New Media

[Jeffrey S. Wexler]

The very real concern over the 400 hours requirement has overshadowed some very important provisions of this new contract. Scott Kaye and Alan Disler, both very active in Camera Guild, made the following comments:

On Feb 9, 2009, at 8:54 PM, Scott Kaye wrote:

"Does this mean that, if ratified, members working out-of-classification on "New Media" productions WOULD have to re-rate, so long as they failed to report their job? If this is correct, it looks like they are trying to legislate the reporting of jobs as a way to avoid having to re-rate. If you don't report the job, then how will the union know that you worked out-of-classification? And, if the contract itself allows working outside of one's classification, what justification could the union have in ordering anyone to re-rate because of a "New Media" so-called "job?" "

Alan Disler wrote:

"Its a total mess. The moron majority of the NEB can pass all the rules they want, it won't matter.

The Locals have NO jurisdiction over ANYTHING related to New Media! The International gets the jurisdiction, NOT the Locals. They get hung out to dry.

For three years, the Producers get to remake all the rules, throwing out what they hated all along, mixing and matching crews at will, while the Locals stand aside, absolutely powerless to enforce ANYTHING, because there is NOTHING for them to enforce.

And the IA gets to audit to make sure what is owed THEM is taken care of.

Unbelievable."

-Alan D.

[Jeffrey S. Wexler]

I received the big packet from our Local outlining what is going on with the jurisdictional fight between our Local and the Camera Guild. This is a good and necessary battle for sure, but I am struck by ONE FACT: why is our local leadership putting so much effort into this struggle while putting forth almost no effort to defeat this new contract? Forget whether our members will be operating video devices or whether Camera will have the jurisdiction, if the new contract is ratified it will hardly matter. The International has done nothing regarding jurisdiction with respect to so-called "New Media" jobs except to insure that I,A. members will do this work. We will do this work without benefit of any meaningful control over wages, working conditions, job classification and so forth. All that is insured is that the International will get their money from your employment. In a very short time, certainly if this proposed contract is ratified, EVERY job will be a "New Media" job. So, if our Local is successful in retaining our historically proper jurisdiction over the work that the Camera Guild is trying to secure, IT WILL NOT MATTER on the majority of jobs we will be doing!

As someone from the Camera Guild pointed out, all the Producer has to do is declare that the next shoot is a Webisode, not an Episode, and everything that we may have won with the contract goes out the window.

- Jeff Wexler