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Topic: Projectionists Hold Key To Alameda Labor Dispute

Jerry D. Cox
Film Handler

Posts: 35
From: Nashville, TN, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-05-2008 03:39 PM

Mark you said that you were a non Union Tec.in Chicago,Well I find that hard to beleve,For all the Tec.'s that I new were In the Union,They work for RCA or ALTEC,I no that you Hate Unions
BUT I thank it is because they would not let you Get in.As for me
I work for over 35yrs.In the IATSE I recv.two retirement chicks
from the Union one from my Local and one from the International
In NY,peopel like you are the reson Theatres pay as little
as they do.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-05-2008 05:02 PM

Actually Jerry I was indeed in local 110 for a short while (Invited in by Alvin Wroble himself!) but after a while at work projecting at a Chicago Theater I declined the invite in. There were many reasons but my main reason was primarily the IA's tie to organized crime... a few members are still sitting locked in prison as I type this... and with the growning number of Non-Union Theaters in Northern Indiana, Northern Illinois and Wisconsin that also needed service. So quite simply the Union and I were not on the same page. I asked them when I was projectionist if I'd ever be sent to do "technical" work but they declined to say. I also was asked to come to work by RCA and not doing so was one of the smartest moves I ever made in my life. They went out of buisness about 6 months later. After that point in time I operated my own theater supply buisness... Midwest Theater Supply in Elgin, Il. for 18 years. I was pretty sucessful if you base sucess by the type of work that I did and the work I was involved with on 45 location Hollywood features... all over the USA and spanning lots of different I.A. Unions. Come to think of it I was never even questioned about my Union nor was I ever carded, so based on that its pretty obvious they knew I wasn't Union. I was ultimately so busy I suffered a nervous breakdown and then decided to shut the biz down and slow back down to normal speed. I "retired" from the location movie thing when I moved to Utah but kept working in theater repair and install although I also did do a couple of small location jobs after moving here but then got tired of storing the gear and sold it off. Gee, I made enough $$ on all those movie jobs to be able to retire at 55 if I want to... So I don't think I did too bad. So you think I hate Unions... Indeed you are very wrong in your assumption and I've been lucky to have worked woth many fine IA members on all those filme all of whom were true profesionals. I am very much for Unions, just not in the way 110 was structured and operating at that point in time. Had I taken their offer of membership I would have ultimately been shut out of work like the 300+ other local 110 members that were when GC and Cineplex locked them out. I cerainly didn't forsee that happenning but I think there is a very good reason that I've been in this buisness since 1981.

Have a nice day,
Mark

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 08-05-2008 05:59 PM

Please explain how (and why) a union full of friggin' projectionists of all trades would have ties to organized crime. What the hell would the mob want with booth monkeys? I understand that union = crime but that can't apply to ALL unions.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-05-2008 06:07 PM

quote: Jerry D. Cox
I recv.two retirement chicks from the Union

Now with that kind of a retirement plan, I would have definitely joined the union! [Big Grin]

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-05-2008 07:42 PM

quote: Jerry D. Cox
I recv.two retirement chicks from the Union

Yea, You're right Mike... I forgot to ask Jerry what the Chicks they send are like... tall, big boobs and tight ass or just plain ole chicks. Oh hell, any chicks is better then no chicks.... [thumbsup]

quote: Joe Redifer
Please explain how (and why) a union full of friggin' projectionists of all trades would have ties to organized crime.

Look back into the history of the IA and see who it was really started by. In Chicago it's always had those ties. There was one big time Mobster whose name escapes me and is now dead or locked away and on his income tax return his occupation was listed as "projectionist".

quote: Joe Redifer
I understand that union = crime but that can't apply to ALL unions.

You're 100% correct Joe... There are many very good locals The one in Seattle is a good one, The local in Memphis was yet another but doesn't exist any longer and I was invited into that Union by the late Bill McAfee, there are a number of others as well. However the Chicago Local at the time was pretty much a Union where every member was really working for just a few at the top of the Union and those at the top were doing little for those doing all the work. So why would I have wanted to be a part of that arrangement? The Chicago Secretary at the time in fact was the highest paid Union Official in the Country. I think the fact that Jerry thinks I hate Unions just because I'm not in one is pretty typical of many Union people. Had I moved to Seattle I would have seen if I could have gotten in and I was asked if I wanted into the Memphis union. When I moved out here to SLC I found out there was no Union and since this is only the second place I've worked for any length of time in this industry there isn't much I can do about belonging to a Union.

