require member ratification of
multi-employer agreementS
THE PROBLEM
When I studied contract negotiation at The Worker Institute at Cornell University, I was taught that the first priority of union negotiators has to be achieving a deal that your members will ratify. This was one of the ways in which I came to realize that Equity acts very differently than many of our fellow unions.
There are currently only two Equity contracts—the Production Contract and the LORT Agreement—that require member ratification. Having worked both of those agreements, I know how valuable it's been to have a personal say in whether an agreement should be approved. And as an Equity Vice President and Councilor, it's also been valuable to ensure that the outcomes deemed acceptable by the union's leadership are also approved by the members affected by those outcomes.
In the absence of a member ratification, our stage managers and actors are too often left in the dark about the changes that occur in the contracts that they frequently work, lack any context for gains achieved or concessions made in the negotiating process, and have no ultimate say in the final approval of our agreements.
There are currently only two Equity contracts—the Production Contract and the LORT Agreement—that require member ratification. Having worked both of those agreements, I know how valuable it's been to have a personal say in whether an agreement should be approved. And as an Equity Vice President and Councilor, it's also been valuable to ensure that the outcomes deemed acceptable by the union's leadership are also approved by the members affected by those outcomes.
In the absence of a member ratification, our stage managers and actors are too often left in the dark about the changes that occur in the contracts that they frequently work, lack any context for gains achieved or concessions made in the negotiating process, and have no ultimate say in the final approval of our agreements.
THE SOLUTION
While there is no way that Equity could create a process of member ratification for the dozens upon dozens of agreements the union has with its employers, member ratification should be required for any collective bargaining agreement with a multi-employer group, including Production, LORT, COST, CORST, Off-Broadway, URTA, and NEAT.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLVED, that member ratification shall be required for final approval of any collective bargaining agreement reached with a multi-employer group, subject to such procedures as the National Council shall determine.
