ongratulations! Scholarship Winners BULLETIN THE hollywood CALIFORNIA

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1 THE BULLETIN hollywood CALIFORNIA ongratulations! C Chartered May 15, 1939 Local 728 studio electrical lighting technicians the only iatse local dedicated to set lighting Full color version available at Scholarship Winners Vol. 26; No

2 Remnants of the Great American Middle Class by Alan M. Rowe, President I.A.T.S.E. Local 728 Hollywood, California President Alan M. Rowe Vice President Greg Reeves Business Rep-Secretary Patric J. Abaravich Treasurer-Call Steward Pascal M. Guillemard The Presidential Election is now in full swing and the race is set up between two of the most unpopular candidates in history. A majority of people don t like either candidate and many don t care who wins or are simply voting against the status quo without any real reason. A surprising number of people are single-issue or hot button voters who are driven by their passions about a single issue and disregard others. Some have said they will vote for the most exciting or flamboyant candidate because they are fed up with politics and their vote doesn t matter anyway. They are wrong, every vote matters and uninformed attitudes are dangerous and set up our great nation for failure. We, the labor unions of the United States, are the remnants of the great American middle class. Many in the political arena claim they want to Take America Back to the glorious days of the 1960s when America was enjoying being a SuperPower and the middle class was thriving. If you look at the statistics of union membership and activities since 1967, you will see the correlation of declining union membership and the shrinking American middle class. In 1968, the middle class earned 53.2% of the national income. By 2012 the middle class share dropped to 45.7% of the national income with a vast majority of that lost income going upwards with a promise of trickle down economics that never happened. Not coincidentally during that time, union membership dropped from a high of 35% to a current record low of 11.1%. We have been fortunate since our contracts and the IATSE have been able to remain relatively strong when other unions have been forced into huge concessions in the face of anti-union legislation. These destructive laws were devised by unscrupulous politicians who were voted in by exploiting our fears and hopes for unworkable financial schemes such as trickle down economics. Many of these bought-and-paid-for politicians were encouraged to promote anti-union laws that allow the upward migration of wealth as the unions lost their ability to protect their members. Worst of all is when these politicians mask their nefarious schemes as common sense reforms and get middle class people, including good union members, to vote against their own best interests. One of the most common anti-union initiatives are the right to work laws which are specifically designed to undermine the union s right to collectively bargain with employers. These laws are made to split people from the union by appearing to protect their right to a job. Instead, they weaken the union by encouraging people to freeload the benefits of a union contract without contributing to the strength of the union. In cases where the union did not survive, the workers were left to the mercy of the employers and suffered dramatic cuts in pay and benefits. This obviously has a negative effect on everyone who works for a living. When the union is strong, it sets the prevailing rate in an area. The prevailing rate affects everyone, union and non-union. So when the union is weakened by these laws, not only does it affect the union wages, it drives everyones wages down making the laws more accurately right to work for less laws. There are currently 25 states with right to work laws on the books and it is no surprise that 9 out of the 10 states with the highest rates of poverty are right to work states. This is important because some candidates have publicly advocated for national right to work laws which means they would bring this economic disaster to all 50 states, including California. Proponents claim these laws create more jobs but without Continued on Page 8 General Membership Meeting will be held on September 17, :00 a.m. sharp IATSE Local W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank Please Bring Your Union Card Executive Board Joseph Gallo Michael Gips Darryl Herzon Roger L. Lattin Charles H. McIntyre, III Iain O Higgins Michael Paul Orefice R. Bruce Prochal Jeremy Schonwald Jason R. Young Sergeant-At-Arms Richard McConihay Parliamentarian Pascal M. Guillemard Safety & Training Alan M. Rowe, Director Shop Stewards CBS - John L. Murray Fox - Ronald Orefice, II Paramount - Frank Valdez Sony - John Jacobs Universal - John Kennedy Warner Bros. - Chris Hathaway CLC Delegates Patric J. Abaravich Dennis K. Grow Pascal M. Guillemard Darryl Herzon Iain O Higgins S. Cricket Peters Alan M. Rowe Office Staff Sean Harkess Julianna Bessey Claudia Smith The Bulletin Publisher Margie Stites Editor Alan M. Rowe IATSE LOCAL PAGE 2

