posted 03-12-2005 06:56 PM                    

quote: Brad Miller

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It is quite possible something could happen upstairs and the projectionist needs to be doing whatever he can to put out a fire while the management and floor staff gets the customers outside. Regardless of whether anyone is going to nitpick that quick example, management shouldn't be relying on that one extra person (the projectionist) to make their emergency procedures successful.

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posted 03-12-2005 06:59 PM                    

quote: Jim Ziegler

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And what if floor staff are busy with trying to put out a fire downstairs?

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posted 03-12-2005 08:30 PM                    

quote: Brad Miller

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The odds are that the projectionist will be busy stopping movies, bringing house lights up and making announcements over the sound system (if so equipped).

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quote: Brad Miller

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Other duties may include things such as physically running around and looking out the port windows to make SURE all of the customers are out of the auditoriums, thus greatly helping the staff downstairs by radioing to them "auditorium 2 is clear", etc.

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posted 03-13-2005 07:42 AM                       

quote: Brad Miller

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Fire regulations and such do vary quite a bit from state to state and even town to town.

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posted 03-14-2005 03:32 PM                       

quote:

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March 11 2005

A message from Jon Forman, Cleveland Cinemas

The following was sent to subscribers of SPROCKETS, http://www.clevelandcinemas.com/index.asp
Cleveland Cinemas online newsletter. We are sharing it with you to be informed about the projectionists' union dispute with them:

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM JON FORMAN
President of Cleveland Cinemas

Dear Sprockets Subscriber,

Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter. We hope that you find the information provided helpful and that you choose to see a film at one of our theaters. As you may be aware, members of Local 160, the Projectionists Union, have attempted to disrupt the Cleveland International Film Festival and have on occasion, tried to discourage the public from attending movies at our theaters. By their actions, these individuals have placed one of Cleveland's great cultural institutions - the Film Festival - at risk. Their efforts to discourage patrons from coming to our theaters may have an impact on our business.

The protest has nothing to do with the Cleveland Film Festival or Cleveland Cinemas. Instead, it has to do with changes in the movie theater industry. Many years ago, when most theaters had a single screen, a dedicated projectionist was usually employed, since the method by which films were shown was significantly different than it is today. Showing a film required two projectors, since films were shown using 20-minute reels and someone had to "change-over" or switch between projectors so that as one reel of film was ending, the next reel on the other projector would begin. Also, the light source for each projector was a dangerous carbon arc needing constant adjustment. And film stock was highly flammable, requiring special handling.

Today, technology has made the position of the dedicated projectionist unnecessary, just as it has eliminated the need for elevator operators and typesetters. With the changes that the industry has made, theaters now operate more efficiently, so that a theater manager can operate 20 screens at the push of a button, like they do at Loews' Theaters at Richmond Mall, Regal Cinemas' 16 screen theaters in Willoughby and Medina and Magic Johnson's 12 screen theater in Randall Park Mall. Currently, the only theaters in Greater Cleveland operated exclusively by a dedicated projectionist are those that are part of the Science Center, the Rock Hall and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Virtually all movie theaters in Greater Cleveland and across the United States now operate without dedicated projectionists. You may find the theater information at the end of this letter to be of interest.

Motion picture theater companies do not employ projectionists, simply because the jobs no longer exist. Managers and supervisors at our theaters are professionals, who operate projection equipment as part of their duties, and receive competitive wages and benefits. The National Labor Relations Board has, on several occasions, confirmed that Cleveland Cinemas bargained in good faith and acted properly as we upgraded our operations to keep pace with others in the industry.

Cleveland Cinemas is committed to its customers and to Cleveland. For 27 years, we have created jobs, restored historic buildings and helped revitalize the neighborhoods where our theaters are located. And we have consistently supported the Cleveland International Film Festival. We hope you will agree that our theaters are part of what makes Cleveland special.

We also hope you will agree that, while there is a time and place for labor and management to debate their issues, that place is not the Cleveland International Film Festival. We appreciate your patronage and we hope that you found this information helpful. If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached at [snip].

Sincerely,

Jonathan R. Forman, President

MOTION PICTURE THEATERS NO LONGER USING DEDICATED PROJECTIONISTS:

LOEWS 20 ~ 20 SCREENS
MAGIC JOHNSON ~ 12 SCREENS
MARQUEE CINEMAS ~ BARRINGTON 10
THE CLEVELAND CINEMATHEQUE ~ 1 SCREEN
AMC
RIDGE PARK SQUARE ~ 8 SCREENS
WESTGATE MALL ~ 6 SCREENS
WESTWOOD TOWN CENTER ~ 6 SCREENS
REGAL CINEMAS
COBBLESTONE SQUARE ~ 20
HUDSON CINEMA ~ 10
MEDINA ~ 16
WILLOUGHBY COMMONS ~ 16
MOTION PICTURE THEATERS EXCLUSIVELY USING FULL TIME DEDICATED UNION PROJECTIONISTS:
GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER ~ 1 SCREEN
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ~ 1 SCREEN
THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART ~ 1 SCREEN
CLEVELAND INSTITUE OF ART ~ 1 SCREEN

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quote:

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A message from Projectionists Union Local 160
by John A. Galinac Friday, Mar. 11, 2005 at 3:17 PM
[snip]

A reply to Jon Forman's Special Message in his SPROCKETS NEWSLETTER

A message from Projectionists Union Local 160 John A. Galinac Business Agent Thank you for allowing me to respond to the “Special Message” from Jon Forman, President of Cleveland Cinemas. After reading the “Special Message” you might conclude that Mr. Forman states a reasonable and sympathetic position and that it is unfortunate that the Projectionists Union refuses to accept the technological inevitability of being relegated to the fate of the dinosaurs. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This is not about technology; this is about Mr. Forman’s greed and his willingness to sacrifice the Cleveland International Film Festival for his own narrow, selfish interests. I would like to respond to a few of the points in Mr. Forman’s message.

