I expect to hear from a few others out in California familiar with the situation in the movie industry.
TL
Katha Pollitt wrote:
> Tom Lehman wrote:
> >
> > Tom, thanks for an opportunity to respond to the critics of working
> > people in my industry.
>
> I said nothing about the workers -- I'm sure they're great hardworking
> guys.
>
> There's
> > an illusion that film workers are rich, that our jobs are glamorous,
> > and all we do is sit around on apple boxes all day counting our
> We swing hammers for a living, lay cable, load and unload
> >
> > tons of equipment, operate heavy machinery, drive 40 footer tractor
> > trailers, dig ditches, and do all the hard work other working people
> > do. The only difference is our job security amounts to the first 8
> > hours of the work day, we generally earn less per hour than the same
> > trade in other industries, and our working conditions are among the
> > worst in the world.
>
> this strikes me as most unlikely. the world is a pretty big place.
> I'll bet he wouldn't trade places with a file clerk, a waiter in a
> chinese restaurant, an office cleaner or a daycare worker or a
> supermarket bagger-- not to mention a Pakistani carpet weaver, a thai
> sex worker or a MexicanMaquilardora worker.
>
> We are probably the only group of workers in the
> > world fighting (still without success) for a 14 hour work day.
> See above.
>
>
>
> > I don't know what our demographic figures are.
>
> why not find out? That's what my comment was about.
>
> Less than 5% of our
> > electricians are women. We wish there were more,
>
> Sure... how hard have they tried to recruit some?
>
> but this job
> > requires you to be able to lift a hundred pound piece of cable off the
> >
> > ground and throw it in a truck -- to do it in snow, rain, or 110
> > degree heat, sometimes on very little sleep, without days off, or
> > regular meal breaks.
>
> There are some pretty big and tough women these days. This is the
> excuse always given for why women can't be firefighters, police officers
> etc. When challenged, these physical requirements often are shown to be
> pro forma only -- for instance, I'll bet the union doesn't retest old
> guys to see if they can STILL lift that weight in rain and snow on no
> sleep.
>
> Our members come from all over the US and the
> > world. We have many Latinos and Asians, not so many African
> > Americans.
>
> and why not? Are they also too weak?
>
> >Entry into the locals has been formalized to the point
> > where most new members are NOT relatives.
>
> Why should ANY be? I can't pass my jobs--or union membership -- along
> to my daughter.
>
> I hope this helps in clearing up anti-worker stereotypes about the
> > Hollywood working class.
> >
> > An honest answer from a movie electrician,
>
> Hot air, mostly irrelevant, and tacitly conceding my basic point.
>
> Katha