by Ryan Pedersen
I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, which is a strong union city, along with the state of Illinois. When I was 15 years old, I became a bagger at a local grocery store. Even though I was a part-time minimum wage worker making $5.25 an hour, I was required to join the union associated with the grocery store. I was young and didn’t understand why I had to pay what little I was making toward union dues. I didn’t understand what a union was, nor how it benefited me. A lot has changed since that first experience. I now live in a household where I am not only a member of a union, but my wife is as well. I’ve grown to understand the history behind unions, why we need them, and what they offer working people.
When we become members of Local 695, we make a pledge to accept and abide by the provisions set forth in both our Local 695 Constitution and By-Laws, as well the IATSE’s governing documents. While signing your name at the bottom of this pledge is an easy task, there is much more entailed in being a member. When we apply for membership, we are stating that we are of good moral character and reputation. As we continue our membership, we are expected to maintain our good standing both morally and financially.
Our Local 695 Constitution lays out the objectives of our Local and indicates our own responsibilities as members. We and the Local have agreed to strive to:
a) Improve the wages, job security, and working conditions
b) Advance our economic, social, and cultural interests
c) Establish peaceful and harmonious relationships between our members and the employers and increase stability of the industry
d) Assure full employment
e) Promote and support democracy and free trade unionism
f) Engage to strengthen the labor movement and extend the collective bargaining process to all trades and industries
It is not just the responsibility of members elected to office or the staff in the office to try to fulfill these objectives. The general membership makes the Local what it is. It is up to us as members to fulfill these objectives. These objectives are the core of what it means to be a member of a union.
Knowing our objectives and responsibilities is the easiest part of being a member of our Local. Accomplishing these objectives is the more difficult thing to do. It is our shared responsibility to engage with our Local. Some of the ways we engage are by discussing these topics with each other, communicating with our leadership, voting both for our leadership and for our contracts, attending membership meetings, attending trainings, volunteering our time for union activities, and participating in the different committees organized by our Local.
One aspect of union membership is that we refer to each other as brothers, sisters, and kin and I think that this is at the heart of our union. This is a foundational element of union membership. We are a family. The last couple of years have been some of the hardest for us as filmmakers. We have experienced major economic loss. Our mental health is suffering and our sense of identity as filmmakers is at a crucial tipping point. We have a responsibility to each other that lacks in most workplaces and that’s because we are connected in our shared pledge. We have a responsibility to look out for each other and support each other.
Times of hardship are when we really shine as union members. It could be as simple as a phone call to see how someone is doing or sharing a few days of work with them if your situation allows. We need to build each other up and not tear others down. I know that not everyone in our Local will see eye-to-eye on many things and that some people may not get along with others. However, our Local will thrive when we have members of different backgrounds with diverse thoughts. One of the things that we ask of our employers is to treat us with dignity and respect amongst many other things. We should heed our own advice and seek the same things amongst each other.
As I write this article, Amazon workers are striking across the country to force Amazon to recognize their desire to bargain for a union contract. After the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes and the continued downturn in our industry, I believe that we understand the sacrifice that they are experiencing so that they can better their lives. Supporting workers in other industries as they strike for better pay and conditions is yet another way that we are active union members.
Our influence reaches far and wide. Union membership is on the rise but our rights as workers are never guaranteed, especially as we’ve come into 2025. It is really easy to take our membership for granted. As we enter the new year with many of us lacking work, financial resources, and healthcare, we should renew our pledges to go forth and support the objectives that we all agreed to when we joined our Local. No union or organization is perfect, and needs us to participate to make it better. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” It’s not expected that you dedicate all your free time to the Local, but it is part of our responsibility to be active participants in the process. Small contributions by many hands make light work.
Over the next couple of months, we will have the opportunity to help get additional incentives passed in California and possibly nationally over the next year. The IATSE International Convention is approaching in the coming year and, in about eighteen months, we will start the election process for our Local’s elected officials and the year after that, we will be voting on a new contract. Between now and then, the members need to be active in order to be heard. This last round of negotiations was very effective for our Local’s issues because we had good member participation. We can build on our contract progress while building on the incentives to bring more jobs back to Los Angeles. Let’s get to work!