IATSE-2nd2018_web

on the sustainability of its revenues and assets can the Alliance
continue to grow, gain power and meet its goals.
A key building block of financial stability was for IATSE to
start owning, rather than renting, its offices because of its ability
to give the Alliance assets that appreciate with time and eliminate
the costs of leasing space. The first step in this direction was
taken on September 8, 1999, when IATSE purchased a building
for the West Coast Office located in Toluca Lake, California.
This proved a highly successful arrangement, one that generated
significant financial benefits to IATSE while providing a stable
location for West Coast operations and later the IATSE Training
Trust Fund. However, 18 years later, as the officers and staff
of IATSE and the TTF had grown, it became apparent that the
Alliance needed to upgrade its Los Angeles facilities to accommodate
advancement and future expansion. After an extensive
search, in 2017, the General Executive Board approved the purpose
of a property in Burbank, California, just two miles from
Toluca Lake and convenient to the California film and television
studios, as well as most of the Los Angeles-based local unions.
This property comprises over 20,000 square feet on two floors,
a size that will allow both IATSE and especially the TTF to have
room for current and future staff.
Some 2,500 miles to the northeast, another step was taken on
April 4, 2005, when IATSE purchased a building in downtown
Toronto to house the Canadian Office. Located in a converted
3,634 square foot, three-story house, the office not only made it
possible to accommodate the Alliance’s growing Canadian staff
— it also made a statement that IATSE’s commitment to Canada
is permanent and steadfast.
Then, on March 27, 2013, the General Executive Board approved
the purchase of the 4th and 5th floors of a 12-story condominium
building located at 207 West 25th Street, near Seventh
Avenue, in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. This was
made possible thanks to a 2003 decision by the General Executive
Board to establish a Building Fund with the goal of generating
sufficient resources to allow for the purchase of headquarters
office space in New York.
Each floor of the building is approximately 10,000 square
feet and the new office was designed to use the entire 4th floor
and approximately half of the 5th floor, providing 50 percent
more space than the old General Office, which was approximately
10,000 square feet in size. The two floors are connected by an
internal staircase.
The new office includes state-of-the-art concepts such as LED
lighting and a newly designed HVAC system, whose environmental
efficiency and lower operating expenses more than offset the original
costs. In addition, the entire project was built with union labor
and whenever possible materials were sourced from union manufacturers
and were made in either the United States or Canada.
On November 2, 2013, the International hosted an Open
House of the new General Office. More than 200 guests from
local unions, vendors, related organizations and friends toured
the new office and celebrated this milestone, recognizing its
long-term positive financial impact on the Alliance.
CANADIAN BENEFITS STRENGTHENED
Because Canada has very different social welfare policies than
the U.S. — most notably, national health insurance — IATSE’s
Canadian contracts have different benefit provisions than its U.S.
contracts. But while Canada’s overall policies are more generous
and comprehensive than those south of the border, there is still a
vital role for collective bargaining agreements in filling gaps and
providing supplemental benefits for IATSE members.
That’s why in 2005, the General Executive Board approved the
creation of a nationwide retirement plan in Canada. Sponsored
by the International (which paid for the initial start-up costs,
including legal and consulting fees), the Plan employs two full-
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