Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531371
have had the bandwidth for under 'normal' industry circumstances. We were productive with our time 'off.'" A Contract Action Team serves as a bridge between rank-and-file members and leadership, gathering and disseminating information so that the contract eventually negotiated reflects the wants and needs of members. They are formed to ensure that the members have an accurate understanding of what is happening during the negotiations process. These teams can take many forms, even have different names, and can potentially be converted to strike teams if negotiations sour. Once the idea took hold, the real work began. "We all figured out what would work best for our respective locals, because each local has a different culture, a different makeup of members, and what's going to work structurally at one local isn't necessarily going to work at another." Gardner put out the call at Local 705, and was soon joined by fellow Finished Costumer Andrea Napier, who showed up to the first meeting. After a little nudge from 705 President Ariel Goodman-Weston, Napier agreed to co-chair the CAT. She brought a wealth of experience to the CAT—along with her own share of war stories for motivation. "These stories are why we're doing this," she says. "Standing out in 112 degrees, asking a location manager for a tent, and him saying, 'Why do you need a tent?' And me saying, 'Because it's 112 degrees, and there's no shade.'" While there are stipulations in the contract for the producer to provide certain safety measures, including cover in extreme weather situations, making these measures materialize sometimes requires advocacy. The CAT, made up of rank-and-file members knowledgeable about the contract, is in a unique position to encourage members to utilize the contract to advocate for themselves. PHOTO: (TOP) ERIN WENRICK "The thing that the CAT is bringing back is the idea that a union is a giant family that has to work together and volunteer their time and their efforts to make change…" –Andrea Napier