Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/711111
14 CINEMONTAGE / Q3 2016 discrimination, around 36% indicated they had been victims of bias. Gender discrimination was cited most frequently, with ageism coming in a hard second. Fewer incidents of racial discrimination were reported, but given the low numbers of ethnic minorities in the Guild and that the majority of respondents were white, this is not surprising. In fact, some members noted that in well over a decade on the job, they had never worked alongside African Americans. Sexual orientation and disability discrimination were reported to a lesser degree. Personal experiences described by fellow members on injustices suffered were unsettling. A small minority of participants declined to answer if they witnessed any discrimination; however, 21% reported being marginalized due to age. Members recounted being told they would not be hired because they were women. Necessity compelled one Asian member to change her name to "something more masculine" and "American," resulting in "a significant increase in call-backs for work." One man described witnessing a female colleague repeatedly barraged by sexual harassment yet was too fearful to speak out. A minority of polled Caucasian respondents disagree that a problem with diversity exists, with one participant "saddened" by a problem she perceives as media-fabricated. Among those who did perceive a diversity problem, one Caucasian respondent observed, "the numbers [of under-representation] speak for themselves." Another Caucasian participant stated, "White liberal males think they are already open-minded and that everything is already fair and based on 'merit.' They haven't a clue… Women and diverse candidates face discrimination that holds them back from…being considered for a job." A small group of women expressed frustrations at being overlooked or underpaid "so a father could support his family." Conversely, women were said by some to be discounted because motherhood brands them unreliable, and nursing mothers were subjected to unlawful restrictions. Another member mentioned that she worked nearly two decades alongside several male colleagues, performing identical tasks, only to discover she earned half of their salaries. Currently, discrimination is most noticeable in salary allocation between different genders and ethnicities. Speaking solely of picture editors who revealed their wages, the highest paid were Caucasian men earning $17,500 and $18,000 weekly. White female earners reported earning up to $11,000 and $12,000. The highest ethnic earner was a Hispanic/Latino at $15,000 per week. Income transparency could help level the playing field when negotiating wages. According to a 2011 study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, "Pay secrecy appears to contribute to the gender gap in earnings." One Caucasian male admitted that he would resent losing out on jobs, but he believed fairness and the need for change is paramount. Some members shared their hope that the Diversity Committee could offer advice when discrimination occurs, and others suggested expansive networking opportunities. When asked if they would assist in highlighting opportunities for women and ethnic minority Guild members, respondents were split 40% "yes" and 40% "no" — with the remaining 20% expressing a willingness to assist in such efforts and attend Diversity Committee-sponsored events if their schedules permitted. The committee would like to thank all of the survey respondents for their participation and candidness. We hope this will help to open up a dialogue on the issues of diversity and fairness in the workplace. Perhaps this can become a catalyst for improvements to post-production that will benefit everyone. The complete survey has been posted in the Members Only section of the Guild's website at www.editorsguild.com. Also, the Diversity Committee has a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ groups/diversityinpost. And finally, the committee's first event, "Break the Ice," has been scheduled for Sunday, September 11, at the Guild offices in Hollywood. Details will be forthcoming on the Facebook page. f no choice but to sign union contracts if they wanted to continue making their shows. When an employer recognizes the union and signs a contract in order to bring employees back from a strike, that is considered voluntary recognition in terms of labor law, but it is certainly not recognition that's offered up freely. The advances that the IATSE has made in unscripted television over the past six years have all been instances of contracts secured through voluntary recognition as opposed to NLRB certification, although such recognition has often been won by means of recognition strikes or the threats of recognition strikes. Sometimes, though, "voluntary" means voluntary. Since the Broken Skull strike a year ago, dozens of unscripted television productions have newly become union shows without any employees having had to interrupt their work for as much as an hour. In several cases, employers entered into contracts only after they recognized that work stoppages were imminent. But, in many others, the voluntary recognition was more genuinely voluntary: Employers agreed to make their shows union at the outset, accepting the terms of employment under an IATSE contract as simply part of the cost of doing business. Make no mistake, however; even when an employer pre-empts its employees organizing by approaching the union to negotiate a union contract, it generally does so not out of magnanimity, but of a sober recognition of necessity. It's simply better business for employers in our industry to enter into amicable negotiations than to go through the distractions and expenses of trying to thwart their employees' desire for union representation, especially when they understand that such efforts to fight their employees will ultimately prove futile. In other words, when employers willingly volunteer recognition of the union — as is becoming increasingly common GET TING ORGANIZED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 DIVERSITY COMMIT TEE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 CONTINUED ON PAGE 58