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Author Topic: Union Projectionists Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-06-2010 10:09 AM                     Actually Toronto was much lower pay scale than Vancouver or Calgary Also Toronto IATSE was very for the introduction of automation and in many case recomended automating early twins to save the employer operating cost to improve job viability Also when a large circuit was in trouble financially they offered a large pay cut to the employer  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 07-06-2010 10:29 AM                       I was talking more about the instant emotional reaction of some of the members to our introducing new technology in their forum. Everyone likes to protect their turf and tends to resist change. The Toronto local was very progressive and this is why they had requested the training course.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 07-06-2010 01:42 PM                     It's not necessarily about Unions in general..it's about the leadership and members of said Union. The Los Angeles local was know as a laughingstock as far back as the early 80's...it was staffed with corrupt leadership, and filled to the brim with "operators" who were worse than the worst popcorn kids at the multiplex. The chains, over time, went to limited service then finally refused to renew the contracts when the Local continued to fail to provide competent operators. So they killed themselves off and I have absolutely no sympathy for them. I have worked live shows with the stagehands locals and they were all pretty much highly professional and pretty easy to get along with. They are still doing ok, though the economy has hit them hard. The projectionist Union was very important in the early days, as working conditions and the hazards of unvented carbon arcs and nitrate film made working in many booths a deadly profession. One of the things the union was valuable for was bringing around better safety standards and proper training for the projectionists. The advent of xenon bulbs. platters and automations pretty much made the job so easy, a caveman can do it, and the unions, rather than enforcing quality of persons, had the territorial rights reaction that Sam was referring to.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-06-2010 02:33 PM                     My buddy and I were in Local 463 (a pretty pathetic union with members who did nothing for putting on a good show, but just push start buttons, watched TV, slept on cots between shows, had their GF's, wives, family upstairs, smoked silly where you couldn't even breathe up there since the air in the booth was turned into a smog cloud, used yellow tape for splices.. et.al. - just the bare requirements to earn that much larger wage than even what the managers were making..) and the two of us went the 'second mile' in being what was required along with expanding our trade as projectionists (we ran carbon arc houses, thus tonnage of daily unit maintenance)to give that "perfect presentation" on a daily basis at our respective theatres. I also went the 'second mile' to do sound tech work at my theatre to where, when the RCA Tech would come around, his work was cut in half compared to other venues he would tech out on his routes. You might say that we earned that higher wage honestly instead of 'stealing' it from the theatre that we worked at. After the charter was removed from our area after the union membership died off, we still did our best in our work ethics, including with our teaching and training of the trade - to keep the quality of performances at top notch. Thus, we didn't follow the "political" method of running union booths; we ran it the way it should be and what the customer expected when they came to our respective theatres. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-06-2010 03:06 PM                     quote: Monte L Fullmer My buddy and I were in Local 463 (a pretty pathetic union with members who did nothing for putting on a good show, but just push start buttons, watched TV, slept on cots between shows, had their GF's, wives, family upstairs, smoked silly where you couldn't even breathe up there since the air in the booth was turned into a smog cloud, used yellow tape for splices.. et.al. - just the bare requirements to earn that much larger wage than even what the managers were making..) Exactly...you just did the bare requirements to earn the larger wage  |  IP: Logged Michael Marini Film Handler Posts: 27 From: issue maryland/ USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 07-06-2010 05:15 PM                     Its been my experience as a theater owner and union man if you take good of your wokers they will take care of you.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-06-2010 05:18 PM                     I second that. There are some bosses I've worked for who I would do almost anything for. Others, I wouldn't piss on their heads if their hair was on fire.  |  IP: Logged Mike Frese Master Film Handler Posts: 465 From: Holts Summit, MO Registered: Jun 2007 posted 07-06-2010 05:33 PM                        Love Rush. Just got the new documentary on blu-ray "Beyond The Lighted Stage". Can't believe I have not watched it yet.  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-07-2010 08:02 AM                     John Rutsey ruled!  |  IP: Logged Dennis M Dow Jr Expert Film Handler Posts: 141 From: Bloomfield NJ USA Registered: Oct 2003 posted 07-07-2010 11:26 AM                       Having been in multiple unions (IATSE, Teamsters) during the course of my various employments, I can say that most my experiences were bad. Teamsters was under the control of a special master at the time but the representatives were still as corrupt as back in the good old days. IATSE 384 which i joined was probably the best experience I had. Was a small local but treated members fairly and got us a decent wage even though it was a shared booth (one of the first i think). When we were force merged into another local (will not mention here) it was teamsters all over again. we ran a full time 15screen booth that paid less than a 6plex we shared in other local and one of the partners was the stagehand BA cause they needed to put him somewhere. He was a complete waste who would call you an before his shift to see if you could work for him while he had to do something else. Was never so glad when he was volunteered for Woodstock and got in trouble with the union for selling favors lol. Anyway after 9 yrs of no raises and the loss of hours I went into the install business and have enjoyed most of my time in it. Most electricians I have worked with were very good and while they wanted to terminate the wires on the speakers I had no prob with that cause they did them fast and correctly. Main problem i had was with a screen company on one job that got my last screen hung 2 days before opening. needless to say did not like having to cut norelco plates the night before opening.  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 07-07-2010 11:26 AM                     Rush is performing at Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk on August 11.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 07-07-2010 11:42 AM                        Been on vacation and just got back to work today and read Micheals comments. Everything I have said is from my real life experience and knowledge. It is a fact that the one Loews theatre in Michigan that unionized under the foodservice union got a worse deal that what the company offered to non union floor staff, that is fact. It is also fact that local 182 only wanted to organize the floor staff in Danvers as a bargaining tool so that the company could not lock them out without lockijng out the floor staff. This was admitted to me by one of the union projectionists involved. In New York and Boston I have known and know union operators that I like to work with, who know there stuff, and make working with them a very pleasant experience. There is one new york union member here who was nice enough to hook we up with a part I needed for a speaker free of any charge, in my book he is a great guy. Being union or non-union does not make you a good or bad operator or a good or bad person your attitude and actions do that. Unfortunately it has been my experience that some people get a chip on their shoulder that they are not qualified to have just because they have a union card. I have more respect for someone who realizes they do not know everything and is willing to keep an open mind and learn what they can from anyone they can than I do for someone who is a know it all because of a peice of paper. This goes for college degrees, professional certificates, awards, and union cards. I am going to go take my smoke break now  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-07-2010 12:00 PM                     quote: Sean McKinnon I am going to go take my smoke break now Hehe...give me a half hour, I'll join you  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-07-2010 12:14 PM                    Rush used to employ a projectionist on their tours back in the late 70's/early 80's before they started using video banks for their video presentations. That would have been an interesting gig to do.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-07-2010 04:30 PM                        Must have been a non-union projectionist. One thing this thread has taught me is that if you do not like unions, you LOVE Rush.  |  IP: Logged

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