Local switch for Island Teamsters working in the film and television production industry are switching local union affiliation.
some Teamsters
Union members working in
film and television will go from
Local 399 to Local 63By Erika Engle
eengle@starbulletin.comHawaii members, who number from 50 to 100 depending on the amount of available work, will move from the 13-state International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399 into the 14,000-member Teamsters Local 63, based in Rialto, Calif.
The news comes on the heels of a leadership shakeup in Hawaii's International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 665. The leadership of that union was largely replaced in elections Sunday.
"Because of my close ties in Hawaii, which includes family, I decided the Hawaiian Teamsters will be better served by someone from Local 63," Leo Reed, secretary-treasurer of Local 399, said from his office in Los Angeles.
He's tired of complaints about nepotism, he said, "Hollywood was built on nepotism, everybody's related."
One need only view movie credits to see common family names among the stunt crew, craft service and in other categories as well as transportation units.
Reed has been in the industry since 1976 and has brothers and first cousins who have been in the business for 28 and 30 years, he said, hence some of the complaints about who gets hired for which jobs. Reed maintains that local 399 "does not get involved in the hiring. The producer has the right of selection of any driver provided they are hired within proper seniority."
But Reed is not giving up his jurisdiction. "Nobody can negotiate a contract less than (the standard set by) 399 -- it is the bible for 13 Western states," he said.
Reed also retains his post as director of the international union's Theatrical Trades division.
"There were perceptions and allegations," said Local 63 Secretary-Treasurer Randy Cammack, which is why the local agreed to take on the Hawaii members.
"I have no family in Hawaii, I don't need to go to Hawaii for a vacation, and I'm an international vice president," he said, "so hopefully we can help them work out some of the problems, perceived or not, and put things on the right track."
Also at issue were productions that would come to Hawaii from the mainland, bringing their own people and equipment and people rather than hiring and renting locally, Cammack said.
"What we're going to try to do is sit down with people involved and find a solution that seems to be fair to everybody, that works in terms of the producers," he said.
Those meetings will follow completion of the transfer of representation.
Local 63 officials such as Cammack and Business Representative Martin Perez aim to become better acquainted with local players, such as the state and county film commissioners.
"They come from a position of strength in the union," said state Film Commissioner Donne Dawson, "and I think that will be a very good thing for us. They know the business intimately and that will be helpful, hugely helpful to Hawaii."
Either Cammack or Perez will join the table at the next meeting of the Hawaii Film and Entertainment Board, scheduled for Jan. 8.
The closed meeting is "an opportunity for the film commissioners and the heads of the unions to sit at the table and discuss production in Hawaii, past, present and future," Dawson said.
"From everything Leo has said about them and the confidence he has instilled in them, I have total faith that they'll be able to handle the Teamsters out here just fine," she said. "They seem very ready, willing and able to get to know the territory and get to know the people out here and are open to working with the film commissioners and that's a really good thing."
"Having said that, Leo Reed has been really responsive to the needs of the industry out here and has worked really well with the film commissioners," she said. "I think he'll probably be very instrumental in helping bring Randy and Martin up to speed."
Cammack hopes the industry can move full speed ahead. "We hope that with the current international situation, more producers will be looking to stay closer to home rather than going into third-world countries," he said. "We're going to be doing everything we can to encourage productions to do that in a way that helps the Hawaii economy and helps our members."