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I.A. Convention - Resolution adopted


Jeff Wexler

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A victory for my father, the Union crew members, and all those who have been fighting to have the industry-wide health and safety issue of chronic long hours officially acknowledged --- the Long Hours Resolution was adopted by the 67th Quadrennial IATSE Convention, the 805 delegates in attendance passed the resolution unanimously.

 

I am posting the resolution in full below for those who have not read it. Officially adopting this resolution will do little on its own to combat the scheduling of 14 and 15 hour days routinely working all Friday night into Saturday, week after week on movies and episodic TV shows, but it does give a big boost to the movement as we publicize the significant adoption of this resolution at the I.A. Convention.

 

 

LONG HOURS RESOLUTION
 
WHEREAS, there exists indisputable evidence from scientific, medical and
empirical studies linking sleep deprivation and fatigue to critical safety
and health hazards,
 
WHEREAS, workers continue to work excessive hours,
 
WHEREAS, an AFL-CIO report on the state of safety and health protections for
America's workers entitled "Death On The Job: The Toll Of Neglect" states
that "Long hours of work and the way work is organized are emerging as major
health and safety issues affecting workers across many industries and
occupations."
 
WHEREAS, the IATSE has acknowledged the safety, health, and well-being of
our members to be of the greatest concern,
 
WHEREAS, overtime was created as a deterrent to excessive hours, not merely
as a supplement to income,
 
WHEREAS, this is a critical issue of health, safety and life that despite
efforts has yet to be treated in a substantive way,
 
WHEREAS, our health and safety should be beyond compromise.
 
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the IATSE continue to communicate these
concerns to labor-management safety committees and make efforts to increase
awareness that long hours of work cause injuries, illnesses and
deterioration in job performance, as part of the IATSE Entertainment and
Exhibition Industries Training Trust and CSATF Safety Pass Programs, and
 
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that efforts be made to require all
signatory companies to recognize fatigue as a health and safety hazard in
their safety guidelines.
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Unfortunately, as long as shooting over 12 hours doesn't cost more than longer schedules, the schedules will be shorter and the days longer.  But this is indeed a good step.  Recognition of the problem is the beginning of recovery - or something like that.

 

The next time a poor young person dies on his/her way home from a 16+ hour day with a 9 hour turnaround and an hour drive each way, a wrongful death suit can be filed against the producers, production companies, studios, and unions - We can show the issue was addressed to all of the above, yet it was ignored.

 

I include the union in this, because as long as contracts are written encouraging 14 hour days, 10 hour turnarounds, cheap forced calls, and expanded "zones", then they have failed to protect their workers from a documented safety issue.

 

Robert

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"I include the union in this, because as long as contracts are written encouraging 14 hour days, 10 hour turnarounds, cheap forced calls, and expanded "zones", then they have failed to protect their workers from a documented safety issue."

 

Absolutely include the union in this! That's one of the reasons the passage of this resolution is so significant. The I.A. and specifically the Camera Guild have been conspicuously avoiding this issue for the last 10 years! Steven Poster (President of the Camera Guild) has come up with every lame excuse he can find to avoid addressing this issue. The argument usually takes the form of something like "the other Locals won't go for it" or "the members are telling me they want the hours". It is true that most crew members DO need the hours, just so they can qualify for health plan, even if they have to destroy their health or worse, die in the process of trying to get those hours --- it's insane. The other big factor is that individual crew members do not have the right to "demand" to work the long hours when working those hours is an undeniable risk to their health and safety and the safety of others (when they get on the road at 6 am driving their car in a state that is every bit the equivalent of impairment of being legally drunk). If some crew member declared that they loved working in and around asbestos laden condemned buildings should the union allow they them to do so? Should the union allow the employer to put the member at risk?

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Yes, after facing resistance for years, it passed easily this time.  Much credit goes to Haskell Wexler's unwavering determination to see this move forward.  It is a very important step and it reflects a huge change in the way this issue is perceived.  I said it before... expect to see the IA make real progress on this in the months to come.

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Yes, after facing resistance for years, it passed easily this time. Much credit goes to Haskell Wexler's unwavering determination to see this move forward. It is a very important step and it reflects a huge change in the way this issue is perceived. I said it before... expect to see the IA make real progress on this in the months to come.

We shall see. The Low Budget Theatrical Agreement expires in a few months. Let's see if the IA leadership has the balls to eliminate the 14-hour day and weak turnaround penalties.

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That sounds like a misunderstanding of the concept of "negotiation".  A failure to achieve does not equate to lack of balls... it reflects a lack of leverage, which we've discussed many times in the past.  I don't know if you will see a change in the particular agreement you mention although my guess is that you will.  But if you don't, it doesn't mean that we won't be moving forward.  What I don't expect is a limit to the shooting day.  What I do expect is improved turnarounds.

