IATSE U.S. members – want to help your local union win an award and recognition from the International? It’s as simple as making a personal contribution to IATSE PAC!
At the 2023 Mid-Winter General Executive Board Meeting, the IATSE PAC Committee announced the establishment of a new annual awards program to publicly recognize those Locals that have committed themselves to raising funds for IATSE PAC.
The 1st Annual IATSE PAC Local Solidarity Awards will be presented during the IATSE PAC Committee report at the 2024 Mid-Winter General Executive Board Meeting and annually at each Mid-Winter GEB meeting thereafter.
There will be four levels of recognition for the IATSE PAC Local Solidarity Awards. Award recognition will be determined by two factors: 1) the percentage of individuals from a Local’s total membership that contributed to IATSE PAC in a given year; and 2) the total dollar amount contributed by members of a Local in a given year.
Locals with either five percent of their membership contributing to IATSE PAC, or $5,000 contributed to IATSE PAC by members of the Local will receive the Bronze award. Locals with either 7.5 percent of members giving, or $7,500 contributed will receive the Silver award. Locals with either ten percent of members giving, or $10,000 contributed will receive the Gold award. The top award is reserved for those Locals that are doing both – these Locals will have committed themselves to having a high percentage of their members engaged in IATSE PAC giving while also raising a significant total for the year. Locals with fifteen percent of their membership contributing to IATSE PAC, and $15,000 contributed will receive the Platinum award.
The minimum thresholds to qualify for an award are more than $250 in total annual contributions and more than one percent of Local membership contributing. A Local that has over five percent of its membership contributing but does not reach $250 in total contributions would not qualify. A Local that has over $5,000 in total contributions but has less than 1 percent of its membership contributing would not qualify.
In the Quarter 1 2023 Official Bulletin, the contribution amount for Gold shows $7,500. This is a typo and all U.S. members should refer to the graphic below for the correct Gold contribution amount which is $10,000.
This structure allows for all Locals, regardless of size, to have an equal opportunity to achieve recognition. To illustrate that point, if we had this program in place in 2022, approximately 20-25 U.S. Locals out of 320 would have qualified for an award. Of those 20-25 Locals, three have over 5,000 members, eight have between 1,000-5,000 members, two have between 500-1,000 members, two have between 100-500 members, and six have less than 100 members.
The awards will consist of a commemorative plaque that Locals can display in their union hall or office. The plaque will have space for plates to be added each subsequent year that the Local achieves recognition at a designated level. We also plan to annually publish the recipients of the IATSE PAC Local Solidarity Awards in a full-page spread in the IATSE Official Bulletin.
IATSE PAC benefits all U.S. members and Locals whether they contribute or not. It is the position of the IATSE PAC Committee that those handful of Locals that have made it a priority to educate their members on the importance of IATSE PAC, and how their contributions are an investment in the improvement of their lives, deserve this special recognition as they are carrying the weight of the entire U.S. membership of our Alliance.
It is the hope of the IATSE PAC Committee that by announcing this awards program one year in advance, additional U.S. Locals will prioritize IATSE PAC with their membership this year and achieve recognition in 2024. Members can visit IATSEPAC.net online, anytime to make a contribution and help their Local achieve an inaugural IATSE PAC Local Solidarity Award in January 2024.
For more information, we encourage Locals and members to contact the Political/Legislative Department at polleg@iatse.net.
