I'm leaving office, oh on second thought I'm not...

Word has it a current executive board member stood in front of the membership at the last meeting and said he was no longer going to be involve in the politics of the Local anymore.
But lo and behold, there is his name as a candidate for delegate at large. Obviously taking a page from Larry Craig's playbook, he REALLY did not mean he was completely done. Just what we need, some one who can't keep his word for 60 minutes representing the Local at conventions.
When will the madness stop?

Nominated Candidates

http://www.iatse51.org/dev/nominees_2007.php

Nice to know the website can get information on it when it wants to...

Whassup???

If you are wondering where the Bug went, an email from another concerned union member told me that one of our Executive Board members warned against the unauthorized use of it. God forbid there should be something about the Local that isn't 'authorized'...

Tonight's News

Still waiting for a final list of nominees from tonight's meeting and will post it upon confirmation.
Commenting on the state of affairs of the Local, the executive board, or producers is what this forum was intended for.
Personal attacks on individuals, for attacks sake, will not be tolerated.
A post was removed due to the total inappropriate content and the fact that it was made about a member who, the last time we checked, was not an elected official, department head or management. If you want to made slurs against someone, check your own house to make sure you are above reproach.
Our apologies to any and all offended by this comment and especially to our brother.

Nuff said...

Who Knows What The Future Brings? (add eerie music here!)

The monthly meeting is this Monday and nominations will start for the Executive Board positions.The blog has had many comments about the author running for office because of some of the postings. The blog's author answer to them, is don't let the opinions here make decisions for you. If you agree with them, find somebody who wants the position that agrees with you. It is easy to write these comments and such and another thing to put these principles into action. Instead of standing on the sideline and griping about the direction your governing body takes, become part of the governing body, either through election or participation in the meetings. The most precious gift is the ability to determine your future through the election process. The government that has only it's own interest in mind, counts on the electorate's apathy. The best way to keep having an Union that works for you, is to show up and suit up each and every time elections roll around.

Airing dirty laundry

Just got an email from someone who applauds the idea of the blog but has some mixed feelings about airing our dirty laundry in public.
It is sometimes hard to allow comments that are false, libelous, and hurtful. It is our hope that when such comments are made, someone with knowledge of the truth will set the record straight. The need for a forum still exists but not a platform for wild accusations.
As far as 'outsiders' reading such things, so many us have taken members of 'management' into confidence, for whatever reason, that it would be hard to find any 'real' secrets out there.
Sometimes things become revealed because it is in the best interest of someone or something to allow it. We, at times, are our own worst enemies when envy or jealousy comes into play.
This is not something unique to our business but Life in general.
So we guess what we are trying to say, is that if you plan on doing something that could considered 'non professional', be prepared to hear about it from someone.
If you have a personal grudge about someone, keep it personal. If it effects you, professionally, try to act professionally. And sometimes just laugh at the lengths people will go to piss you off.
We are all here on day to day basis, regardless of what some people think or tell you. Anytime it becomes too much, take time away and go do something else. Bring your talent to work, and leave the wash at home.
Thanks for the email and the topic for today from someone who is obviously keeping up with the pulse...

Training our new members

It used to be that part of the job of the established worker was to train the new worker in the way things were done and why they were done that way.
These days in the day of 'get it done, faster and cheaper', there isn't always the time or the desire to do so. With full crew requesting become more and more common, production heads expect to have people full versed in their trade from the get go. So the requested have to have either the skills to do the job or the attitude to do what they are told. Work methods are passed down from head to crew and the worker must follow orders or will not be requested again.
It is a good system in that if the head knows what he doing and is able to communicate his direction, the work progresses in an orderly and safe manner. But if the head or assistant is there because of loyalty to an individual or organization, rather than being a master at his craft and aware of his responsibility to his crew, then the possibility of reasonable dissent becomes a matter of being 'not a team player' and is discouraged.
How many times have we sat through safety meetings and then been told to do something we were just warned against or, worse, willing done so of our own choice? Do we make a case against something possibly unsafe or in violation of the contract and risk not getting further calls? We would hope this would not even be an issue or a difficult decision.
At what point would our elected officers get involved and have a sit down with the people in charge instead of the people who complain?
If we allow an attitude of 'follow me because I'm in charge' override 'follow me because you can learn something' is it any wonder that some new members aren't properly school in our craft?
Take the time to train each other and things will improve for all. The best hand is the competent hand, not the most obedient. And most importantly, the learning process never ends even for the 'old' hands.

