ORGANIZE!

Unionize Your Workplace and join Local One!

If you are a stagehand or technician in a theatre, shop or venue and don't work for a company that has a contract with the Local One, you probably aren't getting the most out of your work.

YOU can change that. You and your co-workers have a guaranteed right under Federal law to form a union. Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act states:

"Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection..."

Without Local One representation, you are alone and isolated at the lowest end of the work environment, lacking the means to protect your own self-interests. No doubt, your personal experience will confirm the fact that alone, you have very little negotiating power against a producer, theatre owner or shop owner who is determined to give you just as little as possible.

With Local One representation, you are participating in critical decisions that affect your life, such as daily wages, continuing education, medical benefits for yourself and your family, holiday pay, retirement benefits, working conditions and professional representation in the work place. There is, indeed, strength in numbers, and with thousands of other IATSE workers on your side, you can have control over your future in this industry.

Labor organizations in this country have sustained setbacks in recent years, but a dramatic turnabout is now afoot. Nationally, IATSE has regained almost complete control of its traditional jurisdiction. Get on board for one of the most historic rebirths in labor history. Things will only improve as we move into the future.

Better Conditions and Better Pay   Local One has negotiated hard and long with the producers, theatre owners or shop owners to assure safe and decent working conditions for its members. It is an uphill battle and it often seems like the boss is taking some of it away from us. But with strength in numbers, Local One can demand, and usually receive, the conditions and terms that are most essential for the membership. Our priorities include insuring the physical safety of our members, protecting your job security, and obtaining fair benefits and wages that continue to grow.

How to Get Started & What to Expect

Most unionization drives start as conversations between co-workers. Sometimes the spark is a simple, off-hand comment: "This place is nuts. We should have a union." Sometimes it's more dramatic, like a tirade from the boss or six weeks of long hours and no extra pay.
Before you get too far along, you should speak with someone from Local One. We have organizers and attorneys who can help you navigate the legal and strategic issues that any organizing campaign will undoubtedly face. Give us a call or an email and we'll help get things moving.

What can we expect?
If the majority of a crew sincerely wants a Local One contract and is willing to participate in a campaign to secure one, they can absolutely prevail. There must be a firm commitment to succeed and the ability to focus on a progression of campaign objectives.

What Your Employer May Not Do During an Organizing Drive
Under Section 8(a) of the National Labor Relations Act, there are a number of actions that your employer and/or supervisors may not engage in, which constitute unfair labor practices (ULPs).  These restrictions on the employer’s conduct are designed to protect and preserve your right to join a union under Section 7.

Section 8(a)(1) of the NLRA states that the employer may not:

“Interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed under Section 7.”

Examples of 8(a)(1) violations include:

1. Threatening to fire for union or concerted activity.
2. Threatening to demote, reprimand, or punish in any way because of union activity.
3. Conduction anti-union interrogations.
4. Threatening to close or move the shop to escape the union.
5. Threatening loss of benefits if the employees vote for the union.
6. Promising benefits to employees in return for anti-union activities.
7. Interfering with communication among employees or with attempts to organize by such means as unduly restrictive solicitation rules.
8. Spying on union meetings.
9. Granting benefits or wage increases timed to defeat union organization.
10. Refusing to bargain in good faith with the union, once the union wins the election.

 If you believe that your employer has committed any of these unfair labor practices, please contact us immediately.

Dan Gilloon
Organizer
Local One IATSE
320 W. 46th St 3rd Flr
NYC, NY 10036
 (212) 333-2500