POLITICS

75th Annual District 2 Convention

The 75th Annual IATSE District 2 Convention was held at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, June 2019. District 2 represents forty-nine locals, more than fifty-three thousand I.A. members from a variety of crafts with jurisdiction in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada. Every year, elected officers and delegates from these four states meet to strategize activism and political legislation. Our five elected delegates spent four days networking with other locals in the West Coast Bargaining Group under the IATSE Basic Agreement.

Throughout the conference, our Local 695 delegates chaired and joined individual committees, including Constitution & Bylaws, Financial, Education, Safety & the Resolution Committee.

Scott Bernard, Business Representative, chaired the Constitution & Bylaws Committee in 2019. Joe Aredas, Assistant BA and Field Representative, participated in the Financial Committee. Devendra Cleary CAS, Executive Board, sat on the Safety Committee, where he discussed health hazards and long-term ergonomic injuries of working excessively long hours. Chris Howland CAS, Sergeant-at-Arms, took part in the Education Committee’s discussion on how to organize and provide support to crews on strike.

Jennifer Winslow, Trustee, joined the Resolutions Committee. Together, the committee passed thirteen resolutions expanding the coverage for reproductive care, improving the memberships’ understanding of the health and pension plans, making sure that emergency medical care includes “in-network” services (California Assembly Bill 1611), ensuring members who work out-of-state and need medical care can draw from the California State Disability Insurance program (Senate Bill 271), and to promoting committees that support LGBTQ issues.

A resolution submitted by Local 600, ensures that District 2 “will actively participate in an internal campaign to educate members about their benefit plans, including information about the funding sources and status of the plans.”

IATSE President Matt Loeb reported on the contracts ratified by IATSE nationwide in 2018, including the Basic Agreement in Los Angeles. “This is the greatest union in the American labor movement,” said Loeb. “And that’s because of all of you and all your members who buy in, who stand together, who fight for what’s right. That’s what brings this organization the power to help the working families that we’ve obligated ourselves to represent.”

Loeb’s address to the convention mentioned the rapid expansion of the streaming industry. “We’ve got Netflix now with almost two hundred new projects,” he said. “Amazon, YouTube, and Hulu combined have another almost two hundred productions slated. All this production means increased hours into our health and pension plans, more residual payments and, of course, jobs for our people.”

Our delegates proudly represented Local 695 at this year’s convention and reported their progress at the monthly Board of Directors meeting in June 2019.

“I really enjoy attending D2. Every time I attend, I meet new delegates and enjoy putting a face to some of the representatives our Local deals with day-to-day on various contract issues.” said Joe Aredas

“Despite the beautiful setting of this year’s conference in Hawaii and the island spirit that flourished on social media outlets, I must emphasize the importance of the work that was done. The three days we spent in the convention hall were scheduled to the brim with officer training, speeches and committee sessions; concluding in after-hour networking and solidarity events. However, beautiful the setting was, the resolutions we passed are crucial to the health and well-being of more than fifty-three thousand IATSE members in the Western United States and provide a fundamentally important setup for the coming round of contract negotiations in 2021,” said Devendra Cleary.

For detailed information about the 75th Annual District 2 Convention, please contact the Local 695 office.

IATSE Local 695
5439 Cahuenga Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 985-9204
(818) 760-4681 fax
info@local695.com
local695.com

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NEW MEMBERS

Local 695 welcomes its new members

Tyler Bender    Y-1
Chris Formanek    Y-3
Yohannes Skoda    Y-7A
Dwight Schneider    Y-4
Robert W. Naughton    A2
Angel Cifuentes    Y-7A
Wm. Gray Thomas-Sowers    Y-1
Mike Skrzat    Proj.
Michael McGrath    Y-1
Daniel A. Lira    Y-3 Jose Smith Jr.    A2

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COMMUNITY

Heartbeat of Hollywood Lite

The 9th Annual Heartbeat of Hollywood Lite was held on Monday, June 3, 2019, at Castle Park in Sherman Oaks. Every year, Local 695 co-sponsors this vital fundraiser for the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF). We would like to thank Jennifer Winslow (Trustee), Ed Moskowitz CAS  (Board of Directors), and Cindy Vivar (Administrative Assistant) for proudly representing Local 695 in this year’s competition.

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What Is MPTF?

In 1921, cinema pioneers created MPTF (then the Motion Picture Relief Fund) to act as a safety net of health and social services. Many workers in our business don’t always know where their next paycheck will come from, thus MPTF was created by Hollywood’s earliest entertainment luminaries such as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. Having realized the need for reaching out to those in the entertainment industry who fell upon hard times, it began with a simple coin box in Hollywood where entertainment industry workers would deposit spare change for fellow colleagues.

