Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399900
THE FIRST IATSE (INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL STAGE EMPLOYEES) DISTRICT 2 CONVENTION I ATTENDED WAS IN 2015 IN HONOLULU. Even though I'd been an active member for years, that was my first time volunteering to be a Delegate for our Local. I have to admit, I was drawn by the opportunity to spend a few days in Hawai'i, but I quickly learned the work and commitment it takes to be a good representative of The Animation Guild. IATSE is divided up into 13 geographical Districts. TAG is in District 2 which represents California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawai'i. The annual D2 Convention host cities are rotated throughout the District to spread the IA love to far-off Locals. It was at a D2 Convention that I learned just how varied our membership is—from stagehands to projectionists to the people who set up trade shows, all under the umbrella of the International. Every four years, like this year, IATSE also holds the International Quadrennial Convention where all 13 Districts come together to vote on resolutions and elect new officers to the IATSE leadership. It is at this convention that our most active members who have gathered support for their resolutions can present to the wider membership. This is where we can have a hand in guiding this massive ship. Like most locals, TAG represents a variety of crafts, but unlike other locals those crafts are all animation related. It can be a struggle to push forward proposals that are craft-specific since they have a difficult time garnering attention from our members who are in a different craft. So it is for TAG at the District level and even harder at the International level. At first, it feels like an impossible task. We are a local of 5,000 plus trying to have an impact and voice in this union of more than 150,000 members. How will a stagehand in Oklahoma ever feel invested in a proposal from a Hollywood animation local? But the Quadrennial Convention is our opportunity to be heard. Every Local submits resolutions to be considered and voted on by the wider membership. During the meeting, everyone is assigned to participate in a committee. These committees work on the resolutions, debate their merits, work on the language of the resolutions, and then suggest which resolutions should be adopted by vote. I am proud to say that The Animation Guild's delegation of 35 members made quite an impact with the 6 resolutions we put forward this year. We were able to find that common ground with our kin in different regions of the U.S. and Canada. We were able to find our one voice. In the end, no matter what our vocation, we all want the same things—to be respected at our jobs, to earn what we are worth, to be able to work in a safe workplace, and to be able to have time to spend with the people we love. In Solidarity, Jeanette Moreno King | President The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 ONE VOICE ON THE COVER Artwork from Maya and the Three by Jorge R. Gutiérrez. L E T T E R