Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500026
Fired Up CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 Organized CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 56 C I N E M O N T A G E throughout the day's seminars to add com- ments and highlight issues members should know about. Josh Kirchmer kept the "History of IA and MPEG" presentation light and enter- taining, while Preston Johnson inspired the attendees as he spoke about "Organizing Basics," the meaning of being a union activ- ist, and the tools members need to protect themselves and their coworkers through organizing. "Organizing is an attitude," Johnson said, quoting longtime labor orga- nizer Ellen David Friedman. "The emphasis should be on building relationships, not selling an idea." To reinforce Johnson's message, the final activity of the day, entitled "Solidarity in the Workplace," allowed the attendees to put some of these tools into action. After breaking out into seven smaller groups led by two volunteers per group, each attendee had a chance to speak up and express their thoughts on what they've been experienc- ing on the job, as well as how they perceived the union before and after the day's sem- inars. To close, they were brought back together to share with the entire group their experiences, current concerns, and hopes for the future. Amir ended the day by reading aloud the statement on the back of MPEG's new Quick Reference cards, while the audience of attendees and volunteers enthusiastically read aloud with her. Between sessions, members had an op- portunity to participate in raffle drawings with generous prizes provided by event sponsors: ACE, Avid, Adobe, BlackMagic Design, The Cargo Cult, P ro Sound Ef- fects, EditMentor, Master The Workflow, Optimize Yourself, Hollywood Editing Mentor, Assistant Editor Bootcamp, and book authors Bobbie O'Steen, Paul Hirsch, AC E , T ro y Ta k a k i , R o ge r N y ga rd , a n d f i l m m a k e r D i a n a F r i e d b e r g , AC E . A l l attendees received swag bags with items from the sponsors, and "MPEG IGNITE" T- shirts. F i r s t E n t e r t a i n m e n t C r e d - i t U n i o n g e n e r o u s l y s p o n s o r e d b re a k fa s t a n d l u n c h , a n d P a c i f i c P o s t generously sponsored the dinner during the evening mixer. "I'm so proud to have been a part of the inaugural MPEG Ignite," said Kirchmer. "Invigorating new members, rekindling longtime ones, making too many fire-based puns ... it was brilliant. Together, we have the power to ensure a bright-burning future for our union!" The evening's "L et's Get Fired Up" mixer hosted by the Membership Outreach Committee allowed new attendees to meet other Guild members of all classifications and levels of experience through a scaven- ger hunt game in which people had to meet various kinds of members to be eligible for raffle prizes. With th e Writers G uild of Am erica (WGA) negotiations then looming (the WGA ended up calling a strike that started May 2), Heim spoke about the current climate for organizing, Local 700's prepa- ration for its own negotiations in 2024 (he encouraged members with enough availability to join the new Basic Agree- ment Planning Committee), as well as the newly formed New Technology Commit- tee. He also congratulated the "Saturday Night Live" editorial crew in New York for their resolve and success in recently getting a contract. "MPEG Ignite was a long-awaited event, with inspiring and informative presenta- tions, raffles, and a great opportunity to learn about solidarity and meet members young and old," said one attendee, while another shared that "anyone taking this program will leave from it feeling empow- ered being part of a united local." The event's organizers said they hope this is just the first of what will become an annual hallmark event for the Guild. "We hope this seminar day and mixer will be an annual event because it helps new members start on the right foot and be educated about the Guild and their rights from the very beginning, instead of learning these things way down the road," said Amir. "It also encourages getting in- volved with the union early on. This lays the groundwork for a strong union for decades to come." ■ organize with the Editors Guild. We w e re a b l e to s e c u re u n i o n re c - o g n i t i o n f o r t h i s c re w i n s h o r t o rd e r — circumventing any NLRB involvement — and had hoped that a first contract could also be achieved with a minimum of time and fuss. "SNL"'s film crew is an operation that moves at breakneck speed — their shorts go from concept to screen over the course of only a few days, and editors are of- ten frantically putting the finishing touches on them up to a few minutes before they air — so the crew knew the show was capable of making complicated things happen fast when there was a need. Unfortunately, we soon learned that the suits at NBCU weren't accustomed to mov- ing so speedily and didn't feel any particular imperative to pick up their pace. Under the National Labor Relations Act, once a union wins recognition for a group of employees, the employer is required to bargain in good faith with that employer. But they 're not required to actually agree to anything, nor are they required to make contract negotiations a particular priority. And NBCU, a subsidiary of notorious union-buster Comcast, rarely demonstrates much interest in prioritizing contract talks. NBCU's relationship with the News Guild, in fact, is a case study in employer recalcitrance and the intermi- nable delays such recalcitrance occasions. In December of 2019, a group of about 150 journalists in NBC News' digital division organized with the News Guild of New