I recently posted about the happenings in New Zealand with regards to the up-coming filming of The Hobbit. To say feelings were strong on both side of the discussion would be an understatement. In most blogs, posts and comments on that subject, there were some pretty strong anti-union feelings.
That seems to have spilled over into some bad press against our brothers and sisters of IATSE Local 33 here in Los Angeles. As reported by KTLA, a stagehand and member of Local 33 was sent home from USC campus where he was helping set up the rally that President Obama was going to attend. He was told that his attire was inappropriate because of the word "BUSH" that was printed large on his sweatshirt and hat. After being asked to remove his hat, which he did, he was also asked to turn his sweatshirt inside-out which he refused to do.
If you have been exposed to any news reports on this, you may have noticed that the paragraph above wasn't exactly what you previously heard. I didn't mention anything about the stagehand being "fired" by the big-mean "union". There's a reason for that ... it's a lie. In fact, there are quite a few bits of misinformation in the story that was reported. The stagehands version of the story kept to the facts, but loosely enough to give room for some strong anti-union sentiment to be interjected. What may be of interest would be this post I came across. Its written by someone with knowledge of the stagehand profession and its intricacies. It shines a bit of light through the vitriol and rhetoric that has been espoused over this matter.
I asked in a previous post who benefits from putting unions in a bad light? When did it become chic to try to take away unalienable benefits like contractual protections from the working class?
I suppose the answer lies in the pursuit of the all-mighty dollar and every other dollar just like it. One thing that will never change is the need to protect those who do the work from the efforts to maximize profits by those who manage the work. Our union, as with unions as a whole, are rooted in the effort of keeping that pursuit from stamping across and breaking the backs of the employees that enable those businesses to thrive.
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The strong anti-union sentiment comes from unions in the public sector, DWP, Teachers, etc. They did not bargain with who pays them, us. So we're on the hook for things we didn't agree to and the special intersts are now paying for it. Proffesional unions bargain with employers directly, and our union bargains directly with work getting sent overseas. But we get our overtime.
Threre was very little reporting of this except on KTLA - most news more or less ignored the incident.
The KTLA reporting of this - and the way it was reported - was very political. This was negatively exploited to try an make it look as if Obama and the Dems were tramping on this poor union worker's honoring of his Navy son. If anything it was someone (possibly overstepping their authority or not) trying to avoid a political situation and causing one instead.
KTLA used to be considered a fairly liberal friendly news station (with a lot of Hollywood viewers), but recently has been trying to edge closer and closer to FOX news in the way they report politics. Could be new owners or a grab for ratings - probably both.
Try watching their nightly simulcast with John and Ken from KFI (a FOX owned radio station) if you doubt it.
I'd be highly suspect of the stagehand's intentions. He should have known damn well what he was provoking and was probably hoping to get featured on FOX news.
the fact that this can somehow be turned into a bashing of unions (ie: Democrats)always seems so odd to me since everyone reporting the news is in a union - even those on FOX.
Anon #1-
You want the teacher's unions, police unions, etc. to bargain with...you personally? How would that work, exactly?
Your statement that TAG bargains with work going overseas makes no coherent sense. What the hell are you talking about?
How small can a crew get? How can we get overseas to do more of the work? Can we get more right out of school who will work cheap just to get a foot in? The story boards are way cheaper if they're done overseas.
That's the studios.
Okay, as long we we still get our dues.
TAG
It's hilarious how overly political people freak out over who is wearing what when they shoot these rallies for Democrats and Republicans. Oh no! She's wearing a hijab! That means George/Obama is a terrorist!
This is a non-story. This guy's supervisor is an idiot and this guy knew it. He probably loathed his boss. It has nothing to do with pro or anti-union. Move along, politico's. Nothing to see here.
This guy had every right to wear that shirt.
Only political weasels can't stand an opinion that differs from theirs. Does anyone SERIOUSLY think the President cares that some guy swinging a hammer voted for the other guy?
That's the studios.
Okay, as long we we still get our dues.
