LEO T. REED, SECRETARY-TREASURER JANUARY 2010 “Rizzoli” Teamsters Act In Soledad Canyon Fire page 3 Randy Cammack Honors Shop Stewards page 8 Houston Oilers Honor Former Lineman Reed page 6 SECRETARY-TREASURER LEO REED’S MESSAGE page 2 SECRETARY-TREASURER’S MESSAGE Reluctant Heroes By Leo T. Reed t’s not every day that the of the time we’d be excitement from work bored to death. The Icontinues after leaving the excitement is why we set. The crew working on the are all in Hollywood. TV pilot “Rizzoli,” as you will This isn’t the read in the following pages, got only instance of our to do just that. Transportation members helping Captain Bob Nelson and his out the community, crew of Mac DiRosario, John merely one of the Hudson, Jeff Bova, and Bryan most recent. Years Brown spent a late night after ago our members work helping to prevent a had sent a truckload potentially devastating brush of supplies to soldiers fire from starting near Acton. stationed in Iraq. Lo- It was because of their heroic cal 399 was awarded actions and unflinching resolve the Seven Seals that an already dangerous Award for supporting house fire didn’t turn into a Reserve and National Guard TEAMSTERS much worse disaster. If that units. None of this was ever LOCAL 399 wasn’t enough, they ­­- along with made public, but we didn’t do it Studio Transportation Drivers the rest of the production crew for publicity. We know the great (818) 985-7374 - gave food, clothes and $1,200 things that our members do, we to the couple whose house know they do it with modesty, EXECUTIVE BOARD burned down. It’s people like and we appreciate each other. Secretary-Treasurer Bob Nelson and his crew that Although the things we do Leo T. Reed make me proud to be a part of may never be publicized, that’s President Local 399. all right with us. From helping Tony Cousimano The motion picture indus- troops overseas to helping a Vice President try is a very exciting business. family in Soledad Canyon, Local Randy Peterson Every day, Local 399 members 399 members do all they can Recording Secretary are on set experiencing the for the community and the na- Rose Falcon thrilling aspects of movie mak- tion. Our generous and altruistic ing. Sometimes it may seem like members and their accomplish- TRUSTEES everything in the film industry is ments outside of the industry Jack Fisher an emergency, but let’s face it, if George Skinta are the best-kept secret in the Ed Duffy things on set went smoothly all labor movement. Page 2 “Rizzoli” Teamsters Act In Soledad Canyon Fire “Rizzoli” firefighting Teamsters include John Hudson, Jeff Bova, Bob Nelson, and Bryan Brown. t was 1:30 in the morning early in December, flames, and Nelson knew that saving the home Iand Captain Bob Nelson’s crew was preparing might not be possible. to head home. They had just wrapped the TV “We could hear people yelling, but the pilot “Rizzoli” for the day and were leaving their smoke was too thick to see anything,” recalled location at the Polsa Rosa Ranch in Acton when Nelson, a 10-year Teamster member. After some a frantic call came over the radio. John Hudson, tense moments they found, to their relief, that a Teamster driver heading south on Soledad the homeowners were unharmed. They were Canyon Road through a cell phone dead zone, yelling because they couldn’t find their dogs. had spotted a fire and radioed back to Nelson Nelson and the rest of the crew raced back to with a request for the water truck. Within mo- the water truck. ments the crew jumped into action and headed “I grabbed the inch-and-a-half line and Jeff towards the blaze. got on the three-inch water cannon,” remem- Nelson was joined in his pickup truck by Mac bered Nelson. “We knew we probably couldn’t DiRosario and Jeff Bova, as well as Underwood save the house, so we started hosing down the water truck driver Bryan Brown, who had heard propane tanks to keep them from exploding.” the call and was already on his way to the fire. It proved to be a smart decision. Brown was When they met up at the scene, they were on set providing fire protection for the “Rizzoli” immediately overcome with the gravity of the production in the heavily wooded Acton area, situation they faced. A doublewide home with and was well aware that if the blaze spread into added decks and a garage was engulfed in the surrounding brush a major fire could erupt. Page 3 “We stayed at the scene for about an hour and Christine and brought them down to the and a half,” said five-year Teamster member set. They were served lunch with the crew, and Brown. “I drove the truck to the