Regarding the situation in NYC

We are a bit saddened to hear some of the comments from the job sites about the situation in NY with the League.
Part of the intent of this website is to show how our industry is affected nationally but other local actions. The idea is that KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
If we know the tactics the big boys use to discredit or diminish our part in this business, we can take counter measures to combat them. This usually consists of education, in that most people do not know what it takes to SAFELY and PROFESSIONALLY put in a show. If they knew, that without our experience and training, every trip to a theater could be life threatening to them and to the performers, how many would risk their families and selves to be entertained? How many of them would be willing to give up holidays, weekends and family functions so that this industry might thrive?
A strike is a last resort but one that must always be part of our tool bag. Nobody wins when a strike happens, but sometimes we must stand up, as a whole, and be counted. The producers rely on the fact that most people will act in their own interests when forced. We understand that by only banding together and acting as one, can we protect the rights of the Union. That is something that cannot be taken lightly by anyone who endangers our rights as workers.
We are indeed fortunate, in Houston, by and large we have a great relationship with our local producers. One that is borne of respect and even trust that we will endeavor to do our best for them. It makes irrational demands hard for any to justify when things seem to be in each other's best interest.

Local One Update

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Actor's Equity, Musicians Local 802, Operating Engineers Local 30, Teamsters Local 817, ATPAM, Local 306, Local 751, Local 764, Local 798, Local 829 and Local 32BJ:

This past Tuesday evening at curtain time, the producers put out a press release announcing that they intended to implement onerous work rules on Local One. An hour later, they backed off, sending a second release saying they would implement on Monday, October 22.

Local One found out about the producers' latest moves when Mayor Michael Bloomberg called James J. Claffey, Jr., President of Local One, to offer his help, which the union respectfully declined. Nobody at the League of American Theatres and Producers had the courtesy to call the Local One President.

From moment to moment, no one seems to know which work rules the League intends to implement from their expansive list of demands. That's what Local One has been dealing with during these negotiations. It started three years ago when the League verbally threatened Local One at the table, while also initiating an assessment on every ticket sold to the public to create a $20 million war chest to break our Union.

Some additional background: on September 7, after only five introductory meetings and on the day hard bargaining was to begin, Bernard Plum, the League's lead negotiator, declared that September 30 would be a day of reckoning. On October 9, the League presented its final offer to Local One and the press at the same time. Their final offer was not written for Local One, but for the media.

Ignoring the League's deadline, Local One put its entire book on the table and, as Local One President James J. Claffey, Jr. has declared publicly and privately, the Union addressed nearly every item on the producers' list and offered imaginative solutions that met the producers' requests.

We are professionals and unashamed to state that we are defending good middle class jobs that pay our mortgages, feed our families and allow our children to attend good schools.

The producers' numbers, so widely distributed, are misleading at best and often bogus.

Their press release celebrated an offer of 16.5% increase in wages. But the producers failed to mention their offer was accompanied by a 38% cut in jobs and income.

We are the caretakers of the theatre, the protectors of the workplace. We keep it safe for all of us. Six days a week, sometimes seven, we are the first to arrive and last to leave.

The producers' attack on flymen is ignorant to the basic safety concerns in any theater. Without a flyman, who would be addressing safety problems over head? Who would be checking rigging eight times a week? Who is the first line of defense against any fire in the fly space?

Why do you think there are still fire hooks and extinguishers, by law, located on the fly floors? And, if there were not a flyman on the grid, how long do you think it would take for someone on the stage to reach that fire-fighting equipment?

Automation? We've long embraced it. Local One is more productive thanks to automation. We've modernized along with the newest technology. We build, install, manage, and repair all of it. We operate safely tons of scenery moving around in the dark and at breakneck speed without injury to you or us.