? The largest movie theater in the Greater Cleveland area is staffed 100% by union projectionists. Cinemark Theater in Valley View, with 24 screens, is the largest theater in this area and uses only union projectionists. Mr. Forman’s claim that union projectionists only remain at anachronistic, single screen theaters is simply a lie. Indeed, union projectionists are even employed at some of the theaters on his list of supposedly non-union theaters.

? The Cleveland International Film Festival has been put “at risk” by Jon Forman, not the Projectionists Union. The Film Festival has used only union projectionists for the last 28 years. In fact, last year when the Film Festival was having financial troubles, I personally requested and the Film Festival received a $10,000 grant from Paul Newman so that union projectionists could be used. This year, when the Film Festival applied to Cuyahoga County for a $15,000 grant, it expressly included funding for projectionists. It was Jon Forman who would not allow the Film Festival to continue to employ its own union projectionists and instead is requiring the Film Festival to use Mr. Forman’s non-union employees if the Film Festival wants to use the theaters Mr. Forman controls at Tower City. But for Mr. Forman’s intransigence, the Film Festival would have continued to use union projectionists as it has done for 28 years.

? Mr. Forman complained that the Union’s efforts to discourage patrons from coming to his theaters “may” have had an impact on his business, but he fails to mention the impact on the lives of union projectionists who he has systematically fired from their jobs at every single theater that is part of Mr. Forman’s growing empire. Those dedicated employees and their families have suffered from a loss of wages, health care, and contributions to their pension.

? The average wage of the dedicated union projectionists that used to work for Cleveland Cinemas was $15/hour. The projectionists have been replaced by lower-paid, so-called “managers” and “supervisors”. Although Mr. Forman’s Special Message talked about “upgrading” his operations, Mr. Forman has refused to hire any of his former projectionist employees into these lower-paid, upgraded positions. In fact, the National Labor Relations Board has issued a Complaint against Cleveland Cinema, and will be prosecuting them at a trial scheduled to start in June, over Cleveland Cinema’s refusal to even consider re-hiring union members into these “upgraded” positions.

? Finally, Jon Forman’s disdain for the Union and his own employees was best illustrated after one of his long-term employees died of a heart attack while at work, only hours after complaining to a fellow employee about his working conditions. When the Union tried to discuss health and safety issues with Mr. Forman, he stormed out of the meeting and refused to negotiate. I hope that these comments give you a better idea of what we have been up against. We ask for your support and understanding.

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quote:

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Union projectionists absent from this marquee

Saturday, March 12, 2005
Chuck W. Ackerman
Cleveland

Ihave been going to the Cleveland International Film Festival since it was held at the Cedar Lee Theater many years ago. I love the movies, and the festival is a great event for the city. I am disappointed and angry, however, that union projectionists will not be used in this year's festival. The fact that the festival is good for Cleveland does not give its organizers a pass on making sure that those who serve the festival are paid decent benefits.

Jonathan Forman of Cleveland Cinemas says he is only doing what the national chains are doing. This is not consistent with the fact that many other Cleveland-area theaters continue to use union projectionists, including Regal, Cinemark and AMC.

I was not privy to the negotiations between the festival organizers and Forman, but the use of union projectionists should have been insisted upon. The Cleveland Film Society is not solely to blame for this situation, but it should take its share.

Isn't it ironic that many films that will be shown this year and have been shown in past years explore social-justice issues, yet festival organizers choose to ignore one in their own back yard?

Chuck W. Ackerman
Cleveland

Ive been paying close atten tion to the dispute between Jonathan Forman and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 160. All I have to say to Forman is, "Thank you."

Before the Cedar Lee Theater got rid of union projectionists, nearly all of my experiences there were terrible: The film would snap; the print would be put in the projector backwards, causing subtitles to be reversed; house lights would be turned on in mid-screening. It seems that members of Local 160 feel that as long as they pay their monthly dues, they are untouchable - no matter how poorly they do their jobs.

Now that Cleveland Cinemas is rid of union projectionists, screenings at the Cedar Lee have gone off without a hitch. Coincidence?

Jared McGrath

Akron

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quote:

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Live, on film:

When a crossed wire in theater No. 4 silenced the beginning of "Lonesome Jim" during Thursday's opening night of the Cleveland International Film Festival, director Steve Buscemi wowed the crowd by narrating the flick as if it were a DVD director's cut. Then, along with producer Galt Niederhoffer and writer James C. Strouse, he provided dialogue voice-overs. Patrons loved it, and a few groaned when the sound was restored a few minutes later.

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posted 03-14-2005 04:27 PM                    

quote:

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Motion picture theater companies do not employ projectionists, simply because the jobs no longer exist.

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posted 03-15-2005 01:14 AM                    

quote: Joe Redifer

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Technology has only made it possible for a single person to run many more screens.

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