tivated a very strong communication
shortly after its foundation on Novem-
ber 1st, 1940. Our records show that
within 5 years the executive team was
producing monthly newsletters to com-
pliment the local in all of its triumphs,
problems and contemporary concerns.
We still have these original Newsletters
starting prior to the signing of the Taft-
Hartley Act, which was initially passed
in the summer of 1947.
look at over 60 years of documented
union history. From the excitement
over television to the fear of another 4
years under the Bush Administration,
our local has shared its concerns and its
most fervent hopes with its member-
ship by the printing of the monthly
newsletter.
have had less frequency, less interest
and of course less need with the creation
of the website. However, if for nothing
tion sharing, economic turmoil, and the
ever lessening interest in common pur-
pose, we at Local 1212 need to see and
hear about that common purpose and to
remember why it is that we share in this
brotherhood. Why it is that we pay dues
and why it is that the solid institution of
organized labor still has value in today's
social system.
newsletter. It is their hope that this will
be a good venue to keep ourselves on a
track towards mutual employment, a
high quality of life and shared interest
in how we can stand strong in the face
of growing media consolidation.
tirees, basic shop news or other pieces
of interest please feel free to contact
Kevin Lind at kl@ibew1212.org or call
him directly through the office at (212)
354-6770. We would like to see as much
active participation as possible for we
can never be successful without the help
from our members and the support they
bring!
lenge from one shop or another
istration are put on hold to deal with ne-
gotiations, shop meetings, arbitrations,
disciplinary actions, etc. And the last six
months have been even more engaging
with a defeated decertification, multiple
layoffs, the liquidation of an employer,
and an agreement waiver request. The
business office has had more than just
the economy to deal with too.
ting in the room with us. Since the
Telecommunications Act was passed in
1996 the number of media companies
has been bottlenecked to eight corpora-
tions, which own effectively all the
broadcast rights in the United States.
Eight! These conglomerates would eas-
ily lead us to believe that any of the sit-
uations happening on the shop floor are
due entirely to the recession but it is im-
portant that we realize that these changes
West 47th Street, New York, NY 10036.
President
can call the office at (212) 354-6770 and ask to hear the list.
angry or upset with the current
tion in our America. The top 1% holds
all of the chips while the life blood of
this economy struggles to upkeep their
homes, health care and lives. Other than
by electing President Obama in Novem-
voice the need for our selves and our fu-
ture than by supporting actively The Em-
ployee Free Choice Act (EFCA).
necessarily pertain to those of us already
in a bargaining agreement but by provid-
ing other workers with the ability to form
unions, the strength of our already estab-
lished ones increase. Below are listed the
changes that the EFCA will enact if
passed. There is little reason to consider
it otherwise this Act has the ability to
ing woman and man in America.
to inform the membership on the more
specific points of EFCA. We are reprint-
ing it here for our mutual benefit.
simpler for the employees. If a majority
of employees in an appropriate unit have
signed authorization cards then the des-
ignated union is recognized by the
NLRB. Unless of course, they would
prefer to hold an election then that right
is maintained.
become increasingly necessary because
of growing anti-democratic employer co-
ercion practiced during NLRB sponsored
elections. Union elections are unlike any
other kind of elections because of the in-
herent coercive power that management
holds over employees the power to de-
prive workers of their livelihood and to
control their wages, hours and working
conditions. The NLRB election process
makes matters worse by enabling man-
agement to wage lengthy and bitter anti-
union campaigns, during which workers
can expect harassment, intimidation,
threats and firings. By avoiding these in-
herently coercive and anti-democratic,
anti-union campaigns, majority-rule
card-check procedures help employees
make a real choice.
may request mediation from the Federal
Mediation and Conciliation Services
(FMCS) if no agreement is reached on a
first contract after 90 days of bargaining.
If the FMCS is unable to bring the par-
ties to agreement after 30 days of medi-
ation, the dispute must be submitted to
binding arbitration. Both timelines can
agree. This provision is necessary be-
cause even when employees surmount
the many obstacles and form a union, 32
percent of the time workers are unable to
negotiate a contract within a year.
firing workers who are sympathetic to
the union, pay no penalties. If found
guilty, such employers are only required
to "make the aggrieved worker whole"
by paying back wages only. Unfortu-
nately, if the worker had earnings else-
where, these will often reduce the
amount of back pay required of the of-
fending employer. The Employee Free
Choice Act contains meaningful penal-
ties including"treble" (three times) back
pay and civil penalties of up to $20,000
per violation against employers found to
have willfully or repeatedly violated em-
ployees' rights during an organizing
campaign or first contract drive.
tions, and enforcing ULPA prevention
laws, EFCA has the potential to give the
middle class options it has since been
without. It can fundamentally create a
better environment for our workers and
our lives.
man; send letters to the seats with voting
power. We can save the middle class and
the American dream by helping to pass
The Employee Free Choice Act.
Senior Business Representative ....Ralph Avigliano
Business Representative ....................Vinny Butler
Director of Communications ................Kevin Lind
Vice President ..............................Richard N. Ross
Treasurer..............................................Gary Urhan
Recording Secretary..........................Perry Russell
that gorilla is Media Consolidation.
