Every Four Years, the IATSE Holds a Convention to Bring Together Delegates from All of Its Locals in the United States and Canada
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ANIMATION GUILD AND AFFILIATED ELECTRONIC AND GRAPHIC ARTS Los Angeles, California, August 2021 Vol. 50, No8 Every four years, the IATSE holds a convention to bring together Delegates from all of its Locals in the United States and Canada. This year’s event was originally scheduled to take place in Toronto, Ontario in Canada, but the ongoing pandemic forced a change in plans. Delegates from The Animation Guild rolled with it and last month joined the Quadrennial Convention and also the annual District 2 Convention virtually as IATSE leadership gathered in person to stream a program of guest speakers (US Senator Chuck Schumer, Canadian Prime Min- ister Justin Trudeau, Professor Anita Hill, US Representative Adam Schiff , and more), caucuses, committee meetings and reports, mixers, resolution consider- ation, educational sessions, award presentations, and messages from leadership. The theme of this year’s Convention was “Together We Rise,” which ties in with the IA’s recent adoption of a new Equity Statement and plan to conduct and publicize an annual census report to measure diversity within the ranks of our 150,000 members. “Diverse organization cannot be estab- lished unless current systems of access are enhanced,” the Equity Statement reads. “We must build structures to create equitable access for all, and to truly celebrate diversity. This growth will ensure a stronger union, and together, we Together We Rise (continued on page 3) IN THIS ISSUE Together We Rise ................................................................. 1 From the President ................................................................ 4 From the Business Representative .............................................. 6 Field Rep Corner .................................................................10 Post-It Note Show Kick-Off at Golden Road ..................................11 A Chat with Timing Director Sean Dempsey .................................12 FAM and Education Committees Back To School Draw-Along .............14 MPI 2020 Pension Statements Available Now .................................15 Have You Been Asked To Test? .................................................16 Volunteers Needed for Organizing ..............................................17 In Memoriam ....................................................................18 Upcoming Events at the Animation Guild .....................................19 THE PEGBOARD is published monthly by The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 1105 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 • (818) 845-7500 www.animationguild.org • [email protected] PEGBOARD EDITOR SHOP STEWARDS Paula Spence Alternate Theory (Marvel) DreamWorks TVA ShadowMachine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joe Jones Charlie Jackson Jeanette Moreno King Alexandra Drosu Paula Spence Atomic Fox Animation MANAGING EDITOR Katya Bowser Greg Colton The Simpsons Kimberly Fay Joie Foster KC Johnson Bento Box Larry Smith Teri Cusumano (Lankershim) Green Portal PRESIDENT Ashley Long (Lankershim) Jack Cusumano Titmouse/Robin Red Breast Jeanette Moreno King Drew Newman (Empire) Elisa Phillips Roger Oda BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE Cartoon Network Netfl ix Walt Disney Animation Steve Kaplan Mira Lark Crowell Mary Nash Brandon Jarratt Carrie Liao Disney TVA Nickelodeon VICE-PRESIDENT Justin Weber Jack Thomas Scott Carpenter (Sonora) Laura Hohman Danny Ducker (Sonora) Crystal Kan Warner Animation Group RECORDING SECRETARY Eugene Salandra (Empire) Colleen McAllister Charlie Jackson Paula Spence Kyle Neswald DreamWorks Feature Warner Bros. TVA SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Jorge Garcia Mike Milo Robert St. Pierre Tyler White Erica Smith EXECUTIVE BOARD All contents © 2021 by The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839. All rights reserved. Jack Cusumano ISSN 1523-9365. Publications of bona fi de labor organizations may reprint articles Danny Ducker from this newsletter so long as attribution is given. Laura Hohman Brandon Jarratt PEGBOARD SUBSCRIPTION POLICY: Active members automatically receive The KC Johnson Pegboard free of charge. Members on honorable withdrawal may continue to receive Crystal Kan the newsletter without charge by sending an annual written request on or before the Carrie Liao expiration date on the mailing label. The subscription rate for suspended members and Mike Milo non-members is $15.00 per year ($25.00 foreign, check in U. S. funds), checks made Elisa Phillips out to the Animation Guild and sent to 1105 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505. Stephen Silver Emily Walus The Pegboard is printed on recycled Paper. TRUSTEES KC Johnson Carrie Liao Stephen Silver 2 Together We Rise (continued from page 1) will rise!” The statement also “acknowledges that while we all face bar- riers to our success, there are those among us who face barriers that are more substantial and entrenched than others. We call upon all to identify, minimize, or erase obstacles that are within our control to make a more equitable pathway to unionism, leadership, and equality.” The Animation Guild brought the largest group to the two Conventions, with 35 members serving as Delegates! Our Delegates brought six resolu- tions to the District 2 Convention, which is where concerns from IA Locals in Arizona, California, Hawai’i, and Nevada are brought to the table for consideration. Resolutions are reviewed, discussed, and sometimes revised in committee, and then voted on by the entire delegation. President Matt Loeb noted that this year’s Convention brought forward “the most progres- sive set of constitutional changes and resolutions in our union’s history.” In addition to the diversity census, the Delegates also approved reso- lutions to: advocate for and support federal legislation to protect the right to organize, expand collective bargaining rights, support elected offi cials who seek to ensure access to voting and fair elections in the US, fi ght for the inclusion of Paid Family Medical Leave in CBA’s, review health plans and work to include robust coverage for Queer and Trans members, review health plans to ensure that PEP and PrEP (HIV prevention) are off ered and covered, explore anti-bias and anti-racist trainings, as well as recommend- ing the IATSE General Executive Board, Offi cers, and Delegates attend Trans inclusivity training, explore development of mentorship programs and partnerships supporting organizations that encourage inclusion in en- tertainment careers, and revise and update constitution and bylaws lan- guage to be more modern, specifi c, and inclusive. On the fi nal day of the Quadrennial Convention, Delegates from across the continent nominated their choices to fi ll all of the IATSE leadership roles. The nomination statements were a reminder that the people leading the IA come from our very own Locals and rise through the ranks on the strength of their ability to look into the future and take transformative ac- tion while sharing their passion for raising up workers and their communi- ties. The leaders who have taken a critical look at our Union’s past in order to guide us into a future that looks better for all of us were re-elected, and will continue to listen to the voices from the Locals that bring our members’ concerns to conventions like this so that we can ALL have a say in where we go from here. Together We Rise! 3 I’M A GEN XER I am a typical Gen Xer. I am the oldest of four siblings from a di- vorced mother with an absent father. I was a latchkey kid who was responsible for keeping her brother and sisters alive while mom was at work. If problems arose, I had to fi gure it out myself and was responsible (or blamed) for the inevitable mixed results. It took me a long time to learn how to ask for help or to delegate. I still deal with this. I do believe this was one of the reasons early in my career I didn’t trust that a union was where I could turn for community or help. I felt that any problems that I was having with my career or on a particular production were my burdens alone. This misguided individualism was far from empowering. It made me feel alone. It made me question wheth- er I was cut out for this competitive industry where any sign of weakness made you a “problematic” employee. Having children while trying to maintain my animation career was a real turning point for me. The union hall was where I could talk about my struggles with other empathetic colleagues having the same experiences. I realized that the value of a safe place to congregate with my fellow an- imation professionals outside of work was just as important as the other traditional roles that a union plays as a protector of wages and benefi ts. I wanted to have a hand in building our community so I became a Shop Steward and slowly became more involved as I learned how our Union is structured. Once I got on to the Executive Board, I made it my mission to work to build up a community in and around our Union and to make certain that we communicated that message to the world outside of our Union hall. The generations beyond this Gen Xer were ready for that call. They have jumped into activism, community, and unionism with both feet by pack- ing our General Membership Meetings, running for offi ce, volunteering to chair committees, and becoming Shop Stewards and Delegates. 4 And, wow, are they making real change, not only in our Guild but in our wider umbrella union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE, by showing up to the organization’s Quadrennial International Convention, bringing a slew of resolutions to propose to Delegates from the other IA Locals. Some of them made it to the wider