3 Union Spotlight Deceased Brother James L. Murphy, 84 years old, a member since May 13, 1967, passed away May 19, Brother Roger E. Blauvelt, 83 years old, a member since October 9, 1961, passed away May 31, Brother Mark Combs, 64 years old, a member since November 11, 2000, passed away June 10, Brother Gary Tandrow, 71 years old, a member since April 11, 1966 passed away July 14, New members Congratulations to the following new members sworn in on July 16, 2016: Robert Bayer, Nick Behrmann, Riley Dale, Frank Dantonio, Eric Fahy, Bryson Hall, Tommy Kovanda, Brian Kronenberg, Anderson Lau, Brenner Luther, Evan Ostrovsky, Justin Raths, Giovanni Vargas and Jacob Watts; on July 19: Shaun Pratt; on July 21: Conor Healy; and on July 22: Chance Stever. NOTICE OF APPLICATION (*IA approved and initiation fees paid in full. to be sworn in at the next membership meeting.) Jerred Halvorsen 07/06/2016 Andrew T. Valenti* 05/24/2016 Dominic Soto * 06/16/2016 Samuel McAfee * 06/22/2016 William McCool * 06/24/2016 John C. Cox * 06/24/2016 Robert Auld Wright* 06/27/2016 John R. Woodside 06/29/2016 Joshua D. Fine 07/01/2016 Justin Daniel Williams 07/14/2016 Luis Fregoso 07/18/2016 Jeb Alderson 07/18/2016 Frank Johnson 07/18/2016 Ian Carre-Burrit 07/18/2016 Jacob Kaster 07/19/2016 Kara Siebein 07/20/2016 Juan C. Osorio 07/21/2016 Shane Besharaty 07/22/2016 MEETING NOTICE Page 2 ELECTION NOTICE Page 8 Celebrating our scholarship winners and the many benefits of union membership Proud to be a member of this organiazation by Patric J. Abaravich, Business Representative, Secretary I look forward to this Bulletin every year it rolls around. To me, featuring the academic and extra-curricular accomplishments of our Local 728 scholarship winners is a highlight of the year. Not only am I particularly proud to be a member of an organization that takes the time and effort to sponsor a scholarship program, it just makes me feel good that our union dollars are being used to assist these deserving students and their parents with the escalating costs of a higher education. I m the chair of the Scholarship Committee and this is the perfect occasion to let you know about a couple changes we ve made in the eligibility parameters which have been recently approved by the Executive Board. Since we started the program, eligibility requirements were for graduating students in their senior year of high school. We know that some kids are finishing high school before their senior year so we changed the wording to read that students are eligible to apply for a scholarship in their graduating year. Additionally, our policy has always been to dispense the award and apply it to their college or vocation school in the first year following graduation. Today, more and more kids are taking some gap time between graduating from high school and starting college. Even the First Daughter is taking a gap year. To reflect this societal change and to conform to the changing needs of today s young adults, the Scholarship Committee recommended (and the Board approved) the following change in eligibility parameters: Every Local 728 scholarship award recipient will be allowed the option of 1). Having their scholarship award applied to the first year of college or vocational school commencing the semester immediately following their high school graduation, or 2). Having their scholarship award deferred to their college or vocational school after either a one or two semester gap period following their high school graduation. Any scholarship award not utilized by the recipient within either of those time frames will forfeit their scholarship award. All students must make application in their graduating year from high school. I m sure I join the entire membership in saluting this year s winners. Congratulations to all of the 2016 Local 728 Scholarship recipients! Many