Today, with the engagement and generosity of thousands of people from within the entertainment industry, the fund serves more than 150,000 people each year with healthcare, services, and retirement living.

MPTF belongs to everyone in the entertainment business and our successes are embodied in the spirit of stepping up and giving back—just as the founders envisioned.

For more information, please visit mptf.com

MPTF—Motion Picture & Television Fund
The Wasserman Campus
23388 Mulholland Drive
Woodland Hills, CA 91364

M–F, 8:30 AM – 5 PM
Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays,
9 AM – 4 PM
Toll-free | (855) 760-MPTF (6783)
Donor Relations | (818) 876-1977
Email us at info@mptf.com

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Attending the 75th Annual District 2 Convention

by Jennifer Winslow

I was honored to attend my first IATSE District 2 Convention and represent Local 695. I was impressed by the solidarity in the room, and that despite our differences, we all came together to meet for a common goal.

The five delegates from 695 sat front and center, right next to the microphone! (Thanks to Scott Bernard.) We were all welcomed with a traditional Hawaiian blessing, and then the serious business began.

The first speaker was Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, California Federation of Labor, who spoke on multiple assembly bills and how they could affect workers. One is aimed at dismantling the less-than-minimum-wage “gig economy.” He summarized Assembly Bill AB 5 and State Bill SB 271. Two potential laws that will help laborers,  especially in this economy.

Erika Dinkel-Smith was another impressive speaker, a lobbyist for the IATSE in Washington, D.C. She spoke about the Political Action Committee (PAC) and the importance of their work on Capitol Hill. She was dynamic and passionate about her role and position and, in my opinion, we are lucky she is part of our team.

During this three-day Convention, all of the speakers stressed the importance of strong labor unions, urging members and their leaders to continue pushing forward with our political involvement.

There was a timely speech by Malia Arrington, who talked about all forms of harassment, not just sexual harassment in the workplace. She informed us of steps being taken by “The Hollywood Commission,” spearheaded by Kathleen Kennedy and chaired by Anita Hill, to devise a protocol to replace the current gaps in protection of those who fall into this category. She reported that due to the “fluid nature” of our business, there isn’t a real protocol. There is a new “Report and Response System” being put in place industry-wide. Melia stated for there to be true safety from harassment in the workplace, a code of conduct, training, education, and practices are essential.

She stressed that “Systematic Cultural Change” takes time, however, this is a strong beginning and serious steps are being taken to protect workers in all aspects of the industry. Her speech was pretty heavy stuff, but ultimately, by continuing the discussion, we will all be able to recognize bad behavior when it happens, and step in to stop it before it causes any harm, as in the past.

At the end of the day, I was filled with information and exhausted.

On Day 2, IATSE President Matt Loeb took to the podium, you could hear a pin drop! He updated us on the work the International is doing in Washington, D.C., on behalf of labor, which is too extensive to elaborate in this column.

I was placed on the Resolutions Committee, to suggest new resolutions for the IATSE to implement. We were a group of about thirty-five, where we discussed, and then our committee voted on thirteen resolutions. We passed most of the resolutions, combining two and sending one back to the drawing board.

One of them was creating gender neutral language in the Constitution, and another was on healthcare; educating members about their health plans.

After this long day, we were treated to a fabulous luau at The Royal Hawaiian Garden, generously put together by our sisters and brothers of Hawaii Local 665. I got to try some new (to me) Hawaiian food, chat with fellow delegates, hear great live music, and see Polynesian fire dancers. But the most fun was watching our leaders try to hula. Scott and Joe were great sports!

Overall, the camaraderie and unity of the delegates from four very different states that comprised District 2 was remarkable. The powerful messages and the goals of this Convention will not be forgotten. We came together, in solidarity to empower workers and continue the fight to make unions stronger, especially in this anti-labor political climate.

The District 2 Convention was such a memorable and valuable experience for me personally, as a Local 695 member, an Officer of our Board of Directors, and as a Trustee. I definitely feel that my participation at the Convention has helped me to become a better leader and increased my ability to serve the membership.

I would urge every member to run as a delegate and attend a District 2 Convention.

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IN MEMORIAM

Theodor Schelling
Y-7
March 22, 1948 – April 27, 2019

Stephen Dickhute
proj.
June 1, 1950 – April 2, 2019

Peter A. San Filipo
Y-1
August 12, 1931 – April 15, 2019

Dean Champlin
proj.
October 26, 1969 – July 8, 2019

James Delhauer
James Delhauer was born in Southern California and never made it very far from home. Since 2014, he has worked as a television engineer specializing in Pronology’s mRes platform. He joined Local 695 because he desperately needed friends.

