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and increased training opportunities for<br />
the Local.<br />
Local 262 Montreal - Operators<br />
As previously reported, Local 262 was<br />
certified by the Quebec Labour Relations<br />
Board as the exclusive bargaining agent<br />
for front-of-house employees working<br />
at the Cinema Ste-Foy and Cinema Colossus<br />
operated by Cineplex in January<br />
2014. The Local has since engaged in<br />
bargaining with a view to reaching a first<br />
collective agreement. The Local’s efforts<br />
in this regard have been met with fierce<br />
opposition by Cineplex and lead to first<br />
contract arbitration. After several hearing<br />
dates, an arbitration decision was issued<br />
in January 2017. The arbitrator found<br />
largely in favour of the Local and awarded<br />
hourly rates ranging from $12.25 for employees<br />
with over three years of service<br />
and $13.70 for employees with more than<br />
ten years of service. Cineplex unilaterally<br />
refused to implement the decision and<br />
then was successful in obtaining a stay,<br />
pending its judicial review application<br />
of the arbitrator’s decision. The judicial<br />
review took place over two days in November<br />
2017 and a decision was issued<br />
in January <strong>2018</strong>. The Court upheld the<br />
arbitrator’s decision but remitted the<br />
matter back to the arbitrator to provide<br />
further reasons and clarifications for his<br />
decision. Throughout this long, litigious<br />
process, the Local has received tremendous<br />
support throughout Canada with<br />
multiple pickets and demonstrations<br />
held in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia<br />
and Manitoba. Meanwhile, the Local<br />
has concluded bargaining in its eight<br />
other Cineplex agreements. These agreements<br />
all include wage parity clauses that<br />
will come into effect should the Local<br />
receive a favourable decision in the judicial<br />
review.<br />
Local 461 St. Catharines / Welland /<br />
Niagara Falls – Mixed<br />
Following a five-year strategic organizing<br />
plan, Local 461 was successful in<br />
organizing the multi-venue FirstOntario<br />
Performing Arts Centre. With the assistance<br />
of the International, the Local was<br />
able to conclude its first collective agreement<br />
and its first renewal agreement.<br />
Local 514 Montréal - Motion Picture<br />
Technicians<br />
International Representative Jason<br />
Vergnano and Assistant to the President<br />
Sean McGuire assisted Local 514 in successfully<br />
negotiating the renewal of its<br />
agreements covering construction in the<br />
motion picture and television industry<br />
in Quebec. The Local expects the successful<br />
renewal agreements will translate<br />
into membership growth in the coming<br />
months.<br />
Activism<br />
Vice President Lewis highlighted<br />
some of the recent activism successes in<br />
Canada.<br />
Sears Drama Festival<br />
The Sears Drama Festival is a 71-yearold<br />
competitive drama showcase for high<br />
schools that has spawned such noteworthy<br />
graduates as Rachel McAdams, Keanu<br />
Reeves, and David Cronenberg. It brings<br />
together high school students, teachers,<br />
theatre professionals, and community<br />
members to view and critique the students’<br />
creative efforts under the guidance<br />
of experienced adjudicators. With 15,000<br />
participating students, it is the largest festival<br />
of its kind in the world and currently<br />
operates in Ontario, BC, and Atlantic<br />
Canada, with expansion plans for Alberta<br />
and Manitoba. Many <strong>IATSE</strong> Locals,<br />
whether theatre or motion picture, have<br />
members and leaders who are graduates<br />
of the program. When Sears Canada filed<br />
for bankruptcy earlier this year, the festival<br />
lost its sponsor. The <strong>IATSE</strong> worked with<br />
the National Theatre School of Canada<br />
to assist. The International started with<br />
a $5,000 donation and sought donations<br />
from <strong>IATSE</strong> Locals as well as other industry<br />
unions, guilds, and organizations. To<br />
date, Locals 58, 129, 212, 262, 634 and 873<br />
as well as Districts 11 and 12 all made donations<br />
totalling almost $30,000. <strong>IATSE</strong>’s<br />
efforts in this regard garnered attention<br />
from the media including the Globe and<br />
Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper.<br />
The Diversity Toolkit<br />
For many years the <strong>IATSE</strong> has participated<br />
in industry initiatives to increase<br />
gender equity in the crafts the <strong>IATSE</strong> represents.<br />
One of these groups is CUES (Canadian<br />
Unions for Equality on Screen), a<br />
pan-union group that has been working<br />
towards the creation of a gender equity<br />
checklist for productions. Arising from<br />
the CUES initiative, the Diversity Toolkit<br />
is a national, year-long, bilingual campaign<br />
to build a more vibrant and inclusive<br />
industry. It is launching at the CMPA<br />
Primetime in Ottawa during the General<br />
Executive Board meetings which is being<br />
attended by International Representative<br />
Julia Neville. In addition to the International,<br />
the following Locals are all sponsoring<br />
this effort: 212, 311, 514, 667, 669,<br />
856, 873 and 891. The Diversity Toolkit<br />
<strong>web</strong>site and workbook will provide users<br />
with tools to make changes in their workplace<br />
with FAQs, checklists and useful in-<br />
44 OFFICIAL BULLETIN
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