Re: [ARSCLIST] How many of us in unions? Poor sounding concert halls.

[Robert Hodge <rjhodge@xxxxxxx>]

I've only had 3 incidents with unions-ALL  BAD !!

1- A former friend (??) who,was vehimently anti union until he got a highly paid union job as an elevator mechanic who then instantly switched his position that only a union worker could do the job( ANY job ) properly.
 Anyone in academia was a person who obviously could not find a " Legitimate "  i.e"Real" position anywhere else and was consequently useless to society.
 
I don't exaggerate !!

2-A union member of  IATSE / MPMO was allowed to access a projection booth in which I was the primary projectionist for 15 years and managed to burn out a  motor controller which had been in weekly use for over 70 years because they didn't know how to use it and wouldn't ask how it worked.  The union didn't have to pay for it either- this "projectionist" was just kicked out of the booth permanently. 
The union promised a strike against the theatre which would have blocked all stage shows that required union stagehands from the theatre if a union projectionist wasn't immediately installed. Making me a member of the union wasn't an option as my seniority level would have given me no work anywhere, whle I would have the" priviledge" of paying dues is what started it off.

3- My father who was only trying to keep a roof over our heads while my mom was ill may years ago was called a SCAB by his fellow union workers. This was spray painted on the sidewalk in front of our house. 

So my overall opinions about unions are very, very low.

Bob Hodge



>>> savecal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 4/15/2006 5:37 PM >>>
Bob Wasserman wrote:

>I was wondering how many of us are in Unions? I'm an IATSE member, but most of my studio work is not through them, most of it being non-profit agency work at below union scale, which is usually OK due the joy of preservation aspect of the work. I do get theatrical and event work through IATSE and then I'm very well taken care of. If I had a more fulltime staff position here, it would probably be through ACSFME. Is it our love for the work or the small size of the  business that keeps us from unions?
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When I first went to work for Family Theater to edit four productions, 
it was under the IATSE through a payroll service, but later when I 
started to do archive work for them it was on their payroll which wasn't 
covered by the union.   Then, it was continuous yearly employment 
contrasted to the seasonal aspect of studio work, so at that point, it 
was also a better deal to work non-union.  Also, I had "semi retired", 
so my IA pension had kicked in.  In my case, I couldn't/can't complain.  
But, if I were to work in "The Industry" again, I'd work union if 
possible, since I'd be able to contribute to the funds for future 
workers plus have the protection of union rules and make the going rate.

Rod Stephens

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>>I was never in a union however the decline of recording engineers being in unions led to a >50% drop in our average wages. If you calculate inflation in, that figure becomes a drop >of 90%! I don't buy that the union engineers of the 1950s and '60s were overpaid and 
>>the quality of their work certainly speaks for its self.
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