9 Hour Turnaround for Assistants
Yesterday I was speaking to a fellow assistant about his highest concerns in the union. He said 9 hour turnaround for assistants which I agreed was one of my biggest beefs as well. He also said no one makes it an issue, it lies swept under the bed which I have to agree and I’ve made comments before to administration and they say nothing. The more I think about it making a change in assistants turnaround will help with controlling ridiculous and deadly work hours. First just look at it, are you kidding a single digit number as your turnaround? One that doesn’t take into account your drive time, doesn’t include your half hour out of the day lunch, doesn’t include getting to set 1/2 hour early so you can eat before 6 hours elapse or 8 or 10 because mps are such a joke now.
I was told once by someone in admin in defense of the turnaround that dps have 11 so that protects the assistant. What? Have these people ever seriously worked on a set? If you protect the assistant the dp will end up with 2 or 3 hours more turnaround. Granted they might be going to dailies but, they will sit, they will be driven, they will be warm or cool and their agents make deals that are far better than what we recieve. A dp and operator pick up their coats when wrap is called and if on location are typically driven to a nearby hotel so their commute is most likely more realistic than a local assistants.
Imagine, out of 9 hours take at minimum 1 hour to and from set, 1/2 hour to get ready in the morning, 1/2 hour early to eat and that’s from camera wrap not when you actually leave. In the best possible circumstance you have 6 hours at home and by experience 4 hours sleep is average. God forbid you actually have duties at home or do an overnight and sit in traffic to and from set turning your commute into well more than 1 hour each way.
In my mind if we have any respect for ourselves we should make a change in turnaround a priority, for the assistant, for once do something for the assistant. A minimum turnaround, a realistic turnaround should be 12 hours. Animals are better protected. If they can’t get their picture done, add days. If they say it costs to much tell them to talk to Eastwood, he seems able to make efficient, profitable movies working 12 hours a day max.
I want to see this changed do you? We can ban together and force this issue, no one else will stand up for you but you. It’s a single digit number, does it not infuriate you?
9 hours turnaround is outrageous and ridiculous for any crew member, as you say.
I had an idea years ago, and have suggested it several times to our “negotiators,” but never made any progress with it.
Here it is – “Turnaround shall be a minimum of 10 hours, for all crew members, for any day worked, up to 12 elapased hours. For any day worked OVER 12 elapsed hours, Turnaround shall be equal to the total elapsed hours of the work day, and may NEVER be invaded for any reason.”
In other words, a 14 hour workday would require 14 hours turnaround. A 16 hour day would require a turnaround of 16 hours.
It is unreasonable and impractical to try to put a hard limit on the length of the workday. But this plan would allow the employers to set their own work schedule, no matter how ridiculous, but would require an adequate turnaround that changes with the length of the workday the employers demand.
Maybe if everyone agrees and passes this on to others, it could actuyally make its way into the negotiations next time.
Doug Hart,
1AC, Eastern Region
DCHart@aol.com
Doug,
How do we as a single, one voice group demand a change like this on the negociating team. Like many other suggestions I have had and stated to applause at general membership meetings, I am told write it down and send it to the committee and then NOTHING happens. Is this where a quoram would work. Do we need to collect 600 signatures to force the negociators to take this up as an issue? How do we do this? Would it make a difference? denise
Denise -
There is no easy answer to this queston, of course.
So much depends on who is elected to office in the union. Our Local 600 ballots are being counted TODAY.
I should really wait until tomorrow to try to answer your question.
If Poster and his cronies are elected, the members of Local 600 can only look forward to three more years of the “same old, same old.”
Poster’s plan for contract negotiations in 2009 is very simple – kiss Tom Short’s ass at every opportunity and be grateful for whatever table scraps fall off the tble for us.
Poster will not raise any new issues, he will not propose any radical changes, he will not even open his mouth except to say, “Local 600 will do whatever you say, President Short.”
If Haskell Wexler and his team is elected, things could be much different.
I wrote a piece for one of Haskell’s websites outlining a new plan for Contract Negotiations. I think it is on http://www.ViewPoint600.com, and is called “New NMegotiating Srategy,” or something like that (they keep changing the titles of my articles).
Sorry -
I hit the “send” button by mistake and sent the above message before I was finished (and before I corrected my typos).
I was going to add:
Read my article about Contract Negotiations, and wait until the ballots are counted this afternoon, and then I will try to continue this reply this weekend.
Doug Hart