of our members don t know about sick dues, if it may apply to you and how it works. Article 19, Section 11 in our Constitution reads: Any member of Local 728 who becomes ill or disabled and is financially unable to pay their union dues may make application by affidavit to the Executive Board. In other words, if you re sick or unable to work because of illness or disability the Local will cover your dues for you. With that said, the Local just can t afford to pay for everyone who is ill or disabled so the following provision (Article 6, Section 7D) is in place: Any member who requests this Local to pay his dues because of illness or disability over four (4) quarters shall be required by the Local to take an honorable withdraw. This means if your leave is beyond four consecutive quarters the Local will request that you take an honorable withdrawal. For those of you who aren t quite Continued on Page 6 PAGE 3

4 Presenting the Class of 2016 Local 728 Scholarship Winners The Local 728 Officers, Executive Board and Members congratulate these outstanding students and their parents. Ava Conway, the daughter of Christopher and Lisa Conway, graduated from Palos Verdes High School with a GPA over 4.3. and is a $4,500 Local 728 Scholarship recipient. Ava s major field of interest at the university level will be music. At Palos Verdes, Ava completed several AP courses including English Language and Composition, Music Theory, Environmental Science and English Literature. She was a member of the California Scholarship Federation, National Honors Society and Science National Honors Society. Outside the classroom the accomplished musician was a member of the Palos Verdes High School Tri-M Music Honors Society, performed a horn concerto accompanied by her high school s orchestra, and won the Bach Piano Festival. Ava was also Principal Horn of the Palos Verdes High School Full Orchestra; a section member of the Colburn Wind Ensemble; a member of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra; a member of both the California All-Southern and All-State Honors Ensembles; and participated in the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. Ava has also been very active in Girl Scouts and was the recipient of both the Bronze and Gold Service Awards. Moreover, she tutored in both music theory and French horn. Giovanni Varuola, the son of Anthony Varuola and Monique Long, graduated from Advanced Technologies Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Giovanni is a $4,500 recipient and his major field of interest in college will be computer science and entertainment arts. Giovanni was a three-year member of the National Honor Society where he was honored for his excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service and character. An active student, Giovanni served as Advanced Technologies Academy Ambassador representing the school at events, and was a regular volunteer at the school s student store. He was also a four-year member of the Key Club where he participated in a variety of community service projects. Outside the classroom, Giovanni volunteered with his church s Thanksgiving outreach program helping to serve the Las Vegas homeless community, and is active in Tae Kwon Do. He is a 1 st Degree black belt in the sport and is a ATA Member of Distinction with the American Tae Kwon Do Association. PAGE 4 Honor Hayball, the daughter of David and Laurie Hayball, is the recipient of a $4,500 Local 728 scholarship. Honor graduated from Van Nuys High School Performing Arts Magnet and plans on being a double major student studying English & Critical Theory and Social Justice at Occidental College. Throughout middle and high school, Honor excelled with numerous awards in Math, English and Science. In high school, she made the high honor roll every semester, was a member of the National Honor Society and was named Student of the Semester. She was also a member of a variety of school organizations including Science, Poetry, Filipino, French, and Keepers clubs. She was also a member of the Girl Scouts and served as an after-school tutor. Outside the classroom, Honor has passionately studied the performing arts including acting and dance. At her dance company, Honor was a leader among her peers and was responsible for creating and teaching award-winning choreography. She is also a talented writer and performer writing sketch comedy scenes and narrative pieces, and has acted in numerous shorts and plays and an independent film.

