You can’t mistake the progress happening.
We successfully lobbied the Sacramento congress for a new California incentive program and there has been a major jump in production here in Los Angeles: eleven television projects and eleven feature film projects are being produced here at home under the new legislation. We are making regular visits to sets all over town, letting the community know that we are supporting our members and maintaining our jurisdiction. Real-world impact is happening and bringing many jobs to our members through these actions. When problems are brought to the union’s attention, action is being taken to solve them.
At our strong request, Local 600 has sent an important letter of agreement to its members, acknowledging our jurisdiction of video playback on the set. The impact has been immediate; you can find it published on our website for reference or sharing. We are continuing negotiations with our sister local to reduce confusion and remain committed in our efforts.
I was privileged to attend the IATSE Officers Institute training program in September for a jam-packed program of intensive classes: governance, labor law, fiduciary obligations and leadership courses were taught. Experts were brought in from all over the country to teach, advise and prepare the current generation of IA union leadership. This program was well attended by officers from thirty-eight IATSE Locals across the USA, as well as the International President, Matt Loeb, for the graduation ceremony. I’m most grateful for the hospitality extended me by Local 720 of Las Vegas, NV.
Our recent quarterly membership meeting kicked off our series of informational presentations for our members. The two presentations at the October meeting were: Adam Leipzieg from Creative Future, a nonprofit group working hard to educate and promote the issues of intellectual property rights and their impact on our members’ benefits, and Local 695’s Union Council, Lewis Levy, who gave a great talk on the legal rights of our members in the world of social media. He covered California’s unique privacy laws for individuals, NDAs (Non-disclosure Agreements)and Weingarten Rights. Lewis has been teaching labor law classes in Los Angeles for more than twenty years and was able to answer many detailed legal questions from the floor to the benefit of all members present. We will continue with this kind of programming.
Another important meeting was held on spectrum auction and the pressing issues affecting our members regarding the FCC and wireless allocation and licensing. The Local brought in Bill Ruck, an expert in this field. Bill gave an incredibly detailed talk and we’ll be making the content available to our members shortly.
I urge all of our members to go to the Local’s website and check out the learning opportunities being made available by our great deal with Lynda.com. This really expands educational opportunities for you by virtue of your membership.
Finally, Susan Moore-Chong has stepped down as the Local’s Treasurer and I want to express our gratitude and appreciation for her long service and contribution to the Local. Phillip Palmer CAS has been elected to complete the term as Treasurer by the Board per the Constitution and By-Laws. Congratulations and thank you, Phil, for stepping up.
Warm and safe holidays to all.
Fraternally,
Mark Ulano CAS AMPS
Local 695 President