The real fact of the matter Jerry is the results of the work that I did on all those films in most cases put alot of Union folks to work. How is that bad?

Mark

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Richard May
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1057
From: Floral Park, NY USA
Registered: Aug 2004

posted 08-05-2008 08:31 PM

Again, the theaters here have the right to reject any projectionist that they don't want. Yes, the union will send anyone with the higher seniority, even if they suck. The theater does not have to accept that though.

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Mike Spaeth
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1129
From: Marietta, GA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 08-05-2008 08:42 PM

quote: Jerry D. Cox
Mark you said that you were a non Union Tec.in Chicago,Well I find that hard to beleve,For all the Tec.'s that I new were In the Union,They work for RCA or ALTEC,I no that you Hate Unions
BUT I thank it is because they would not let you Get in.As for me
I work for over 35yrs.In the IATSE I recv.two retirement chicks
from the Union one from my Local and one from the International
In NY,peopel like you are the reson Theatres pay as little
as they do.

Wow. That whole post kind of speaks for itself. Spell check, people!

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Todd McCracken
Master Film Handler

Posts: 263
From: Northridge, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2008

posted 08-05-2008 08:43 PM

When I was a teamster for 6 years it was run by crooks. Unions are a great idea, but as with all forms of collectivism your line level member must be constantly involved for it to work properly. Sadly my generation and those after have the idea such things run on autopilot and require no effort on their part other than paying dues, therefore it becomes a breeding ground for corruption.

Though admittedly I know little of projectionists unions other than they used to be closed shops.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-05-2008 09:34 PM

quote:
Wow. That whole post kind of speaks for itself. Spell check, people!

Aw give him a break Mike... How do we know one of those chicks from the Union wasn't sitting on his lap when he was typing [Confused]

.

Mark

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Richard May
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1057
From: Floral Park, NY USA
Registered: Aug 2004

posted 08-05-2008 10:25 PM

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 08-06-2008 12:07 AM

We can go back to Henry Ford's day when he refused the UAW for the longest time being old fashioned that he was .. in wanting to keep the "Five Dollar a day" wages - in which what the unions were simply basing their members:to give them the wages, benefits and protection that they deserved.

My parents were both members of their respective opccupations where their respective unions did protect them quite nicely and retired successfuly not too long before our beloved state voted in the "right to work" law.

Nowdays, you say "union" in theatres, you get almost slamblasted out the door for the simple reason that these owners want to control everything, pay horribly and make those guys wear bunny suits shoveling popcorn or tearing tix along with handling film.

Guess digital is now the 'correct' answer to these problems.

-Monte

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Brian D. Whitish
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 103
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 08-06-2008 02:23 AM

Mark,
Thanks for your kind words about Seattle local. I have had the privledge of being the business rep for the last 12 years. We are barely hanging on and we merged with stagehands local 15 in 2000. I just got some Claco parts for my Norelco from MacRae Theatre Supply. Some bands and a new intermittant sproket. They are in and running well.
Brian

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-06-2008 08:02 AM

Glad that you guys are still hanging in there Brian and hope the best for you. Also glad the Norelco parts worked out as well. Miles and his Uncle Bob whom I hear from now and then are a good guys and hopefully the local theaters around there continue to support McRae's for a long time to come.

As Monte mentioned there are right to work laws in Idaho... Utaw also has the same law, Florida is another but that law at least in Utaw DOES NOT preclude a Union forming or existing. There are in fact many unions here in Utaw... I can't speak for Idaho or Florida though.

Anyway... I think I've made my point clear about who, what, when, where, and why.

Mark

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 08-07-2008 12:58 AM

A little off-topic but David McRae is a nice guy as well. Though he's been with AMC for some time now unlike Miles/Bob. That is, unless things changed since I was in town during Christmas.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-07-2008 08:22 AM

Yep! I have my McRaes mixed up. He's still with AMC. He is our contact for the AMC's that we service. I believe that Bob now lives in Spokane, at least he did last call I got from him.

Mark

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