The producers will also fail to tell you and the press that Local One labor over the last few decades remains 8% of the overall cost of producing a Broadway show. We get raises only when negotiated, but the producers raise ticket prices with every new hit, not to mention $450 premium pricing.

The attack on the working professionals of Local One by the League now and you later is all about profit (although they only put losses in their recent press releases).

Last year, the League announced Broadway box office grosses of $939 million. Secret is the income from licensing, secondary rights, film rights and the hugely lucrative merchandise sales.

The biggest secret of all is the producers' real profits.

In these negotiations, we put everything on the table except the safety of the stage crew and everyone entering the theater. The producers' attack on minimums is an attack on the safety and efficiency of the load-in of shows. It is also an insulting failure to recognize the size, the scope and the technical difficulty of the work we perform and the industry that is our life.

We stand ready to resume negotiations at any time and we stand ready to defend ourselves from the implementation of unsafe, unsound and unacceptable work rules that the producers are threatening to enact.

We are Local One. We are all under attack.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

The Membership of Local No. One

Hard to imagine...

Seems a few people still aren't aware of this blog. If you have been reading and discussing it, send a email to other members and get them involved.
Current work: Ballet trucks this morning, Avenue Q load in, Gay Mens Chorus @ Jones, Symphony matinee tomorrow, Woodlands and Miller this weekend, and at the Convention Center a few events leading up to the Big One next week...

Stagehands’ Union Authorizes a Strike

By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON

Published: October 22, 2007

Members of Local One, the union representing almost all Broadway stagehands, authorized their leaders to call a strike in a unanimous vote yesterday, the union said. While the vote does not mean that a strike is inevitable, it is a necessary step if one is to be called.

In a statement, the union said that there were no plans for a strike, which would leave most Broadway theaters dark, though James J. Claffey Jr., the president of Local One, was quoted as saying at the meeting, “No work in December without a deal.”

The union also voted to allocate $1 million from its general fund to help other unions on Broadway in the event of a work stoppage. This would be in addition to the $4.1 million emergency fund raised for its own members for use in the event of a work stoppage.

The votes, which were taken at a meeting of about 1,000 stagehands at the Westin Hotel on 43rd Street, come as talks between the union and the League of American Theaters and Producers are at a standstill.

The producers and the union have both made what they called final offers, and, last week, the producers’ league announced that it was imposing portions of its final offer on the stagehands.

In the negotiations, which have been going on since July, the producers have proposed loosening restrictions on when stagehands are needed for work, how many are needed and what tasks they are allowed to perform.

The union has said that any alterations to the rules that would mean less work for stagehands need to come with exchanges of equal value.

The Nederlander organization, which owns nine theaters and has a separate contract with the stagehands, will not be imposing work rules, and the union said a strike against the Nederlanders would be highly unlikely. But on Friday, a Nederlander official sent a letter to the union saying that the Nederlander theaters would lock the stagehands out if the union went on strike against other Broadway theaters.

The league, however, is apparently no longer considering the lockout option.

In a statement reacting to the vote, Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director of the league, said, “The responsibility for a decision to shut down Broadway rests squarely with Local One.”

Local One has never struck on Broadway. The last work stoppage, a four-day strike by the musicians’ union, was in 2003.

Stewards

The steward on the job is there to represent the Business Agent in maintaining the conditions and keeping track of hours worked. In the event of a conflict, the steward is suppose to contact the Business Agent for clarification.
Nowhere in the job description is the steward the tech director, production manager or there to represent management in anyway. Sometimes we have stewards who forget that. It is difficult at times to be in the middle but that is why they are paid more and have a contract to refer to.
Sometimes a steward has been known to tell a producer that we will 'waive' a condition. Any and each time this happens, it is the duty of the members to remind the steward that it is not his right to do so without first consulting with the office and, at the very least, polling the workers. And to also make the office aware of it.
There was time that the men on each job elected the steward and could remove such steward for conduct considered harmful to the membership. Maybe we should revive that in certain circumstances.
For it seems, that once the stewards align themselves with management in the weakening of the work rules, they have forgotten who they serve.

