Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/756468
84 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 84 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 All those good union employers and jobs are gone now, but Hollywood is thriving and, by and large, remains a union town. Bucking the national trend, the movie business is still predominantly a unionized industry. I am now comfortably retired, thanks to my Motion Picture Industry Pension and a good supplemental health plan. Much of the credit for this goes to all the dedicated labor leaders of Hollywood, past and present. Most notably among them is Ron Kutak, who for the last 32 years has served ably as the Editors Guild's Executive Director. From my personal perspective as a former member of the Board of Directors and a former Executive Officer, Ron has been a steady and reasoned voice within our Guild and the industry at large. I would like to say thank you, Ron, for your many years of service on behalf of myself and my fellow Guild members for a job well done. John Trask Motion Picture Editors Guild President, 2012-13 Vice President, 2011-12 Recordist Representative, 1999-2010 n My relationship with Ron Kutak began in 2004, when I was elected Business Representative of Local 683, the Laboratory Film/Video Laboratory Technicians and Cinetechnicians. I had worked as a Lab Technician and served as Shop Steward and Executive Board member. Now I was responsible for negotiating contracts for up to 400 employees at labs like Technicolor and Deluxe. For my first negotiation, Ron was assigned as a Special IATSE Representative to sit in and assist me. After that negotiation, I always requested that he be assigned to 683's negotiations. I knew exactly what I needed to achieve and what I needed to protect for my membership — but I didn't know how to get there. Ron taught me how to get there. Observing how he handled himself and learning the job as I went along, I gradually took over the process. In negotiations, Ron was most comfortable and at his best when the stakes were high and decisions meant the most. Outside the negotiating room, Ron was generous with his time, always answering my questions — and always reminding me of the basic rules: "Your job is to represent your members. Nothing comes before that. You have to be willing to tell the members when they're wrong, when something is not in their best interest, and when it's worth fighting for." By 2010, digital technology brought Local 683 to the realization that the elimination of traditional laboratory jobs was on the horizon. As a result, we decided to negotiate with Local 700 to bring our membership into MPEG. This was difficult for a Local chartered in 1929 that represented successive generations of families working in the labs, among them the Guild's current Western Executive Director Cathy Repola's father, who had been 683's Secretary- Treasurer for 25 years. Facilitating the year-long process was the fact that our leadership had seen Ron first-hand helping me fight to protect our vital interests. It also became clear to us that joining 700 offered future security for our members, with training in the new technologies and opportunities to move into other post-production jobs. Our membership of over 1,200 technicians voted overwhelmingly in favor of the merger. This was a testament of their confidence in Ron. The merger allowed me a three-year position at the Guild; six years later, I'm still here. I went from running a small office to being part of a big staff that functions like a close-knit family. It's no accident that the Guild has so many long-term employees. I am happy to say that Ron has moved from being mentor to being my boss and, most