Recreational Workers Industrial Union 630

All workers in playgrounds and places of amusement and recreation. All professional entertainers.

Shattuck Cinema Workers Prepare for Contract Negotiations; Support Rally on Saturday June 22, 2006

Posted Fri, 07/14/2006 - 10:58pm by x344543

By Mary Loritz - July 14, 2006

Workers from Shattuck Cinemas emerged victorious in their fight for a union after voting 22-2 in favor of unionizing with the Industrial Workers of the World. Their union drive became public on May 8th, and a little over a month later, on June 16th, they had a union.

Congratulations! It was a fast process that wouldn't have been possible without community support. The Shattuckunion is an inspiration for cinema workers everywhere who are receiving poor pay with little or no benefits. However, many of the workers' biggest concern was never whether they would gain recognition as a union, but how the company would respond during contract negotiations. Landmark Theatres has been generally unresponsive to the campaign -- they've been unavailable for comment whenever questioned. Their attorney recently responded to the union's demand to bargain letters, and both sides are now preparing for contract negotiations. The union's main objective right now is to get a fair contract - and in a reasonable amount of time.

Landmark Workers Unite! Fighting Back Against Mark Cuban's Corporate Culture

Posted Thu, 06/22/2006 - 1:35pm by x344543

While doing a little muckraking into Mark Cuban's entertainment empire not long ago, I stumbled upon the efforts of a group of Landmark Theatre employees at Boston's Kendell Square Cinema who – much to the vigorous union-busting activities of Cuban and co. -- had successfully formed a union. Last Friday, Landmark's Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley became the second Landmark Theatre to unionize despite "an attempt by CEO Bill Banowsky to thwart the union attempt," according to a press release. . .

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Union Wins Landslide Victory - Shattuck Cinema Workers Pull Through with Vote for The IWW

Posted Sun, 06/18/2006 - 2:31am by x358379

BERKELEY 6:30 PM -- This afternoon workers at Landmark Shattuck Cinemas voted an outstanding 22 to 2 in favor of unionization. Despite new promises by Landmark and an attempt by CEO Bill Banowsky to thwart the union attempt, workers at the Shattuck say they've never really been worried about the vote.

"I've felt extremely confidant that the union would go through since the beginning." said Ryan Hatt, cinema employee age 21. "Support has been almost unanimous since day one. There was no contest, if you would have asked me two months ago I could've guaranteed a landslide victory."

Now that the vote has gone through, workers are looking ahead to the contract negotiation process. Contract negotiations at Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge, MA, the only other Landmark theatre to hold a union, have been moving extremely slowly with Landmark officials meeting only the bare minimum requirements to keep the negotiations process "in good faith" over the last year.

Shattuck Cinema Workers Rally for Union

Posted Fri, 06/16/2006 - 11:48pm by x345292

Shattuck union workers brought their campaign for union recognition to the streets of Berkeley on Wednesday afternoon.  About sixty people including many Shattuck workers gathered in front of the theatre to wave signs, hold banners, sing, shout play guitar and fiddle.  The message was clear, "we are union and we want changes now".  Aurelaea River, a long time Shattuck Cinemas worker brought aong her electric violin and got the proceedings under way by playing a fast tune. Then Ryan from Riot Folk played guitar and sang to get the crowd together.    

Next came Ryan Hatt, one of the workers, to list what the workers demands are. A living wage, health care coverage, corporate accountibility, and respect.  And a door chair.  workers stand for long periods taking tickets.  They had a chair but corpoate didn't approve.  Chair gone.  Then a meeting took place a couple of weeks back with the CEO.  He came to explain what a union is.  He wasn't quite sure what a union is after showing up an hour late. But the chair reappeared.  Only to dissapear a few hours later.  Rumor has it that management thought the union might claim the re issuance of the chair as a victory.  The chair is stashed away for now.

Shattuck Cinemas Employees to Cast Votes

Posted Fri, 06/16/2006 - 11:47am by x344543

By Judith Scher, Berkeley Daily Planet - June 16, 2006. 

Standing on the bed of a blue pick-up truck, draped with a red Industrial Workers of the World banner and energized by guitar and fiddle music, Shattuck Cinemas workers and their supporters addressed working conditions at the theater Wednesday.

The rally outside the downtown theater on Shattuck Avenue near Kittredge Street was a prelude to the National Labor Relations Board-sponsored union election scheduled at the theater today (Friday).

“They need to treat us with respect,” Ryan Hatt told the crowd that grew to around 50 listeners. “There are no benefits, unless you count free movies and popcorn. People working [at the Shattuck] for over six years get $8.05 cents an hour. What we’re fighting for is a voice.”