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In its first four years, the IATSE Officer Institute has graduated
747 officers from 193 different local unions in 16 different
sessions, which have been held all over the United States and
Canada. Nine of every ten IATSE members have at least one officer
(often, more than one) who has graduated from the IATSE
Officer Institute.
In 2016, IATSE launched Officer Institute 2.0 to fill a need for
more in-depth study and advanced officer training.
Graduates from the original IATSE Officer Institute had requested
advanced classes on many topics, especially on organizing
and Secretary-Treasurer skills. The programming for Officer
Institute 2.0 focuses on these topics.
The first Secretary-Treasurer class was led by General
Secretary-Treasurer James Wood, General Counsel Samantha
Dulaney, and other officials and academic experts. The three
day curriculum includes advanced work in issues of Financial
Record Keeping, Labor Law, IATSE Procedures and Resources,
Fiduciary Responsibility, Fraud Prevention, Taking Minutes,
IATSE Constitution and Bylaws, and more. Legal, financial, and
IATSE specific topics were explained, discussed, and dissected
in depth throughout the course, with “best practices” being
emphasized.
The Organizing 2.0 class studies labor law as it applies to organizing,
as well as the nuts and bolts of one-on-one communications
and persuasive presentations. IATSE Associate Counsel
Adrian Healy, who once worked at the National Labor Relations
Board, led the session on the law. Tactical content on targeting
and research gave students hands-on opportunities to collect
data on specific employers in their jurisdictions. Preparation
for employer anti-union campaigns and inoculation grounds
students in the realities of the landscape on which the Alliance
operates.
By May 2018, there had been 265 Officer Institute 2.0 graduates,
with more sessions being scheduled on an annual basis.
As an outgrowth of the 2.0 Secretary-Treasurer Course, a new
class was launched in April 2018: Local Union Trustee Training.
This is a class for the officials responsible for reviewing their Local’s
books and records. Thirty-nine Trustees from sixteen local
unions attended the first class in New York City. They learned
about their own roles, the importance of establishing “best practices”
in a Local, and about how to prevent fraud. Most importantly,
they learned a step-by-step process for conducting an
audit of local union books and records. The course immediately
sold out and will be offered regularly to meet the demand.
As time passes, the IATSE Officer Institute will continue to
add classes, expand, and strengthen the Alliance’s culture of continuous
education to build growth and strength on every level.
The impacts of these programs are measurable: higher engagement
among members, better systems for running Locals, and
most importantly, a network of local union leaders that strengthens
our IATSE team and supports one another across jurisdictions,
countries, and crafts.
LIFELONG LEARNING
Recognizing the need for workers throughout the modern
economy — and certainly in the entertainment industry — to
receive lifelong learning opportunities to build long-lasting,
fulfilling careers, IATSE partnered with Lynda.com in 2015 to
connect members with its 2,500 online high quality, current and
engaging video tutorials. Taught by recognized industry experts
and working professionals, these tutorials can help anyone learn
software, creative and business skills.
Starting September 1, 2015, all IATSE members could purchase
deeply discounted individual memberships. And by November
of that year, more than 4,500 IATSE members had joined.
The flexible learning environment available anytime, anywhere
through Lynda.com is a particular advantage for IATSE
members with unusual schedules or time between projects.
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