Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542296
16 C I N E M O N T A G E U N I O N R E E L L ocal 700 is retooling and revamping our steward program! The union has long had active stewards in studios and fixed facilities, but we're setting out to expand the reach and the scope of Guild stewardship. Our intention is to have more Guild workplaces and more Guild mem- bers covered by trained stewards who are ready to support members with contract enforcement and other union matters. On September 6, Guild contract and organizing staff launched the revamp with a new steward training. We're proud of our inaugural class and looking to build upon it in the months to come. If you have a steward at your employer or if you're an at-large freelancer who has By Guild Staff When a handful of Editors Guild mem- bers started writing postcards, knocking on doors, and building a website to mobilize voters, they weren't just pitching in for the 2024 election — they were laying the groundwork for something bigger. The Guild's new Political Engagement Commit- tee, dedicated to informing and energizing Local 700 members around civic activism and pro-labor causes, grew out of last year's campaign efforts. The committee's roots stretch back to last year's IATSE District 2 convention, where Local 700 delegates sponsored a resolution urging all locals to engage their members to get active in democracy. From there, the group launched MPEG's first for- ay into electoral politics with the "Labor to the Polls" campaign and quickly proved its impact: writing more than 1,100 postcards to active members and retirees in battle- ground states and districts, phone-banking, LOCAL 700 LAUNCHES REVAMP OF SHOP STEWARD PROGRAM NEW POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE RALLIES GUILD MEMBERS TO CIVIC ACTIVISM been assigned to a steward, your steward is your friendly go-to person for all union questions and concerns. When you've got questions, they've got answers, or know how to get them. Get to know your steward; they're helping make our union stronger! ■ canvassing, and helping elect labor-friendly candidates to Congress. Now, with the endorsement of the board of directors, the workgroup has upgraded its status to become a standing committee — with a budget, a mission, and a mandate to keep members civically engaged for the long haul. CineMontage sat down with the com- mittee's co-chairs — board member A.J. Catoline and Elisa Cohen, both picture editors and IATSE delegates — to talk about their vision for the PEC. CineMontage: What is the Political Engagement Committee and what does it do? A.J. Catoline: When we were at the quadrennial convention this summer, there was unanimous agreement and excitement that the IATSE needed to get more in the game politically — like fighting for a federal tax incentive to support film and TV pro- duction in the USA. Local 700 co-sponsored a resolution to commit the IATSE to this fight. And it struck me that we did not have any clear mechanism that would take on this work to engage members. I knew we needed to upgrade our workgroup to a committee, and I'm glad the board agreed with our mission. Elisa Cohen: The committee will be a year-round effort, not only at election time, to educate members on issues that are Elise Cohen, right, and A.J. Catoline flank International President Matt Loeb in Las Vegas before the 2024 election.