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It doesn't matter what the turnarounds are if the penalties for violating them are not severe.

BTW, I have a pretty good idea about what happens at negotiations.

Perhaps our leadership should say, "This is the best deal we can negotiate given our lack of leverage. We know this is poor, so we recommend you decline the contract and be prepared to strike." We are all adults. The membership can still vote to ratify if we choose to continue working under the same conditions. The leadership should not be recommending we agree to the terrible terms they negotiate.

Robert

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  • 2 weeks later...

And I agree that it is a matter of 'balls' and not leverage.  The leverage is a united membership.  If the union decides to draw a line in the sand over this issue they will get what they want.  Between the threat of a job action and even worse, the incredibly bad publicity the studios would get, they would fold quickly.  Years ago, when I first joined the IA I worked on a documentary series for ABC called Bellevue Emergency.  It was a non union shoot (which I called in of course).  As the project grew the IA decided to go for a contract.  Since they producers were already paying above scale wages the issue was medical care.  They quickly signed.  The thought of the bad publicity swayed them ('Crew Strikes Hospital Documentary Over Health Care').

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   I thank Mr. Wexler for his efforts....  I know he is trying.....  good work.. That being said:

 

   I am a bit bitter at the whole thing....

 

As for the line in the sand their track record sucks...

 

 

So, some people will loose OT hours and without those their medical Ins. with the B.S. 400 hour garbage, (nice line at that beach)... (Thanks IA.. Still love everyone for that... why not simply shoot us all to get us off the books...)  causing them to possibly become very ill without proper medical access... (I know, you can spend $1800 a month to buy it)  or, die diving home due to being exhausted... Sounds great....  fantastic choice of situations...I call that a cluster _uck....

 

If the cleaver folks at IA want to help, (yeah right) provide ways to extend our bank, or allow us to buy extra hours at the same rate funds would normally go in, or allow trading amongst qualified parties.... But, they won't... because they want as many of us gone as possible... It's so obvious..

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I thank Mr. Wexler for his efforts....  I know he is trying.....  good work.. That being said:

 

   I am a bit bitter at the whole thing....

 

As for the line in the sand their track record sucks...

 

 

So, some people will loose OT hours and without those their medical Ins. with the B.S. 400 hour garbage, (nice line at that beach)... (Thanks IA.. Still love everyone for that... why not simply shoot us all to get us off the books...)  causing them to possibly become very ill without proper medical access... (I know, you can spend $1800 a month to buy it)  or, die diving home due to being exhausted... Sounds great....  fantastic choice of situations...I call that a cluster _uck....

 

If the cleaver folks at IA want to help, (yeah right) provide ways to extend our bank, or allow us to buy extra hours at the same rate funds would normally go in, or allow trading amongst qualified parties.... But, they won't... because they want as many of us gone as possible... It's so obvious..

I understand your frustration, and also get your point about hour qualification for health benefits, and how that may leave you vulnerable in case of health issues; but wouldn't working less hours also lead to less strenuous conditions that are conducive to an unhealthy lifestyle (sleep depravation, bad eating habits, overworking your body, mental stress, etc..... ) and health issues?

IA is most certainly not perfect, and do agree with many of your points, but also think that without it everything may run amuck. Just my opinion though.

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The lack of proper union representation in regards to allowing the 400 hours qualification to go through is just as unconscionable as their prior disregard for the health and safety issue that working chronic long hours creates. The efforts by my father, 12on12off.org and many others, have focused on the long hours, fatigue and sleep deprivation issue. We realize full well that the eligibility for our health plan is tied to hours worked and this is just another instance of the ways in which we are not properly represented or protected by our union. Agreeing to increase the eligibility to 400 hours (and all the other factors that can cause you to lose your health coverage or just not qualify at all) makes it even easier for the union to do nothing about long hours --- the workers who desperately need these hours to qualify for the health plan are forded to accept anything they can, even if they get sick or die trying.

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The lack of proper union representation....   BINGO!!!!!!!!!!

 

As long as they have their desk jobs collecting six figures, WTF do they care?... I am so disgusted by this I can't even tell you... and NO, I have no time or patience to run for office. Further I am not the best person for that job. I don't know who is, but I can tell you anybody is better than who is dealing with it now.....  It reeks... the whole thing...

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Sadly it might take a crew member crashing into another car of people, and a lawyer to put together that the cause of impairment was insane hours..... And that lawyer to sue everyone (production, unions, the weather etc etc).

There's no blood test for being sleepy, but a time card, and call sheets, could put together a patten of weeks where there was hardly any sleep. I could see a civil case where the jury goes for that.

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