Thank you to all of you who joined us today for our productive first session with OSF! We began with introductions and our opening statements and moved on to covering our bargaining basics including; agreeing to open bargaining, pay parameters for the bargaining team, bargaining locations (Ashland! Talent! Zoom! We’re going on tour, stay tuned!) and set some new dates for our upcoming sessions.
Don’t forget! Bargaining Bingo kicks off in tomorrow’s session, more information about rules, prizes, and where to download your Bingo card in your email!
We’ve included our opening statement from Lead Negotiator and Business Agent Breena Cope for those who may have missed it:Â
"Thank you to everyone who is here at the bargaining table for both sides and all those observing your support is invaluable. Thank you for opening up the bargaining session. We are all very excited for this process together. We are here today to begin negotiations for the finance department of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as they want to secure a contract within IATSE Local 154. These workers recognized the importance of representation in their workplace and reached out to the union for support. We will be here for them today and everyday following. Our goals within these negotiations are to come to an agreement over working conditions, training, safety, and quality of life. We want to preserve the things that are working inside this department and work together to find improvements in the areas the employees have brought to our attention. We also want to be very clear that this isn’t personal, at all and isn’t a reflection on current or past management of the department, but an effort to preserve what the employees love about their jobs and working for this company. This department is essential to the operations of the company and all areas of their work reflect that back. They keep the money flowing in so many different ways. During the tumultuous times we all worked under last season they never wavered or faltered and kept making sure their jobs were done so the company could keep operating. They are appreciated across the company on a daily basis in so many ways such as when a credit card is paid quickly for more purchases to be made, when people receive their paychecks, when a reimbursement is processed in a timely manner, when a vendor is paid and the concession stand is filled because of it, there are so many more ways that we can’t take the time to list. We want to honor the work they do and how essential they are to the company. This was one of the few departments that didn’t eliminate every member during the COVID layoffs. This group of workers is essential and valuable. They want to feel this reflected back to them in how they are treated and compensated. This is at its core, an act of love for OSF. We all recognize that it has been a rough few years, not just here but across the industry and the world as a whole, by seeking representation from IATSE this department is hoping to create guaranteed stability that will outlast all of our time at OSF."
Join us at our next session tomorrow, Thursday, February 1st 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in person in Camps on the Ashland Campus and virtually on Zoom.Â
What We'll Be Talking About
At tomorrow’s session we will be examining articles from our existing Production and Facilities CBA’s that may easily transfer into the new CBA with minimal changes, as well as (time permitting) potentially gathering some background information from OSF to assist us in creating some of the more complex proposals yet to come. This articles on the docket for tomorrow include:
Article 1Â - Recognition
Article 2Â - Union Security
Article 3Â - No Strike/No Lock Out
Article 5Â - Management Rights
Article 11Â - Discipline and Discharge
Article 12Â -Â Non-Discrimination
Article 14Â - Grievance and Arbitration
Article 17Â - Language Accessibility