International photographer (Feb-Dec 1929)

Tweh The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER June, 1929 The Bacon is Brought J-fome Jackson J. Rose Howard E. Hurd Arthur Reeves COMMITTEE ON WAGE SCALE AND CONDITIONS, LOCAL 659 Alvin Wyckoff ^HE beginnings of Local 659, I. A. T. S. E. & M. P. M. 0. International Photographers of the Motion Picture Industries are not shrouded in mystery. The inception of the organization is of such recent date that the several phases of its development may be easily traced and dates and actions of its promoters definitely fixed. Lord Macauley, English essayist, historian and poet said in effect that as few as four men working together, harmoniously, to a common end, could achieve anything. This has been proved true even in America politics and the writer, personally, knows of an instance in American business where four men built a tremendous success upon the British nobleman's precept. In the case of the building of Local 659 there were more than four men concerned in the incubation of the idea and in the carrying out of the plans, but at that the group was pitifully small. However, as an exhibition of sheer courage, perseverance, intelligence, self sacrifice and hard labor nothing to equal it has been seen in the ranks of cameramen the world over and even the veterans in the highest councils of Organized Labor have paid tribute to the achievement of the group as represented in the wage scale and bill of working conditions signed with the motion picture producers on May 7, 1929, and presented to the membership of Local 659 at the Chamber of Commerce in Hollywood, on Sunday night, May 12, 1929. In February, 1928, the first step in the organization of a union of the cameramen of Hollywood was taken — a meeting of craftsmen sympathetic with the idea being held at the home of Alvin Wyckoff, subsequently honored by election as first president of Local 659. For a long time conditions of working among cameramen in the studios had not been satisfactory and efforts to secure an agreement with producers had failed. Wages were in adequate and abuses were common practice. It was, therefore, decided among the handful of pioneers of this movement that only the strong hand of organization could bring about the needed reforms. It was not until the second meeting that the matter crystallized and a committee was appointed to draught a constitution and by-laws. This was a difficult job, as all possible conditions had to be anticipated — those of production and those of trades union procedure — but a satisfactory working document was secured and the promotors came into the open in a meeting held in Ogden Hall. By March 10, 1928 (75) names had been signed to an application for membership in the I. A. T. S. E., as the Hollywood Branch of Local 644, in New York and, armed with this, Roy Klaffki was sent to Detroit to attend the bi-ennial convention of the I. A. T. S. E. & M. P. M. O. This was in June. On June 4th Mr. Klaffki met with the representatives of Local 644 and an agreement was reached at once and the new organization became not only the infant of the I. A., but an integral part of the New York Local. From Detroit Klaffki went to New York to confer with President Canavan regarding a separate charter for Hollywood for it had become apparent, almost at once, that the arrangement made at Detroit would prove unsatisfactory because of the wide separation of the two groups. President Canavan ond Local 644 were favorable to separation, and August 1, 1928 ( became a red letter day in the history of the new organization as the date upon which it received its charter as Local 659 I. A. T. S. E., the charter members being, Alvin Wyckoff, Frank Good, Charles Stumar, Ira Hoke, Charles Boyle, Mervyn Freman, Roy Klaffki, Jackson Rose, William Tuers, Chester Lyons, Arthur Reeves, Faxon Dean, L. Guy Wilky, Reggie Lyons, Paul Perry. In the meantime the new Local had to fight opposition in the studios and among cameramen who did not favor the union affiliation, but in spite of this situation the membership increased with amazing rapidity and an enthusiasm developed that promised well for the project. An office had been opened in the Markham Building, 6372 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, on May 18th and Local 659 was a going concern. In those days the toddling child was feeling its way with many things to learn and little to work with for it was born without benefit of capital except the meagre dollars supplied for necessities by the devoted few who had called it into being. On August 1, 1928, Mr. Howard Hurd, of the M. G. M. Studios, by unanimous action of the Board of Executives, was offered the post of Business Representative of the infant Local and he entered upon the duties of the position almost immediately. Mr. Hurd is a graduate law student, and, what constitutes his greater value to the cameramen, is that during his long years of studio experience he has been close in touch with the members of the craft, knows them individually and understands their problems — an ideal incumbent for this all important post. There were many hard knocks and to add to the general joy jurisdictional differences arose with the New York Local and the Board of Executives appointed a special committee composed of President Wyckoff, Financial Secretary Roy Klaffki and Business Representative Hurd to go to New York and treat with Local 644. An agreement was signed and while there the committee met Mr. Guy L. Currier, Chairman of the Employers' Arbitration Committee who arranged for them to meet with a producer's committee composed of Chairman Currier, Nicholas Schenck, Sidney Kent and Jack Gains for conversations on a wage scale and working conditions for the members of Local 659. This was in September, 1928. These conversations culminated in an agreement to the effect that both parties should make a thorough survey of the situation as affecting the cameramen and one committee returned to Hollywood to undertake