5 Thomas Ofria, the son of Anthony and Anna Ofria, has been awarded a $4,500 Local 728 scholarship. Thomas graduated from Newbury Park High School following a rigorous course selection that included AP classes in European History, U.S. History, Physics, Statistics and U.S. Government studies. Moreover, he took numerous IB courses including English HL1 & 2, as well as a variety of honors courses in Geometry, Algebra, Biology and English. A member of the Academic Decathlon team, Thomas is also an accomplished swimmer playing on the Varsity level in both Water Polo and on the Newbury Park High School Swim Team. He served as the water polo Varsity Captain for two years and received the Scholar Athlete Award in 2013 and He was a Varsity swimmer for three years and was highly recognized that in that sport as well. Thomas is also an accomplished bass player and performed at several school events, even winning the Student Choice Award at Newbury high s talent show. Moving on to the college level, Thomas will be focusing on obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Samantha Ward, the daughter of Anthony and Janet Ward, graduated from Norte Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. In addition to the $1,500 Local 728 award, Samantha is also the recipient President s Scholarship from the University of Portland. At Notre Dame, Samantha excelled at a challenging set of academic coursework while maintaining a high GPA. She took three years of Latin and added AP Biology and Sports Medicine to her curriculum in her senior year. When she graduated, she mastered five years of lab sciences, four years of mathematics, three years of language arts, along with an impressive list of academic electives. The honor student was the recipient of both the Scholastic Honor Award and the Scholar Athlete Award. Outside the classroom, she worked for the Notre Dame Summer Sports Camp working with children and helped with a local elementary school s fair and carnival each year. Catherine Spencer, the daughter of James and Karen Spencer, graduated from Glendale High School. She is the recipient of $4,500 Local 728 scholarship award. On the college level, she plans on studying sociology with an emphasis on women and gender issues. Catherine was an active student athlete who excelled in and out of the classroom. In addition to taking a wide variety of AP courses, in her junior year she was part of a group of student travelers who spent time in France and Switzerland. At Glendale, Catherine was also a member of the Link Crew Leadership Program and the Hunger Heroes Club where she was involved in preparing and serving food in homeless shelters and attending various events aiding the homeless community. While excelling in the classroom, Catherine was an accomplished student athlete. She played both JV and varsity softball and served as a team manager for both teams. She also played varsity volleyball at Glendale and designed the team s 2015 team shirts. Additionally, Catherine played tournament ball with the Sideout Volleyball Club. Her extra-curricular activities also included volunteering at the Armory Center for the Arts where Catherine took on another leadership role serving as a teachers assistant in her junior year. Local 728 is pleased to award a $3,000 scholarship to Hannah Ryan, the daughter of Andrew Ryan and Shelley Promisel, who graduated from Da Vinci Design High School in Hawthorne. Although Hannah attended a high school focused on advancing her artistic skills, she excelled academically reaching the highest level possible by receiving all A s for every class she has taken at Da Vinci. Many of those courses were advanced and Honors classes including English, Biology, Spanish, U.S. History, Chemistry and World History. Last summer, Hannah participated in a six-week program at RI SD which helped her further her artistic skills and to get a first-hand example of college life and university expectations in a rigorous design program. Naturally, Hannah plans on studying graphic & communications design in the fall. In addition to entering art competitions whenever she gets the chance, Hannah also volunteers her time at the Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica. Teodore Davis, the son of James Davis and Regine Verougstraete, has been awarded a $3,000 Local 728 scholarship. He graduated from South Pasadena High School and will be studying economics on the college level. Teodore had the rare opportunity to travel extensively and was able to broaden his horizons by living and experiencing the European culture. Multilingual, Teodore is fluent in French and in his junior year he was a teacher s assistant in upper division French classes and was even able to help the teacher correct Spanish papers. Outside the classroom, he was very active in sports. Described as being an elite athlete, Teodore played on his high school s Varisty volleyball team and helped form the school s Ultimate Frisbee team which ranked 7 th in California. He also coached Ultimate Frisbee for the South Pasadena Middle School s intramural sports program. Moreover, Teodore was an active volunteer providing his time and talents to the 2015 Special Olympics and volunteered at an area space art gallery. PAGE 5 Continued on Page 7