TAG
Ok. What concrete steps do you suggest to remedy this reality? If you were in charge of the union, what would your solution be? (Honest question)
One additional fact on the Union worker and his shirt. He was wearing a hat and a shirt of the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush... His son was stationed on that aircraft carrier named after Bush the first, a ship in the Navy that Obama commands. There really should have been no action and no attention to it at all. Obviously a blunder by the guy's supervisor, and the union has to pay the price in this age of insta-media attention.
I don't think the post I linked to is being read. I'll quote directly from it:
What most of those angry about this seem to forget, is that stagehand work isn’t like other work. Our job is to help to present: something. Whatever the something is. Appearance sometimes does matter. Usually, we will be told in advance of the particular call/job what dress code requirements there may be [...] There are also times when no information about dress is given, at which time you just assume you need clean clothes without profanity or references to male or female anatomy (in other words: “relax, but remember you aren’t in your backyard at home”).
This paragraph is also pertinent here:
But let’s look at this from the “show” appearance point of view. The most prominent wording on the sweatshirt is “BUSH.” The text about the ship is much smaller. From a distance, most people would not see that the shirt is referencing the ship, they would only notice the word “BUSH.” If the client is the Democratic Party, do they really want to take the time to explain to everyone that may happen to see this shirt from a distance that it is referencing a Navy ship? [...] Even a shirt with a large US flag printed on it may not be allowed, if it is considered distracting to the production.
Part of the job is being flexible about dress. Wearing a BUSH shirt at a job site that is going to house a rally that President Obama will attend was deemed inappropriate. The employee was asked to modify his dress based on that assessment and as is typical for that profession.
I said it before and I'll say it again: this guy knew what he was wearing and wear he was wearing it. He thought he could straddle the line and have it both ways. Has anyone asked him yet if he leaned left or right? My guess is right and proud of it, but not so proud he would wear a W shirt.
The super might have over reacted, but this guy went in with a purpose...
And for anonymous at 11:27 of course it's political. He was setting up at a political rally and will any day now be the newest correspondent on FOX news...
The guy who chose to wear a hat and shirt that said 'BUSH' for a job setting up an Obama event was a douche, and should have been sent home. The anonymous guy who keeps writing stuff like 'and our union bargains directly with work getting sent overseas' is also a douche, and deserves to be unemployed, just like I'm sure he is.
wow can you not see that the guy was honoring his son ....his freaking son!
sadly it is definitely another bad mark on unions and democrats. the moron that sent him home should have been fired.
The wingnut teabaggers fringe right (aka the gNOp) is afraid of the Free Market, and want the freedom to ship all jobs overseas, and to treat employees any way they want. And release dangerous products onto the market and be shielded from any liability. Corporate Communists--that's what they are. EVERY SINGLE gNO per running for office took TARP funds, and are proud of it. All politics is local--until they have to accept responsibility. Then it's national--because they can't man up and accept responsibility for the fact that they enlarged the government (size and cost) larger than any "administration" in U.S. History. And also gave us the LARGEST TAX increase in U.S. History. Iraq must be paid for.
Oh, and bush let 9/11 happen. The world has not forgotten. And no, we do not miss him.
Just follow the money - the debt (which is what we are all working for day in and day out) - and you always end up on the lap of capital interests, ie, giant banks and the private interests that benefit from them. Tea baggers, corporations, union pensions, your healthcare, all of it sits as a big fat asset on the balance sheet of your local giant bank. The conservative/liberal capitalist/socialist argument is a useless, pitiful distraction. The fact that the American people are too powerless and ill-informed to get a single banker of any importance behind bars is proof of what a success this distraction has been. And it's not conspiracy, it's just a fact. A huge one that no one seems to be able to get their head around. Asia is replacing the West and there is absolutely nothing anyone can do about it. It is so f***ing irrelevant what Joe Plumber wore to the Obama rally in the context of how he manages to scrape together enough dough to pay off his f***ing mortgage, because the truth is that both he and Obama are owned by the same giant bank.
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