Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/756468
73 Q4 2016 / CINEMONTAGE 73 Q4 2016 / CINEMONTAGE the Board when he asked for a smaller salary than what had already been offered him. On the job offer: "In my view, I was totally unqualified. It was a leap of faith for them. I told them that the first thing we had to do was to get the Guild on solid financial footing — then pay me more if I do a good job." But the new Executive Director had real transformation for the organization in mind. His ideas involved changing the structure of the Local. At the time, contract provisions prevented younger members from rising to editor positions and more secure jobs. Obstacles in the roster rules prevented qualified non-union editorial employees from joining. Kutak wanted to do away with all of this. He believed that in order to ensure the long-term well-being of the Guild and meet the producers on an equal footing, all members had to be treated equitably, and the union needed the strength derived from representing all editorial employees. Access enjoyed by the veteran members had to be available to all. Kutak later wrote, "The concept of unity within a labor organization — and within the labor movement — is the foundation of unionism; banding together and turning many voices into one strong voice, individuals become a formidable force in the unequal power relationship between worker and employer. In this way, the labor movement was Former Guild President Donn Cambern receiving Fellowship and Service Award (2007) and Ron Kutak. Eastern Executive Director Paul Moore, left, Western Executive Director Cathy Repola, International President Tom Short and Ron Kutak. Sergeant At Arms Bill Elias, Secretary Diane Adler and Ron Kutak (Motion Picture Editors Guild 75th Anniversary 2012).