Local 873 of iatse is attempting to return to the collective agreement that managed technicians on commercial sets until almost 13 years ago. Back in 1988, a failed negotiation left the technicians working on commercial sets without a collective agreement.

‘I want this to happen and I want it to happen soon,’ says Paul Harding, president of iatse Local 873. ‘What we want to avoid here is any turmoil within the industry.’

But, the initiative to reconstruct a collective agreement for commercial technicians, launched by Harding, is being met with nervousness among Ontario commercial producers who would be directly affected by the change in business models.

In a memo dated Aug. 30 and distributed to members of the Commercial Production Association of Toronto, Ross McLean, general manager of The Partners’ Film Company, expressed considerable concern at the potential change.

McLean states that he ‘believes very sincerely and honestly that any benefits – if any – will be outweighed by the negatives.’ Reduced take-home pay for technicians, an environment more receptive to American technicians working in Canada and issues of seniority are among some of McLean’s concerns.

In the current arrangement, McLean says technicians can be considered independent companies. At the same time, slow payment periods associated with independent contractors is a key factor in the desire for a collective agreement.

More than 80% of commercial technicians are already represented by iatse. ‘We allow them to work on [commercial production]. We think it’s a great thing, and we like the industry, but they’re not working under a collective agreement,’ says Harding.

Harding has distributed a questionnaire in the iatse newsletter to gauge what commercial technicians think of a new collective agreement.

‘Almost universally, those technicians want to be covered by a collective agreement. I don’t think there is a single one dissenting on that. What they’re looking for is a level playing field from one company to another, in terms of the conditions they’re working under: the length of the day, the hourly breakdown,’ says Harding.

The rate of pay is not a problem for commercial technicians. The issue is fringe benefits.

However, the last negotiation for a collective agreement in 1988 was derailed by an impasse over the issue of seniority. Harding wants the industry to know it will be dealing with a changed union this time.

‘I believe that our membership, at this point, understands that with so many of what we call pick positions or name-call positions – positions that can be hired outside of any seniority loop – in the long format, that it would be redundant to bring the topic of seniority to the table, in terms of commercials. Seniority has nothing to do with the conversation,’ says Harding.

McLean writes in his Aug. 30 memo that iatse ‘doesn’t presently have the resources or infrastructure to [provide training].’ But Harding is adamant that the union ‘sponsors seminars and training programs.’

Rules of the game

Further, Harding says the reduction in on-set and last-second negotiations that a collective agreement would provide will make commercial production run more smoothly.

Also, under the current circumstances, says Harding, ‘bidding takes place, ultimately on the backs of labor.’

‘I’d like to level out the playing field. I think I would like to get the technicians out of the bidding loop when it comes to this competition.’

As for the never-ending conspiracy theories that a new collective agreement will lay out a red-carpet to bring American crews north, Harding says, ‘We have our constitutional by-laws, guaranteed to us in our charter [and] a thing called Home Rule, which gives us, as a local union, autonomy over wages and conditions. We’re as protectionist about our jobs as interested in promoting more and more employment opportunities for our people here,’ Harding explains.

Responses Harding has been receiving from commercial producers have been mixed. That said, he is prepared to negotiate and sign collective agreements with interested companies.

Roadhouse Productions is a commercial service house in Toronto rumored to be one of the companies closest to signing a collective agreement for spot production with iatse. Roadhouse has the particular perspective of having dealt with iatse in a collective agreement for technicians who participate in the company’s long-form work.

‘If iatse could present an economic model that makes sense, we will do it. And the reason we work well with [Local 873] is because that’s exactly what we did in long form when we became ia signatories in January, this year. In long form they were able to come up with an economic model that worked,’ says Roadhouse ceo Howard Rosen.

Rosen says his company would be ‘foolish not to talk,’ but has yet to hear an official proposal from iatse.

At iatse, Harding makes it clear that those who sign the agreement will have significant advantages over those who hold out. ‘They’re on a first priority basis,’ he says. ‘They get the same priority as our hundred-million dollar feature film.’

The move by Local 873 may cause a chain reaction among other iatse locals in Ontario also looking for collective agreements, particularly Local 58 (the stage local) and Local 667 (the camera local).

In fact, the initiative may not be confined to Ontario. ‘The other jurisdictions across the country are looking right now at what’s happening in Ontario. I think you will see in the future the same kind of organizing initiative happen elsewhere,’ Harding says. *

-www.iatse873.com