Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1203636
33 S P R I N G Q 1 I S S U E L A B O R M A T T E R S Critics: NLRB Rules Betray Unions They Are Meant to Protect The Republican-dominated National Labor Relations Board in early December launched new rules revising its proce- dures for union elections that, according to at least one progressive think tank, " b e t rays t h e wo r ke rs i t i s m e a n t to protect," according to an article in Com- mon Dreams. Celine McNicholas, director of gov- ernment affairs and labor counsel at the Economic Policy Institute, put it this way: "This is just the most recent example of the Trump NLRB elevating corporate interests above those of working people." Th e f u n d a m e n ta l p u r p o s e o f t h e NLRB is to carry out the National Labor Relations Act and protect the rights of all workers, regardless of whether they are in a union or not. One of the federal agen- cy's chief responsibilities is overseeing the formation of collective-bargaining relationships between private employers and employees. The NLRB issued the new rule with- out giving notice or asking for public comment. The rule is set to take effect 120 days after appearing in the Federal Register; the NLRB expected it to be published on December 18. Anita Hill: 'Thou- sands' Respond to Commission's Survey Th o u s a n d s o f f i l m p ro fe ss i o n a l s h a v e r e s p o n d e d t o t h e A n i t a H i l l - led Hollywood Commission's survey on sexual harassment, assault, and bias in the entertainment industry, according to Deadline Hollywood "We have [responses] in the thou- sands right now, but we also know that this is a very big industry," Hill said. "The more people we can get to take the survey, the better we are going to be able to provide really important and effective solutions to the issues that are raised and give us a broader picture of what's going on in the industry." The commission said its goal in con- ducting this survey, which is anonymous, is to gather data that will be used to develop policies that encourage diversity and inclusion while preventing bias and harassment. "Due to the heroic and brave work of many, we all now know there are serious problems of harassment, bias and mis- treatment of others in Hollywood," said Hill, who chairs the commission. "What we need to get our arms around, if we're going to come up with effective solutions, is reliable data that reveals the specific nature and actual extent of those prob- lems as well as the cultural environment that enables and hides them." Netflix Could Play Key Role in Holly- wood Labor Drama As Hollywood's major unions gear up for potentially contentious contract negotiations with the major studios, Netflix is moving to set up its own labor deals that could give it a competitive ad- vantage in the event of a strike, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. This past summer, Netflix negotiated its first overall agreement with actors union SAG-AFTRA. In October, the In- ternational Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees announced it will negotiate its own contract with Netflix. Labor experts widely expect other Hollywood unions will seek their separate agree- ments with the streaming giant. "I believe that we are not alone in Netflix's outreach to secure a deal," David White, SAG-AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator, said in a November interview with the Chronicle. "I think it makes total sense for them to want independent deals and to not worry about the possibility of industry labor strife that their competitors will have to be concerned about in upcoming negotiations." Netflix has the ability to go it alone in labor negotiations, because unlike Hollywood studios such as Disney — as well as tech rivals Apple and Amazon — it does not belong to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the collective bargaining group that has historically represented studios in nego- tiations with unions. As a result, Netflix would not be sub- ject to any contract dispute that erupts between the unions and the studios should they fail to reach agreement on new film and TV contracts – all of which expire next spring or early summer. Writ- ers, actors, directors and editors could continue to work on Netflix shows even if they staged a walkout with members of the producers alliance. Cathy Repola, national executive director of the Guild, said in a recent podcast that she hopes Local 700 is able to negotiate a new residual formula with Netflix "that will set the tone for the next negotiations with the AMPTP." " I t h i n k i t 's i m p e r a t i v e t h a t w e achieve something along those lines," Repola said in October in the Guild's podcast "Post, Coast to Coast." ■