6 Exciting enhanced features rolled out on the Local s website New Website Feature by Pascal Guillemard, Treasurer-Call Steward 8 This month we re rolling out further improvements to our website. Our new classified ads section. This multi-part page is designed to work like the classified ads websites that we use when we re trying to sell our stuff. In the set lighting world, it is inevitable that those of us who own tools and equipment may seek to sell it at some point, whether it s because we re upgrading our gear or because we ve decided to hang our work gloves on the nearest perm and move on to the next part of our lives; retirement! But along the way we also accumulate a lot of stuff, some of which has nothing to do with work gear yet still needs to go. Usually because we need room for more stuff (yes I m channeling George Carlin. Look him up if you don t know who I m talking about). Our site provides three sections for Local 728 members to post: 1] Items For Sale. Our new classified section gives our members the ability to post pictures, descriptions and the asking price of what we want to sell, tools equipment, personal items, and a link to your website (if you have one). The ad can be edited as time goes by and it has a 30-day life. You will be notified after 15 days that the life of the ad is half over and if you do nothing the ad will expire after 30 days. You can renew the ad for another 30-day period. 2] Services Offered. Many 728 members have talents outside of their set lighting skills that they want to be known for. We have members who work as construction electricians, framers, that do granite counter top repairs, rain gutter installations, repair bicycles and own bike shops. The new Services Offered gives our members with skills outside of set lighting the opportunity to connect with other members who would rather employ a Local 728 brother or sister rather than someone else. 3] Wanted. But wait, there s more says the all-night tv commercial guy. There is also a Wanted section. Need a cart? Need to know where to get a specific piece of equipment? Need a referral for services? Looking for a roommate or a place to stay? Here s your section. These pages come with some common sense guidelines. First of all, the Local is providing a place for our members to place an ad for goods or services wanted or sought. The Local is not endorsing or accepting responsibility for any part of a transaction that may not go according to the wishes of the parties involved. Our legal council recommended that we post a disclaimer on the classified ads home page. Please get out your magnifying glasses and read the details there. Posts to the classified ad section can only be made by a member in good standing with membership login privileges. But, the ads section is viewable by the public. Anyone who does an internet search for an item that is listed by a member might find their way to your ad. We have the option of placing a contact address and/or a phone number into the ad, but they are publicly viewable. As we wish for our Local to be represented in a good light (you bet, pun intended) we have established some common sense guidelines for posts. First, never post after happy hour. Ok, that s not an official guideline but really, it s really never a good idea to post anything anywhere after happy hour. This is a classified ads section for goods and services, sought or wanted. Please, no ads for retail business companies and no ads for friends or relatives outside of your immediate family. We want you to sell your 5-ton package and your couch, not your distant cousin Bob s sofa and his garage door riveting tool. We are developing a vendor ad page for retail companies that will be PAGE 6 deployed in the very near future, so no ads for licensed businesses. Our members and the webmaster will have the ability to flag any ad that they feel is inappropriate or offensive. Anything that common sense says is offensive or not appropriate will be removed from the website. Any member who posts inappropriate or offensive ads may have to re-wrap the entire 4/0 stock of a lamp dock for a week straight, or lose the ability to login to the website. Ok, I m kidding about the 4/0. Cheers, Pascal Biz Rep s Column Continued from Page 3 sure what that is, it s the ability to put your membership on hold and when you become able to return to the workforce and become an active member the only financial obligation you ll have will be paying the per capita to the International up to eight (8) quarters. If you have a question if you re eligible or not for this benefit, please call me. Another great resource for members is the MPTF. It s great to think of them as our health clinics but in reality the group started out as a charity. MPTF offers a wide variety of services and provides a safety net of social and charitable services including temporary financial assistance for eligible industry members, referral to community resources and counseling to navigate difficult times. Please take a look at the long list of services and contact numbers included in this publication on Page 8. As always, if there is anything I can do for you please do not hesitate to contact me at the Local.

