a very short rant about my union.

[CanuckAmok]

I belong to three different film production unions.

Two of them are AFL/CIO afilliated, and are run pretty conventionally.

One is more like a medieval guild; it's run more as a pool of tradespeople rather than a collective bargaining body.

This one union has no backbone, and is notorious for bad business decisions and a lack of support for members.

Ironically, this one union is the one which MUST be used on 90% of film/tv productions in Canada. The other unions in the country basically compete against each other for jurisdiction over each production, while the one oddball gets nearly every show. This union would have tremendous influence in the industry, if it wasn't run by weaklings, and by people with conflicts of interest in production spending.

However, because of scare-mongering by producers, and a pretty nasty downturn in domestic production, the union with the most influence agreed to a 45% rollback in scale wages for certain productions in 2004. I worked on some of those ones. Each paycheque was just over half of what I had earned the previous year.

This union has a national bank account with a high seven digit balance. Why? Beats me. I think in tough times that balance should be used to offset the costs of membership, and to help members in need.

Today, I had to write a cheque for my annual dues. $750. Not too much money in the grand scheme of things, but I really wanted to send a cheque for 55% of $750, and a note saying "thanks for caving-in last year".

But I didn't... I wrote a cheque for the full amount and mailed it today.

Because I suck.

end rant.

[WCGreen]

1. I would have sent the $ 412.50

Make them take notice that you are angry.....

Then send the rest in latter so you won't get kicked out of the Union...

[CanuckAmok]

2. That's just it.

Anyone not paid up in full by August 1st is prohibited from working on a signatory production, and I start on one August 5.

[JVS]

3. You have to be a member of the union?

Are you allowed to work as a non-member?

[hickman1937]

4. Run for a union position. Work your way up.

Thats how it works in the UAW.