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Richard Lightstone CAS AMPS
Richard began his career in Montreal, and continues to mix in Los Angeles. He is the co-editor of Production Sound & Video, served on the Executive Board of Local 695, and President of the Cinema Audio Society for two terms.

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Jay Patterson CAS
Jay’s career in sound began in ‘65 as a child’s voice in radio, and has never stopped. He’s a Trustee of Local 695 and served five terms as VP, Chairperson, the Technical Trends Committee, and still mixing.

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Eva Rismanforoush
Eva began working in sound while attending college in Northern California. Shortly after graduation, she joined Local 695 and is working as a Utility Sound Technician in Los Angeles. She has been the Co-chair of the Young Workers Committee since 2014.

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Jim Tanenbaum CAS ATAS SMPTE Life Member
Jim’s half-century-plus career runs from Avatar to Zodiac, The House Of. Not wanting to “take his secrets to the grave,” he teaches at Local 695, UCLA, USC, AES, Art Center of Design, and in China, Japan, and Viet Nam. He writes articles for Production Sound & Video, The Coffey Files, and Mix.

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Jennifer Winslow
Jennifer has been a member of Local 695 since 1990 and is currently serving as an Executive Board member and Trustee. A Utility Sound Technician and Boom Operator, some of her feature credits include Problem Child, Lone Star, and Be Cool. Her work in TV includes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chicago Hope, and Dear White People.

The heat is on and welcome to the summer edition of Production Sound & Video. Bryan Cahill and Ken Strain continue their appraisal of exoskeletons, with an in the field review “Using an Exoskeleton in Real-World Settings.”

I contribute an article on the evolution of sound carts and those that build them with “The Sound Cart Builders.” Co-editor James Delhauer gives us two articles: “As Productions Go Online” and “The 2019 Mac Pro.”

Jim Tanenbaum delves into his informative “How I Got My Godlike Reputation Part 2.”

We report on the 2019 Sound Emmy nominations and the winners of the BAFTA Television Awards for Sound. Jennifer Winslow gives her impressions of being a delegate for the first time at this year’s 75th Annual District 2 Convention held in Hawaii.

Finally, Eva Rismanforoush contributes News & Announcements. This will be her final writing, as Eva has gotten too busy to continue. We thank Eva for all her time and incredible work. Jennifer Winslow picks up the mantle and will be contributing in the fall issue.  

Stay cool out there.

Fraternally,
Richard Lightstone &
James Delhauer

FLEXIBILITY IS THE IDEA…

A question that often comes my way is what are the options for members considering a change of work classification as their career progresses?

This is actually not a complicated area and one to consider as members plan their personal strategies.
 
There are a few situations when this applies, but the most common is when a member either feels ready to move into a different classification for professional satisfaction or when work opportunity in a different classification presents itself.
 
Remember, we are part of a community and mutual respect includes working within the guidelines of your current classification. If you’re making a change, you must follow the proper steps.

Local 695 works hard to balance the progression of an individual’s career within a framework of fairness to fellow members.

Members can elect to re-classify at their own discretion by following the proper procedure. As always, call the Local and speak to a representative to guide you through any such change.

If a member feels they might be ready to make a change to a different classification, we also provide a Temporary Re-classification option. This allows the “trial” change for thirty days at a minimal cost. This can be renewed one time for an additional thirty days. This gives the member a chance to evaluate their choice.

At the end of the temporary period, the member’s original classification will be automatically restored. If the experience fulfills the member’s expectations and they should decide to move forward with a permanent change, the member can then elect to do so by following the required procedure. Please be aware if the member is moving up to a higher classification, e.g., Boom Operator Y-8 to Production Mixer Y-1, then be prepared to have the applicable raise in dues and the additional difference in the current initiation fee required at the time of the change.
 
The issue of interchange is related to this discussion. Be aware not all of our classifications accommodate interchange. Although extremely reasonable, there are some contractual limits.

Of course, once again, please call the Local for guidance.
I’m including here the contract language from the Local 695 Basic Agreement (the red book) which every member should have a copy of for reference. The new edition based on the last contract cycle should be available soon, but the most recent past edition has the same language regarding this subject and can be found on pages 61 and 62.