30 years ago yesterday

We almost forgot about this and meant to mark yesterday as the 30th anniversary of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash.
It used to be most of us got into this life through an interest in the music business and we note the passage of time by what music was popular. Some of us only heard this music at our parent's knee, some on an oldies station and others were there in the flesh when they were playing.
This event is important to remember because of the loss of life for some and the path changing event it was for others. It is easy to look at the business we are in and forget at times how dangerous it can be, trying to make deadlines, no pun intended.
Honor the memory of the departed and take steps to prevent becoming one of them. We are a special breed and the toll this lifestyle takes can be devastating. Enjoy each day of being part of a business that brings entertainment to others and way to make a living to others.
Stay safe...

Quiet day

Not much to report other than we are still waiting on word from NY on the possible strike.
Things seem to be settling down as the month comes to an end.
Nominations start at the next meeting.

Lemme tell ya, I get no respect! (just kidding!)

A couple of comments have been pretty informative, a few have been amusing and others have been, for lack of a better word, childish.
If our 'official' web page wasn't so lame, maybe we could move on to better things...
Look around you and see someone who could use a hand and offer yours.
Better things from better behavior.

Negative Campaigning

By and large, most people try to tell you why they would be a good choice for a position by listing their assets. Others, being largely insecure, have to resort to belittling and character assassination. And sometimes out and out lying.
We have seen this nationally, where men who have never served a day in the Armed Forces, call others, who have served with honor, cowards.
Where if you disagree with any administration policy, you are 'giving aid to our enemies'.
When you feel you can't win on your own merits, deride and diminish the achievements of your opponents. Or so it seems in many aspects of our political system.
I hope and pray that the men and women of our local, will resist the murmur campaigns of some of misguided members and remember to look for the people who have YOUR best interests at heart.
Vote FOR something, not against it. Vote with principle and respect for your important right to choose.

Producers Impose Rules; Broadway Closer to Strike

By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON

Published: October 17, 2007

Broadway producers and theater owners announced yesterday that they were imposing portions of their final contract offer on the stagehands beginning Monday.

That decision, coming while talks between the producers and Local 1, the stagehands’ union, are at a standstill, may increase the possibility of a strike, which would leave most of Broadway dark.

The portions being implemented are some of the proposed new rules that give producers flexibility in deciding when stagehands are needed, and how many are needed. The wage increases in the offer will not take effect.

“We are forced to implement because Local 1 will not pursue meaningful change,” Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director of the League of American Theaters and Producers, said in a statement.

James J. Claffey Jr., the president of the union, said he was informed of the league’s decision in a phone call from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Mr. Claffey said he “respectfully declined” the mayor’s offer to help out in the talks.

“Local 1 is in negotiations with the league, and we will continue to try to negotiate with them,” Mr. Claffey said.

Last week, the League of American Theaters and Producers put what it called its final offer on the table; the union responded with an offer in response, which the league rejected out of hand. Since then, the sides have been at an impasse.

The stagehands will hold a strike vote on Sunday, an event that has gained in significance now that the league has chosen to impose the contract.

courtesy of the New York Times

Management and/or Labor

It is hard these days to determine who is really labor and who is management.
We have a number of 'brothers' who seem to spend more time worrying about what management wants rather than what Labor needs.
Time and time, good people are deluded into thinking that by siding with management, they are 'safeguarding' their livelihood but it is just a way to drive a wedge among us.
Take a hand, give him a title, and all of a sudden they forget what it was like to be the worker.
We currently have a number of people in 'true' management positions that have never been asked to take a withdrawal or resign their card. They continue to work both sides of the street, and our elected officials are happy to let them do so, without much restraint.
Only when enough people complain, do we say any action.
In one instance, a member of your local, a member in good standing was removed from an important position because a member of 'management' decided it was a problem for him. Instead of fighting this, another 'brother' put his Official Seal of Approval on it and justified it by saying it was a conflict of interest. It didn't stop the same member from involving himself while still working day to day with said organization. Do as I say, not as I do...
To quote " The best slave is the one who thinks he is free"
Let's not make it easy for anybody to divide us...

To Honor Steve Legrande

Got an email from someone who suggested, in honor of departed brother Steve, that we should all wear 'show whites' in his memory for the rest of the season. Anybody who knew him, knows he would have gotten a kick out it...

