Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/501792
47 SPRING 2015 / CINEMONTAGE 47 SPRING 2015 / CINEMONTAGE a good eight hours or whatever is required that day; do a competent job and do what you can to improve; interact with people because they are the best resource — always be fair; lots of people won't be, but that's their problem." And as he arrives at his little finger, he pauses, makes eye contact and adds, "And you live up to your word — even when it costs you something or is difficult, because that is the honorable thing to do." Simple clear values, learned early and validated often throughout his career, have served Aredas — and those he has served — well. "I have always been able to put my family first," he states. "The union, in its benefits and representation, has meant that I haven't had to choose work over family." With a career that spans sprockets to digital, Cinerama to YouTube, Aredas allowed that pretty much everything has changed. "Even the unions; we've adapted too," he says. In fact, during the years Aredas has been a union member, the West Coast IA locals have grown to now over 30,000 members — much of that during his tenure as head of the West Coast office. When asked to assess the accomplishments of that tenure, Aredas has no hesitation. "The IA has been very good at reaching agreements," he replies. "That's because of the leadership. Maybe someday there will be an IA strike, but a huge part of our success is to keep our people working. We have kept our hands on the job, not allowing management or opposing unions to replace us." CONFRONTING UNION CHALLENGES And this is key to what Aredas sees as the biggest challenge facing unions today: "Keeping the work here, being competitive on a level playing field, insuring the producers are motivated to do the work locally. With business concepts like Uber being the trend — where the individual takes on all the costs, liabilities and risks — we have to be vigilant and progressive. There has to be a successful business and industry for there to be a successful union. It's a partnership between two opposing forces." Just as important in his view is how to keep today's generation connected to the basic issues and struggles that were part of how the union benefits and conditions came to be. "The industry is competitive, and people naturally are thinking about advancing their own careers," he acknowledges, but then laments, "The kinds of lessons learned in establishing unions — working collectively to stand up to those who exploit fear, or even just standing up for other workers in other fields — are all in the past." Aredas points to the example of the late Miguel Contreras, with whom he forged IATSE's relationship to the California Labor Federation, of which Contreras was Executive Secretary, as an example. "Miguel was a special person, in Joe Aredas and his wife Esther at their son Steve's wedding in 1995. The Aredas' extended family in 2001: Back row from left, Steve Aredas, Blake Aredas, Sophia Aredas, Wes Stoddard, Joe Aredas, Jr.; middle row, Lisa Aredas, Joe Aredas, Esther Aredas, Julie Stoddard, Kayla Aredas, Rosario Aredas; front row, Eva Aredas, Wyett Stoddard and Ariana Aredas.