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Author Topic: Employees requesting off for Christmas David Yauch Expert Film Handler Posts: 206 From: Mesa, AZ, USA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 12-08-2004 11:08 PM                     quote: Alan Dallas Pretty much the same for just about all Harkins in AZ David. Even us at the Prescott Valley 14. It's good to see a fellow Harkins employee around. And how is the weather down in prescott Alan? quote: Gordon McLeod At least up here you can't compel someone to work on a day that is violation of there religious beliefs and since you can't discriminate employment hiring on grounds of religion if someone wants a specific holiday off they usually get it Oh you'll see that in some states, but in Arizona they can and will do whatever they need to run a business, and get away with it too. They being everyone, of course, not just the theatres.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-10-2004 11:15 AM                     Most every theater I've been at had a system like Brad's and it worked very well. Some people may value Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day, or may not be doing anything for New Years so it balances out in the end. I agree, a theater has always been one of the places you can count on being open during a holiday. (In some places, it's the only thing open other than gas stations) So when you apply for a job at a theater, that should be understood. The most irritating are the people whom you hire around the end of October or early November specifically for the holiday rush, and they want Thanksgiving and Christmas off because they're leaving town. Great! Then why did I hire you? It's like a mall Santa asking for the week before Christmas off. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-10-2004 12:21 PM                     Another approach is to use your holiday staff to pick up the slack for the good ones you have off but simply work everyone a shorter shift. Primary, Secondary, and mid-shift. This way everyone gets time with their family and their work schedule is rather short. I had to come in xmas eve of '03 to build up some dumbass movie opening xmas day. It worked out cause I closed the booth, the projectionist closing got off early and spent time with his family, I had already had dinner and didn't have a problem going in. Short shifts rock!  |  IP: Logged Robb Johnston Expert Film Handler Posts: 147 From: St. Louis Suburbs Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-11-2004 12:16 PM                        I don't know if they still use this, but the theatre that I started out at took the regular schedule and converted it so everyone's name ws listed down the left side, and instead of Fri-Thursday listed for the days, they listed the following 7 shifts: Thanksgiving Day shift Thanksgiving Night Xmas Eve Night Xmas Day Day shift Xmas Night New Years Eve Night New Years Day Day All staff could list their preference 1-7. they did not have to use all 7, if you had no need to request off for Xmas they would use 1-4 and only pref Thanksgiving and New years. Management would do their best to not schedule anyone on their first and second pick, and work from there. It was very successful  |  IP: Logged Dan Lyons Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 698 From: Seal Beach, CA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 12-11-2004 02:19 PM                     quote: Thomas Procyk I agree, a theater has always been one of the places you can count on being open during a holiday Nope. My theatre is going dark on Dec 24,25, and 31 since no one would want to work those days. Nice to work for an independant!  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-11-2004 02:58 PM                     My GM told me that, when he was at another theatre, they scheduled employees to work short shifts on holidays (2-3 hours) and, that way, everyone had most of the day off. For me, after 25 years in the business, I understand we provide entertainment for the public when THEY are off work and we should expect to work holidays and weekends.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-11-2004 06:00 PM                     We go dark from December 18th. thru January 2nd.. If you were on the extra board as an operator during the holidays, you could pick-up many shifts for projectionists that wanted time off on those days.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 12-11-2004 07:02 PM                        Same with stagehands. I don't care for the holiday season at all and prefer to work through it. When I was on the local IATSE "bounce" list I used to get a lot of work during what used to be a slow time here. During the years when I held a full-time crew position, I used to volunteer for all of the holidays. Weekends here are peak times of course, so no one gets those days off. I used to try to get Thursdays off myself--it gave me the ability to attend and teach at the local USAF Auxiliary (CAP) squadron meetings. When I was with Hughes Aircraft the company used to shut down between Christmas and New Year's; depending on the calendar it could be as much as two weeks off. The spacecraft controllers had to remain of course, but we could choose which of the two holidays we wanted off. During the break we went to a 12-on/12-off shift schedule to give the crew at least half of those days off.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-13-2004 09:02 PM                     quote: Dan Lyons Nope. My theatre is going dark on Dec 24,25, and 31 since no one would want to work those days. Nobody comes to your theater anyway! =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 12-14-2004 10:53 AM                        Yeah. What's yer theatre playing anyway? First Daughter? When I worked for Cinema West it was usually up to me to poke the owner with a fork until he agreed to shut down some of the theatres early on the holidays. He was pretty realistic about each location though, and knew which would do well on holidays and which wouldn't. Cinema West is the only theatre company I've heard of that pays overtime on holidays. I don't know if it's the same now, but when I was with them it was overtime on Thanksgiving (all day), Christmas Eve (after 6pm), Christmas Day (all day), New Years Even (after 6pm), New Years Day (all day) and Easter (all day). It worked well enough to get those borderline employees to work for the holidays, and it also allowed the salaried managers a to take some of the lesser holidays off and let their hourly people rack up a little extra paycheck. If the o/t didn't reel them in, then I'd have to pull the Brad methodology up above.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-14-2004 12:06 PM                     We were always paid overtime during those holidays. That was with all the chains that I worked for.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 12-14-2004 11:59 PM                        We pay Overtime on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-15-2004 05:06 PM                        Seeing that this industry skirts OT in most states, it is my FIRM belief that we should pay DOUBLE TIME on the following holidays. Thanksgiving - Christmas - New Years The extra $2000 annually isn't going to BREAK anyone and I woudl rest assured that I wouldn't have ANY problem staffing these days.. When I own 'The Movies Inc', I will pay DT on the above holidays. If I can't feasibly afford to, I will go dark these days.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Jones 1 Film Handler Posts: 62 From: Tulsa, OK, USA Registered: Aug 1999 posted 12-22-2004 02:02 PM                        I always try to honor every single request off that comes in. Most of my staff has not chosen the theatre as a career so i shouldn't expect them to work every single holiday or never ask off. I just hire more staff to cover what I need; there are always people out there that would love to work at the theatre. If someone asks for the entire Christmas break off and comes back to find out that they are now getting one day a week because I hired someone else that COULD work, then that's their problem. I know when I ask off, it's for a good reason. And, if they're not in town, then they're not in town. It's my job to make sure I have enough staff to cover the holidays.  |  IP: Logged Jim Ziegler Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 753 From: West Hollywood, CA Registered: Jul 99 posted 12-23-2004 05:23 AM                     We are dropping our evening shows on Christmas Eve, our 11am shows on Christmas day, our 9pm shows on New Years Eve and our 11am shows on New Years Day. As for overtime on Christmas, last I knew Cinemark paid it...  |  IP: Logged

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