Wall St, companies now have a perfect
excuse to make those changes without
our protest. CBS proposing the waiver of
their agreement is a perfect example of
this line of thinking. With new technol-
ogy becoming available that takes jobs
out of the hands of our members, corpo-
rate media will stream line us right out
of our jobs and then add news hours for
those who are still employed. How we
are going to ensure security in this
changing environment? It is an unclear
answer. However, one thing is for sure
and that is that it will be by continued
support from you, our membership, and
the 1212 News, the long dormant newslet-
ter of IBEW Local 1212. Communica-
tions was one of the major complaints
heard from the shops. We have created a
new website, we have signed on with the
AFL-CIO'S "Get Active" system that will
allow us to send updates to members' per-
sonal e-mail either on a shop by shop
basis or to everyone of our members who
signs up and now, the newsletter as well.
the Director of Communications. Kevin,
whose parents are former Local 1212
members from HBO, is a recent graduate
of The University of St. Andrews. Kevin
is charged with updating our website, cre-
ating a quarterly newsletter and keeping
members informed through the Get Active
ture, it will not be the official quarterly let-
ter. That you should be receiving in July.
1212. Chartered in 1940, Local 1212 is
heading into its 79th anniversary year. As
in the beginning, Local 1212 will be
challenged again. Annemarie Frawley,
our office manager, discovered past 1212
News letters back to our virtual begin-
ning. They are fascinating, entertaining
and insightful for their time. We hope to
capture the challenges we face in our
times in order to have an informed mem-
bership and to leave a historical record
for those future generations who will
face their own challenges.
Keith Morris
giving you access to an on-line training
among many other possibilities, allows you
to learn and practice editing with Avid and
Final Cut Pro. For all members in good
standing it is free! The courses have great
advantages too. It is convenient because
you can do it on your own time at home, it
is free and it is seperate from your employer.
log-in and password for training. There are
only a limited number of users from Local
1212 so passwords will be given on a first-
come-first-served basis. We offer this pro-
gram to our members on the condition that
it is to be used for serious training, how-
ever. So please take advantage of it and
get involved. Since the numbers are lim-
ited the Union office will be monitoring
how much the license's are being used and
if someone is not participating then we
will offer it to someone more interested.
supply you with a link to a site that holds
the information. If you have further interest
in any of the offerings than send Vinny
your contact information, courses of inter-
est and the dates that you would like to at-
tend. This will help us to organize. The date
of the E-mail will give you your position
on the training list. We hope you make the
most of this great opportunity.
Keith Morris
fice to begin discussions on an
good group from numerous shops, the
gentlemen came to discuss a specific
agenda that was not long but required a
significant amount of due-diligence in
order to come to a worthy conclusion.
enced by the presence of Business
Manager Keith Morris. In the process of
understanding the contracts and their ne-
were discussed in what became a highly
successful and very engaging meeting.
stations futures, their working conditions
and how this is directly and indirectly af-
fected by our current economic situation.
Since radio is so heavily advertising
based and at the mercy of constant indus-
try innovation, their concerns were not
unwarranted.
goals. What made the meeting so suc-
cessful besides engaged participants
and a group resolve was the way our
members recognized their place and
could apply what they learned to better
understand their employer's motives. In
addition they drew parallels between their
current predicament and how it will mir-
ror other broadcast media's in the future.
positions in the shop. Technology has
also made it possible to run local stations
from national hubs, which after the 2009
NAB Convention is becoming a reality
pact on who we are as people. Michael
DeIeso was such an individual.
1212 card to the time in 1987 when he
asked for me to participate in the CBS
negotiations, Mike touched my life in
many positive ways. Now Mike is gone.
He passed into eternity on Tuesday,
March 22nd after a long battle with
Alzheimer's disease. He left his mark on
more lives than he ever knew and more
still than are aware today. Michael was
an amazing man; he was a born enter-
tainer, a gourmet cook, a carpenter and
without ever a bad word for anyone, he
was a lover of his fellow man. Michael's
generosity was unmatched.
ativity he brought by encouraging con-
versation which always offered solutions
for complex problems and his unbeatable
negotiating skills. I will always remem-
ber the 1990 CBS negotiation where the
threat of layoffs was constant. Mike lived
every waking moment agonizing over
the thought as he sought to find a solu-
tion his care for his members was so
tegrity. Knowing through the years of
Mike's retirement that he was close by
and ready to lend his nimble mind and
keen insights always gave me comfort.
ticipant in the union since 1961, execu-
tive board leader and Business Manager,
passed away on April 22, 2009. Michael
started as a technician with CBS then
moved to the union office as a Business
Rep under Vinny Bartilucci. In 1985
Michael was elected Business Manager
ment in 1997. He will always be remem-
bered as an excellent negotiator with a
quick mind for language and numbers as
well as his quick wit. One of the amaz-
ing things about him was that he would
teach the art of negotiations to every
committee he worked with because of
his true care for every member that he
represented.
improvements, entertaining his friends
with music or going to dinner with his
family and friends. He was always will-
ing to share his love for good food and
wine as well as a good story.
heaven, he would ask simply for a nice
dinner with family and friends. And of
course, he would be sitting in a promi-
nent seat where he could tell his stories.
At the end of this dinner, St Peter would
give Michael a list of reasons why he had
made it into heaven and as he finished
reading the list Michael would stand and
proclaim, `Ladies and Gentleman, I
would like you to meet the new owner!'
a very good friend.
Manager and several well informed
members the group made a collective de-
cision about how to approach their con-
tract negotiations quickly and with
universal acceptance.
futures, the members left with more in-
formed perspectives and the resolve to
work together to ensure a productive
course for the years to come.
BROADCAST ENGINEERS
L.U. 1212 IBEW AFL-CIO
225 West 34