
It was first reported that Communications
Department Director Emily Tao
left her position at the IATSE in January
2018. In her six-and-a-half years with
the IATSE, she built the IATSE’s social
media presence, oversaw an update of
the award-winning IATSE website, spearheaded
prominent digital campaigns,
and headed the then-new Young Workers
Committee. Upon her departure she expressed
her gratitude to many people she
worked with throughout her tenure with
the Alliance, especially Vice President Dan
Di Tolla and International Trustee Patricia
White for their support and guidance;
General Counsel Samantha Dulaney for
her invaluable advice; and President Loeb
for giving her the opportunity to build
the first-ever IATSE Communications
Department.
The Communications Department
added Matthew Cain as Communications
Coordinator in September 2017. Most
recently, he was the Digital Campaigns
Coordinator for Caring Across Generations,
a long-term care advocacy campaign
launched by the National Domestic
Workers Alliance and Jobs with Justice.
Previously, he worked in communications
for the Working Families Party. His
expertise in digital communications will
help IATSE members continue to grow
their activism.
The report detailed additional developments
concerning the IATSE website.
Homepage updates were completed in
November 2017. As reported at the last
Board meeting, the first navigation and
homepage improvements were completed
in May 2017. The second phase
of updates were implemented after the
2017 Convention. Additional visual elements
were added to the page along with
an emergency action button (which will
highlight urgent actions for members).
Overall, the improvements will ease users’
searches for content.
As social media and other communication
methods evolve, the IATSE is
adapting. The 2017 Convention theme—
“Growth Equals Strength”—has resonated
throughout the digital realm. The
Communications Department has noted
the prominence of that message along
with similar (e.g., “organizing makes us
stronger”) trending statements across the
IA. In digital and traditional communications,
more local unions and members
celebrate new members being sworn
in alongside the successes of tenured
members.
Matthew Cain, new Communications
Department Director.
The IATSE Facebook and Twitter accounts
have grown significantly in the last
six months. Twitter followers increased
by almost 10,000 and Facebook followers
have grown by thousands as well. The
impact of the IA’s social media is also seen
in other analytic measures. Top IA posts
on Facebook centered on the entertainment
industry. One recent post reached
almost 51,000 people. The IATSE’s statement
against sexual harassment reached
more than 16,000 people and generated
hundreds of important responses. A
notable Labor Day message reached more
than 22,000 people and received almost
1,500 responses, many of them from
members expressing their union pride.
At least ten other posts during the last six
months of 2017 reached more than the
24,000 people.
Top posts on Twitter focused on IA
activism and organizing. The IATSE’s
FIRST QUARTER 2018 33