Speak and ye shall be heard...

Apologies to the creator of this image, but it is heart warming to see some comments about the blog rather than the blog author.
If our 'official' channels don't do the job, we must go elsewhere.
Some feel we have singled out specific individuals for criticism but we only report each time they shoot themselves in the foot. If you can factually dispute any of the observations in this blog, please do. "Cause I said so" doesn't count...
Nobody is threatening anybody but these are topics, for good or bad, that are being discussed. Since our meetings consist of little real debate, there needs to be a forum for the concerned and the committed. Even those that require commitment...

more reaction to the hiring decision...

It seems some of the established hands will be working in departments other than audio on TUTS load ins and load outs to show there displeasure with the recent events. It is important to remember we must fulfill our obligations to the Union, maintain our jurisdiction and do the best for all our producers, but if there is a problem with a department head or assistant, it is each man's prerogative to not take a call in that department.
The business agent(s) must be sensitive to the wishes of the rank and file who see little support from the office when it comes to matters of recourse in hiring practices.
To say that we have no final say in the decisions management makes is true but we can have input and hopefully give some direction. Speak out or be shut up.

so let's see...

We have multiple people in the office, some of them elected and some them hired. Who is doing what and what recourse do we have when there is a difference of opinion?
This forum is welcome for your comments.

Just remember to be thinking of who you want running your local for the next three years. Start thinking of the incumbents and the announced challengers. Discount the known knuckleheads and think outside the tired and true.

Upcoming events...

Continuing through Monday: PMA convention at the Brown Convention Center and Hilton
Continuing Runs: Dreamgirls at the Hobby
Opera Load in and rehearsals at the Brown
Ballet lost in America, somewhere...
Friday: Da Camera Load in, show and strike at the Cullen
F, S, Sun Sinatra Jr. at Jones
Sunday : Indo American Association at the Cullen

Union Meeting: Details coming as soon as they are received.

Late breaking news

Entertainment

Producers Make Final Offer to Stagehands NEW YORK -- Is the curtain going up on a Broadway labor showdown? Negotiations between the League of American Theatres and Producers reached a critical stage Tuesday as the producers presented what they said was the League's final offer to Local One, the Broadway stagehands' union. "The League seeks a contract that requires that we only pay for work we actually need and is actually performed," said Charlotte St. Martin, the league's executive director. The offer includes a 16 percent wage increase over five years, a separate 10 percent wage increase for the period when shows are loaded in, an additional increase for the lowest paid stagehands, as well as a new sick pay provision, St. Martin said. "The union is working very hard on its `last best offer' and hope the producers accept it," said Bruce Cohen, a spokesman for Local One of the International Alliance of Stage Employees, which represents Broadway's carpenters, electricians, props workers and sound technicians. What happens next is up in the air. If an agreement is not reached, the producers could decide to lock out the stagehands, effectively shutting down most theaters. Or the two sides could continue talking, which they have been doing intensely over the last month. A shutdown would affect most commercial Broadway productions but not those produced by such nonprofit organizations as the Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club and Lincoln Center Theater. Also apparently not affected are shows in theaters owned by non-League members, which include the Hilton, where Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" begins previews Thursday, and the Disney-owned New Amsterdam, home to "Mary Poppins." If Broadway shuts down, it would be the first time since 2003, when more than a dozen Broadway shows went dark after Local 802 of the musicians union held a four-day strike. The stagehands have been working without a contract since July. The thorniest issue dominating the negotiations are rules governing "load-ins" _ putting a show's physical production into a theater. Producers say the rules are cumbersome and expensive and that they need more leeway to determine how and how many stagehands are needed. League members, who include theater owners, producers and general managers, have reportedly put together a $20 million fund to help some of the less popular shows financially weather a possible shutdown. St. Martin said Tuesday's offer by the League is "a compromise that preserves many contract provisions Local One sought to protect, but at the same time liberalizes some archaic work rules so that they begin to reflect those present in most modern workplaces." The 3,000-member union, which has between 350 and 500 members working on Broadway at any given time, contends it could find employment for many of its people in television or film if a work stoppage occurs. © 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.