Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/910903
THE ARTISAN FALL 2017 • 7 In January 2007, I was appointed by the International President as a Trustee/Director of the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans, MPIPHP, a non-paying volunteer posi- tion that requires my regular participation as part of the governing body that monitors and runs both the Health and Pension Funds on behalf of approximately 48,000 union participants, plus eligible family members who rely on us for their benefits. Once a year as a Trustee, I travel to different parts of the country for five days of MPI education. This year, in October, the education was being presented for over 5,000 plan participants at the Convention Center con- nected to the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Each day was full of interesting and informative classes being taught by Trust Fund and Employee Benefits, and ERISA experts. ERISA is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which protects the retirement assets of union members by implementing rules that qualified plans must follow to ensure that plan fiduciaries do not misuse plan assets. This year, I accomplished 13 classes relative to being a Trustee. The final day of these educational sessions always has someone sched- uled who is interesting and charis- matic. This year's guest speaker was Jim Abbott, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played 10 sea- sons in the Major Leagues from 1989 to 1999, despite having been born without a right hand. Amazingly on September 4, 1993, while pitching for the New York Yankees, he pitched a no- hitter against the Cleveland Indians. According to the internet, there have been only 296 no-hitters over profes- sional baseball's 130-plus-year history. His topic was named "ADAPT: Overcoming Adversity." He spoke on his journey through life, his role as a motivational speaker and how he owes his successes in life in part to his use of the letters in the word "ADAPT." The first "A" is for "Adjustability": willing to do things in a different way; "D" is for "Determination": mental toughness, and never giving up; the next "A" is for "Accountability": making the most of what happens and what you are given in life; "P" is for "Perseverance": refusing to quit, and lastly, the letter "T" is for "Trust": have faith and believe in what you do, and do what you do to the best of your ability. There must have been at least 2,000 people for this final session, and I didn't see one person leave early. He was an inspiration! LOCAL PERSPECTIVE This trip, besides being educational, had a very personal element for me as a parent. As I am sure you know, on October 1, at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in a field across from the Mandalay Bay Hotel, many country & western music fans tragically lost their lives, along with hundreds being injured, some critically. Fortunately, thousands of other fellow onlookers were lucky … including our daughter Lindsey and her husband Chris, who were in the audience. They were able to get away unscathed, and get back to their hotel, shaken, but safe. This terrible tragedy to so many brought something to mind that hit home for both my wife and me: Life passes in just a blink of the eye. One minute, you are enjoying something as inno- cent as a musical event, going for a walk or just sitting on a porch appreciating the view, and the next moment, something unforeseen happens that can change your life forever. You just never know when you, a friend or a loved one's time on this earth is up. That being said, please relish your life, the lives of your family and friends and loved ones every day; when you have an opportunity, let them know how much you appreci- ate them with a kind word. That short moment just may be the last time you have a chance to say "I care." Just a thought… With the holidays close, there is no better time to remember that there may still be some of our members who are in need, albeit either for a day's work, for hours to keep up their healthcare, or to pay the rent and put food on the table. Please, if you have the opportunity, be generous and most importantly, embrace those close to you every day. May you, your family and friends have a wonderful holiday season. Please enjoy this issue of The Artisan. Sincerely and Fraternally, by Tommy Cole Business Representative, I.A.T.S.E. Local 706 Each day was full of interesting and informative classes being taught by Trust Fund and Employee Benefits, and ERISA experts. " "