Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530210
Winter 2025 – LOCAL695.COM 21 When the pandemic hit, labor unions across the country had just as much of a responsibility to regularly meet with their members and keep them informed despite distancing requirements. Though not unheard of beforehand, remote membership meetings went from being more of a novelty to an absolute necessity. Local 695 hosted its first remote membership meeting in the spring of 2020 and, like most at the time, took advantage of the Zoom video conferencing platform to do it. This worked well, but as the pandemic gradually lessened and normal in-person events resumed, there was a desire to "return to normal." Many felt that the social and community aspects of General Membership Meetings had been lost in a remote environment. At the same time, remote meetings had increased accessibility for many members. Attendance had increased dramatically since their implementation. Thus, a hybrid format meeting—where members could attend either in person or via a remote platform—was necessary. This was a more difficult demand than it might initially seem on the surface. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has strict guidelines on how unions must conduct their General Membership Meetings and, in July of 2022, IATSE International President Matthew Loeb sent a memorandum to all Locals on how hybrid meetings needed to be implemented to be compliant with labor law. It outlined how all members, whether in person, or remote, had to be able to participate equally in all meeting business. This meant that remote participants needed to be able to see what was taking place in person, while in-person participants needed to be able to see everyone on Zoom. All remote participants would be required to keep their cameras on at all times and take steps to ensure the meeting remained private from nonunion family members. Most importantly, members needed to understand that participating in membership meetings while at work is a violation of federal laws. (L-R): IATSE International VP Michael Miller, Tristen Poliseno, Cameron Broadbent, Brandon Boldroff, Zak Holley, IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb, and James Delhauer.