Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542296
18 C I N E M O N T A G E U N I O N R E E L important to the union. We want members to focus on electing pro-labor candidates. For those members who are able, we'd like them to donate to the IATSE Political Action Committee (PAC). The PAC is fighting for us in Washington, lobbying for issues that will help union workers. Catoline: And let's be clear what the committee will not do. We will not get in- volved with any candidates and campaigns that are not vetted and endorsed by the IATSE. The PEC will not be independent- ly endorsing candidates or issues, nor funding them. Cohen: We definitely want to make sure our Local 700 members are registered to vote. We also want to make sure members know who their representatives are in their state legislature and in Congress. We want to help them contact these reps. That's important. CineMontage: What inspired you to spearhead first the workgroup and then the committee? Cohen: What brings us together is that we have common values that involve our union, like fair work rules, and equity, better wages and healthcare. I think now is the time where we really need to come together and vocalize these issues to the candidates who are running to represent us. Catoline: I think the Editors Guild needs to get back to some old-school trade unionism. When you get your people to- gether, you amplify voices. Many of us in the Guild are like-minded to want change in the country and our industry. Yet we ha- ven't been organized politically, and I think the PEC can get us all working towards a common cause. Fo r e x a m p l e, t h e c a m p a i g n to ge t federal tax credits for film and television production in the U.S. is a goal that should resonate with all our members. Everybody cares about making more union jobs. I think we finally have something that people can rally around. As that old trade union slogan goes, the job you save might be your own. CineMontage: What can union members do to get involved? C o h e n: Wo r k i n g to ge t l e g i s l a t i o n passed that's going to help us is really important, but it's equally important to be engaged in every issue you care about be- c a u s e i t 's a l l c o n n e c te d . W h e t h e r i t 's immigration, education, the environment — we need to know how our representatives are representing us. Who are the candi- dates that will push the envelope further to advance what benefits us? We need to support them. We want to help members find out who represents them in their state legislature and in Congress. And to know how to con- tact them. Call your reps, let them know what you care about, whatever is important to you today. Maybe we really don't believe that our voices matter. And I want our committee to make it clear that our voices do matter. Catoline: Seeing the Trump adminis- tration being so anti-union, I get frustrated about where this country is headed. They eliminated collective bargaining rights for federal workers. During the campaign, he said striking workers should be fired. We're seeing workers in Los Angeles rounded up off the streets, even American citizens, with little due process. We've seen voices in our media industry be silenced from threats to free speech. All that stuff makes me mad. Like many others, I feel like we're in the midst of an authoritarian takeover in this country and an anti-union push. A way we can push back is with our union. I'm inspired to see that we've had a b i g i n te re s t i n m e m b e r s wa n t i n g to get involved and help fight back. So far, nearly 150 members have signed up to be volunteers. We want more members to join us, and they can sign up to get involved and stay informed on the Guild website. CineMontage: What will be the PEC's first project? Cohen: There are issues right now that are really important, like the upcoming special election in California for Proposition 50. If it passes, it will allow us to have more pro-labor representatives in Congress. We need their votes to pass bills that would make union organizing easier, like the PRO (Protect the Right to Organize) Act. Right now under Trump, we don't have a func- tioning National Labor Relations Board. The current status quo is not working. That's what Prop 50 is all about: getting a good result in the midterms next year. If we can get five more labor-friendly representatives in California, that could be the difference in what happens in the House next year. CineMontage: What would you say to people who think the Guild should stay out of politics? Cohen: I want people to understand that politics is part of your daily life. Every cent that you spend is a political decision. I want our committee to give members the resources that help take the dirty out of politics and reframe it. We are working towards positive change. Catoline: I understand some members are concerned that politics is divisive and we want to bring everyone together. But I like to remind people that the Editors Guild, the IATSE, and other labor unions didn't just start as social clubs. Back in the 1930s, the National Labor Relations Act codified into law workers' rights to organize and to collectively bargain. That right is under pressure like never before. Unions grew from politics. And they can be weakened by politics — like so-called right-to-work laws. So there's no such thing as separating trade unionism and politics. That's paradoxical and doesn't make sense to me. Cohen: As union members, we need to get out there in numbers and show our fac- es. Our livelihoods have been ripped from us in this industry. We need to stand up for our issues — more jobs, better healthcare, better wages, work fairness and equality — so that politicians hear us and we get to come to the table. As Matt Loeb said at the convention, what we win at the bargaining table we can lose at the ballot box. The IATSE has about 170,000 members, most of them in the U.S. If we can mobilize that force and do it local by local, we would have a very loud voice, our elected officials would listen to us, and we'd have power. ■