7 Class of 2016 Scholarship Winners Continued from Page 5 Emerson Campbell, the daughter of Dwight and Wendy Campbell, graduated from Pasadena Waldorf High School. Emerson is the recipient of a $1,500 Local 728 award and plans on studying the neurosciences on the college level. Emerson s education at Pasadena Waldorf was a unique, well-rounded and engaging experience. She spent several months living on her own in New York City while working on her professional modeling career all while excelling in advanced math and science classes and maintaining a high GPA. Additionally, Emerson spent several weeks in China last summer living with a host family. This experience not only helped improve her fluency in Mandarin but gave her the opportunity to learn about new cultures firsthand. Madison Ward, the daughter of Anthony and Janet Ward, graduated from Norte Dame High School in Sherman Oaks and is the recipient of a $1,500 Local 728 award. Madison maintained a heavy class schedule all four years and was a member of the Mission League All-Academic Team, and was the recipient of the Colorado State University Academic Recognition Award. Outside the classroom, Madison was a member of the Latin Club and a member of the school s Art Club where she helped organize the pieces on display at the student art gallery. In her freshman year she managed the boys volleyball team and liked it so much managed the girls volleyball team for the next three years. On the field, Madison spent four years working as a youth sports camp counselor at Norte Dame where she had the responsibility of organizing and teaching various athletic skills and competitive games for children ages Emily Rivera, the daughter of Felix Rivera and Carol Gregory, is the recipient of a $1,500 Local 728 award. Emily graduated from John Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena and plans on taking business courses with an emphasis on media, film and entertainment in college. During her four years of high school, Emily took a wide variety of advanced placement courses. Additionally, she represented her school in numerous clubs and athletics including the National Honor Society, Key Club, Buddy Club, Asian and Gender Equality clubs, and was a member of the cross country team. A Bright Future Scholar, Emily was a student aid at the Pasadena Christian School, was a counselor at her church s vacation bible school and a Special Olympics volunteer. Moreover, Emily was a Pasadena Tournament of Roses queen and court finalist, Austin Wirsgalla, the son of Ronald and Karol Wirsgalla, graduated from Northview High School in Covina and is the recipient of a $1,000 award. At the time of application, Austin was considering studying criminal justice or physical therapy on the college level. In addition to being on the honor roll and a student athlete, Austin represented Northview and served on an AVID district advisory committee. Outside the classroom, he was a pitcher on the school s baseball team. That love of baseball and a strong sense of community outreach led him to coaching little league baseball and volunteering with pony and little leagues, as well as offering his time at local animal shelters and dog rescue facilities. Heather MacDougall, the daughter of Loren MacDougall and Jeanette Shelow-MacDougall, is the recipient of a $1,000 award. She graduated from Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta and plans on a course work including political science, psychology and criminal justice in college. At Crescenta, Heather handled a demanding and fast-paced workload including multiple AP courses. She scored an amazing 1700 on her SAT s with a super score of 1720 when combining previous tests. A student athlete since middle school, the elite swimmer won the MVP award three years in a row in high school and was an all-cif athlete for swimming. Heather also holds a CIF title she received in her freshman year. Additionally she holds four Southern California records for relays and has received the Commitment Award numerous times throughout her association with the national group of competitive swimmers on the Rose Bowl Aquatics Swim Team. PAGE 7

8 Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians I.A.T.S.E. Local W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, California NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID HUNT. BCH CA PERMIT #438 Visit Your Local at President s Column Continued from Page 2 the protection of collective bargaining through a union, these workers are paid a lower wage with no benefits outside of what is mandated by the law. If a candidate supports anti-worker initiatives like right to work, is this really the right person to get your vote? Think about it, it is really important. Election Notice Members are advised that there will be Nominations for Elections at the General Membership Meeting on September 17, 2016 for the following positions: Vice President (1) Treasurer-Call Steward (1) Executive Board (3) Executive Board Alternates (2) Counseling, Financial and Charitable Services MPTF provides a safety net of social and charitable services including temporary financial assistance for eligible industry members, referral to community resources and counseling to navigate difficult times. Community Programs Volunteer Programs MPTF Insurance Services Behavioral Health Residential Health Services Saban Center for Health and Wellness Elder Connection Home Safe Home Child Care MPTF We Take Care of Our Own