Author: Christine Margaret Dodge
If Local 700’s Labor to the Polls working group wants to send one message to its members across the country, it’s this: Don’t sit back and watch the November 5 election.
On Oct. 5, 50 members gathered at Local 700 headquarters in Los Angeles to help send 1,150 postcards to members who live in presidential battleground states and competitive congressional districts, said Rob Callahan, the union’s national organizer. , he believes the effort could have a significant impact.
“A huge thank you to the dozens of volunteers who showed up on Saturday with handwritten postcards urging Editors Guild members and retirees to vote,” he said later. “Your message has the potential to make a difference between members voting and participating in this election, and that difference could have a real impact on what is expected to be an extremely tight race.”
Photo Editors and Guild of Editors board member AJ Catoline (ACE) said he was also “shocked” by the number of people who came forward to help, adding that the initiative stemmed from a resolution submitted to the IATSE Region 2 General Assembly by 700 local representatives. Held in June. Catoline, who drafted the resolution along with board members Shannon Baker Davis (ACE) and Shiran Miller (ACE), calls on all locals to “vote in 2024 to strengthen and preserve unions and American democracy.”
The conference unanimously passed the resolution. The IATSE Political Committee also hosted a training for delegates on why the union is officially endorsing Kamala Harris for president and how members in each locality can help get out the vote (GOTV). Since then, Katolin and Davis have formed a working group to develop a plan for how to organize volunteer members.
Catolin said he believed it was important for unions to take a proactive approach to involving their members in this year’s electoral process, rather than just remaining “silent” on potentially contentious political issues in the past.
“Trade unionism and politics are inseparable,” Catolin said. “Our right to join unions and fight for better working conditions came about because of the passage of laws. Unions in America are under attack and we must do everything we can to help elect pro-labor candidates who will pass more pro-union laws. .In a close election, 100 union members taking action to encourage their friends and colleagues to vote will make a difference. When we vote, we win.
The resolution aims to boost voter registration and turnout, especially in battleground states and districts where races are close, and includes things like postcard drives, phone banks and organizing bus tours to get out the vote. About 100 members have signed up to help GOTV.
In addition to the presidential election, the organization advocates in support of pro-union candidates in key congressional, state and local races and is endorsed by local state labor federations and partners with sister locals IATSE and L700, which may Impact on the industry and MPEG members.
“Part of ‘Vote’ is helping people really understand what their vote means and how we would live if one candidate became president instead of another,” Davis said. “More than that: local Candidates do have an impact on your daily life.”
She said the solid foundation the task force has built over the past few months will provide a useful template for future elections, but noted that she hopes members don’t wait another four years to get involved.
“We need to get out the vote in the primary. We need to get involved in the statehouse because they have a lot of laws that affect tax credits in California and New York,” Davis said. “A lot of people might say they don’t want to be involved. I think you have to be involved. Otherwise, other people are going to dictate how you live your life.
Katolin agreed, adding, “IATSE has a very big megaphone and we need to support that,” particularly in supporting keeping union post-production jobs in the U.S., as Davis mentioned , increasing opportunities for California editors to take advantage of tax credits to participate in productions like their New York colleagues.
It has become clear in recent years that elections at all levels have consequences that directly impact entertainment workers and their families behind the scenes at IATSE, particularly in areas where polling is unequal and access to information can be restricted. “Part of the resolution is telling people how to find out if you’re registered and how to find out where to vote,” Davis said.
To that end, photo editor and conference delegate Elisa Cohen (ACE) has been working hard to do her part to raise awareness about pro-labor congressional candidate George Whitesides in Antelope Valley, California’s 27th Congressional District . She was active on the task force, doing phone banks, writing postcards and canvassing door to door. She also volunteered to edit a campaign video for him.
“I told myself I was going to run the closest campaign [in proximity] It was really important and I really put my all into it,” she said. These efforts are critical because congressional districts are notoriously close and will be decided by less than 400 votes in 2022.
“While your own vote matters, it’s equally important to make sure you let your friends and family know their vote matters, too,” Cohen added. “Not voting is real voting. Even without your input, it still makes the decision.
Congressional elections within an hour’s drive of Los Angeles and New York will be decided by less than a percentage point. Unions across the U.S. rely on pro-labor majorities in Congress to pass worker-friendly legislation like the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which aims to make it easier to create more union jobs.
With just a few weeks left before Election Day on Tuesday, November 5, the organization is already making it easy to find and solicit more than 100 opportunities to come to help “get out the vote,” call or text, or just encourage friends and family to make sure They are all registered to vote and have access to the information they need to make informed choices about pro-labor candidates at the local and national levels.
Members can also help canvass by signing up for bus tours to Las Vegas on October 26 and October 27, where IATSE President Matt Loeb will speak to volunteers. During the Palm Springs Pride Festival, scheduled for the weekend before the election, members can participate in a parade on Nov. 3 and canvass for congressional candidate Will Rollins in the hotly contested 45th District.
“Take some time to look at the list and choose something that fits your schedule and the type of campaign you’re willing to run,” Callahan said. “However, you will probably be involved in the remaining 20 hours or so of the big day, so thank you very much for what you do.”
What members can do:
