Only What You Make Of It

From Paul Clear, the president of IATSE Local 354:

This Local is what you make of it. Not what I say it should be. Not

what any single official of the Local says. It’s what the membership

wants it to be and is willing to work towards it becoming.

There is so much more we could be, and could be doing as a Local, if

there was more involvement by the membership. And if more members

were involved, the rewards to you all would be greater. As an example,

I think if we had a robust group of members working on contract issues

year round, we would be able to get higher wages. I think this is true

because of what I’ve heard from other Locals, and because of what

promoters say when they pass through Tulsa comparing us to the

workers in other cities. And also because our wage increases have

been below the rate of inflation for years. But when you begin

negotiations, if you don’t have the supporting information for your asks,

you’ll never get them.

In the future I will mention some other specific areas and things

members could help with. In the meantime, ask yourself, “What do I

want this Local to be doing? How can I help get it there?”