nearest hydrant were brought to the wardrobe trailer for clothes, after it was emptied and brought it back to the shoes, and bare essentials. house, but by that time the fire department was in A bucket was passed among the entire control.” crew – director and producers, writers, crew “The winds were blowing between 10 and 15 and actors – in an effort to raise money for miles per hour, and we were concerned that it the victims. By the time the bucket made its might spread to the surrounding area,” said Nel- rounds, over $1,200 was collected. son. “In 15 minutes we emptied the entire 4,000 The director of the pilot, Mike Robin, was gallons in the water truck to prevent fire spread- filled with admiration for the Teamsters who ing.” had risked their own safety in a time of great Although a loss of human life was prevented, peril. “It doesn’t surprise me that Bob Nelson, not everything escaped the fire. Jerry Marshall, Jeff Bova, and the rest of the crew jumped into who owns the property, escaped unharmed action to help someone in need,” he remarked. with his girlfriend Christine, although the house “I’m proud to have them as an important part of burned down. Their two dogs were also lost, this crew.” along with two out of four of their new puppies. After they stayed the night in the transporta- On The Cover: tion trailer and Star Wagon, the crew decided to Jeff Bova and Mac DiRosario fight try and help the victims even further. During the Soledad Canyon Fire lunch break for “Rizzoli”, they contacted Jerry Page 4 Around The Local The newly elected Joint Council 42 Executive Board, from left to right, President Randy Cammack; Vice President Robert Lennox; Secretary-Treasurer Mike Bergen; Recording Secretary Arthur A. Cantu; and Trustees Ron Herrera, Leo T. Reed and Pat Kelly. Ben Giller visits Secretary-Treasurer Leo T. Reed at the Local Edward Arriola, Shop Steward, CBS Network Drivers 399 union hall Page 5 Houston Oilers Honor Former Lineman Reed Secretary-Treasurer Leo T. Reed with Bud Adams, Co-founder of the American Football League and Founder/Owner of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise ocal 399 Secretary-Treasurer Leo Reed was He went on to play for the Broncos and the Lhonored in November by his former NFL Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football franchise, the Tennessee Titans, during their 50th League, but left his mark on the Oilers organiza- anniversary celebration. Reed, who played for tion. So much so, that the organization decided the Houston-based Oilers in the early 1960s, was to award him a trophy for being a part of the 1961 invited to participate in the “Oilers Weekend of AFL championship-winning team. Champions.” “It was an honor to be included in the Oilers Reed and his wife Debbi traveled to Houston Weekend of Champions,” Reed said. “I felt hum- as guests of the Titans for the celebration, which bled that I was considered for this great honor.” coincided with the Monday Night Football game Although he was with the Oilers for only half played between the Titans and the team that a season – he was traded to the Denver Broncos replaced them in Houston, the Texans. Reed and – his time in Houston was significant. “The rook- the other former players who were honored went ies really bonded together, because the veterans on a tour of their old stadium – now known as didn’t trust us yet,” Reed recalls. “I made a lot of Robertson Stadium on the campus of the Univer- good friends, and my time with the Oilers really sity of Houston – and were invited to stand on the prepared me for the rest of my football career.” sideline during the game. Much of Reed’s early adult years were spent Page 6 on the football field. He played football at Kahuku After his professional football career ended, High in Hawaii, and in 1958 went to Colorado State Reed returned to Hawaii and joined the Hono- on a full athletic scholarship. The Houston Oilers lulu Police Department before landing a job as a originally drafted him in 1961, but halfway through school teacher and later with the Hawaii Govern- the season he was traded to Denver. “Since I ment Employees Association. In 1975, longtime had played for three years at Colorado State, the Hawaii labor leader Art Rutledge asked Reed to Broncos were interested in signing me,” said Reed. come work for the Teamsters. After serving as “Even though I was from Hawaii, they treated me a Business Agent at Local 996 in Hawaii for 5 like a local in Colorado because of my collegiate years, he moved to California and became a Lo- ties to the state.” cal 399 driver.