12. Interchange of Job Classifications

(a) The following job classifications are interchangeable at the discretion of the Producer:
Among Occ. Code Nos. 8131 (Y-6), 8176 (Y-6), 8141 (Y-7), 8178 (Y-7), 8144 (Y-7a), 8180 (Y-7a), 8151 (Y-8) and 8181 (Y-8).
Among Occ. Code Nos. 8109 (Y-3), 8173 (Y-3), 8105 (Y-1) and 8171 (Y-1).
Among Occ. Code Nos. 8109 (Y-3), 8173 (Y-3), 8111(Y-4) and 8174 (Y-4).

(b) Occ. Code Nos. 8111 and 8174 (Y-4) employees may perform the work of Occ. Code Nos. 8131 (Y-6), 8176 (Y-6), 8141 (Y-7), 8178 (Y-7), 8144 (Y-7a) and 8180 (Y-7a) without reduction in rate of pay. Occ. Code Nos. 8144 and 8170 (Y-7a) employees can be assigned the work of Occ. Code Nos. 8141 (Y-7) and 8178 (Y-7).
Occ. Code Nos. 8161, 8182 (Y-9), Sound/Video Service Person Level III, Occ. Code Nos. 8194-8184 (Y-13), Sound/Video Service Person Level II and Occ. Code No. 8185 (Y-16) Sound/Video Service Person Level I are interchangeable at the discretion of the Producer.

(c) In the event Producer wishes to elevate an employee on daily calls between the interchangeable groups listed in subparagraphs (a) and (b) above, approval shall be obtained from the Union.

(d) In an emergency, any person covered under this Agreement can perform in any classification when approved by the Union.

(e) Producer may promote any person covered under this Agreement to any higher classification of work for a period of six (6) or more weeks.
Work time in either a higher or a lower classification shall be credited to fulfill the minimum call of the current classification.

(f) Projectionists shall be interchangeable with Occ. Code Nos. 4150 (Y-9) and 4118 (Y-9) and with all other employees covered under this Agreement. The IATSE agrees to resolve any internal Union matters (e.g., membership, payment of dues, roster standing, etc.) requiring resolution as a result of such interchange.

(g) Projectionists or any person employed under this Agreement, other than a Production Sound Trainee, may operate projection equipment on distant location.

(h) Persons covered under this Agreement shall be freely interchangeable in the performance of mechanical maintenance work.

(i) Any projection employee may be required to perform work in any projection job classification listed in the wage scale (Paragraph 1).

13. Working in Higher Classification
If any part of the workday is worked in a classification higher than the classification under which the employee is called for work, the higher rate shall prevail for the entire workday. The employee reverts to his regular classification on the following day unless notified to the contrary. However, the provisions of this Paragraph do not apply unless the employee is assigned to work in the higher classification for two (2) hours or more.

Mark Ulano CAS AMPS
President, IATSE Local 695

In the March 1953 issue of Local 695’s International Sound Technician magazine, Local 695 Video Engineer Murray Jarvis wrote, “While the video magnetic recording process is still in the experimental stage, great progress is being made toward its perfection by its enthusiastic developers. And while the resolution of the visual image produced by this process in its present form has restrictions, the industry is watching this with anxious interest for it has the potential to revolutionize the entire motion picture technique as we know it.” I wonder if Murray had any idea how prophetic his words would prove to be. Indeed, the industry and Local 695 continue to watch with interest as new techniques continue to be developed. One of the most interesting things we’re seeing now is a remake of the old process shot … the front- or rear-screen projection techniques that go all the way back to the 1930s.

However this time, Local 695 Video Projection Engineers are adding a few tricks. This new process is called “The Volume,” which is a 360-degree display created out of a huge array of video screens. Because the images are so good and so bright, we can now display a moving image that looks like you’re on location and not just shooting on stage. 695 Video Engineers are currently developing the software needed to allow these moving backgrounds, whether filmed images or computer-generated 3D renderings to travel in sync with the camera movement so as to perfectly recreate, and go far beyond, anything that can be shot on location. It’s exciting to see this amazing new process work in action and to see the new job opportunities it will offer to the Video Engineers of Local 695 and our sister Studio Mechanics Locals. You can read more about this new technology in the second quarter 2019 IATSE bulletin you received in July.

The March Video Caucus was an opportunity to discuss the new work opportunities arising from these enhancements in video playback techniques. On July 13, we held a craft meeting for all 695 members working on commercials.

We will continue to hold these meetings to stay in touch with issues unique to the type of production you work on. Watch for the emails about future meeting dates and times. I encourage you to come to these craft meetings to participate and bring your personal experience and expertise to share with your sisters and brothers.

Fraternally yours,

Scott Bernard
scottb@local695.com
Business Representative