Local 44 News

The West Coast Unions of IATSE support an additional half-billion dollars for California film incentives. Read the text of the bill

presented (Assembly Bill No. 1069) here.

Business Agent Ed Brown appears before the California State Assembly Select Committee on Preservation of California’s Entertainment Industry to defend the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program.  See the video here.

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Safety Pass will be conducting two (2) off-site, Satellite courses at Sony Pictures Studios. 

“A2” – Environmental Safety
Date: Friday, May 13, 2011
Time: 3:00 PM

“L2” – Excavation and Trenching
Date: Friday, June 10, 2011
Time: 3:00 PM

Location:
Backstage Theatre
Sony Pictures Studios
10202 West Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA  90245

To Enroll:
These classes are available on a space-available, first come, first served basis.  Enrollment is available only by calling Safety Pass at 818-847-0040 extension 1200.  Once enrolled, the individual will be provided specific location and parking instructions.

Individuals who are more than five (5) minutes late reporting for safety training will be asked to reschedule, and will not be admitted into the class.

Thank you.

Contract Services Administration Training Trust Fund

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

84th Academy Awards Winner 

Set Decorator

FRANCESCA LO SCHIAVO

Winner, Best Art Direction 
Martin Scorsese's Hugo

Once again, Local 44 is proud to announce that one of our members has won an Oscar!

We extend our heartiest congratulations to Set Decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo for her outstanding work on Martin Scorsese's Hugo, which garnered a total of five Oscars at the 84th Academy Awards this past Sunday evening.

Watching Wisconsin!
 

My office has been notified by Safety Pass at CSATF that an extremely large number of Local 44 members have not completed the required "A2 – Environmental Safety Class"

If you are one of these members you should have received a letter from Safety Pass/CSATF notifying you that you have until January 31, 2011 to complete this required course. In this letter CSATF states that as of that date if you have not completed the course you, "will be suspended from the Industry Experience Roster and may be considered ineligible for employment".

Notifications from my office as well as CSATF have been forwarded to the membership since this requirement became initiated, unfortunately far to many have let these notifications go unanswered, now there is very little time left to ignore this requirement.

Please do not let this happen to you! I have requested Safety Passport to double the class sizes to accommodate our membership, and they have agreed to make this accommodation, however we have no control over the deadline date they have set.

You can register for classes online at: www.csatf.org look for the Safety Pass online link. Or call Safety Pass directly at: 818-847-0040 ext. 1200.

Do not risk your employment status, do it today!

Fraternally,

Ed Brown

December 7, 2010: Los Angeles City Council approves a tax break for film, television, and commercial productions that stay in Los Angeles.  Below is the official press release.

VIEW FULL SCREEN

As the Entertainment Industry constantly redefines itself, the challenges of finding work increase.

Now more than ever, it is important that Local 44 members who are current with their dues and in good standing are afforded ALL the rights and privileges stated in our Constitution and By-Laws. Gone are the days when the Union turned a blind eye to persons NOT in good standing taking union work and employment away from members with their dues paid who wait at home for the phone to ring.

For years, our membership believed that "good standing" meant paying your dues before the start of the next quarter and not getting suspended. According to our Union's Constitution and By-Laws, this is not true. Any initiation fee, dues, or assessments must be paid in full by their respective due dates or that member loses his/her good standing and becomes delinquent until payment is made (all dues payments are to be accepted by Local 44 prior to the close of business on the first day of January, April, July, and October). A delinquent member becomes suspended when he/she continues to be delinquent into the following quarter (90+ days late). Why is this important? Like persons who are suspended and dropped, delinquent members lose their good standing status and forfeit their rights and privileges. For example; delinquent members are not entitled to: attend/participate in Local 44 meetings and events, a vote on each question at meetings, a vote on each question designated for membership issues (contracts, elections, motions at meetings, etc.), run for Local 44 office, keep their place on the out of work list housed in the Callboard, hold employment under Local 44's contractual jurisdictions. What does all this mean? Our Constitution and By-Laws is our rule book and guide that assists the day to day union operations. Practices of past administrations or misinformed theories that have perpetuated for decades do not relieve us of what the actual rules are. If you have questions about your status or how the CBL's affect your standing with the Union, call us and we will be happy to help get you the correct information.