Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1940)

ipn 19 40 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 47 ARNER THEATRES AVERT WALKOUT; ALENT ATTACKS AGENCY UNION reen Says Charter to Amusement Agencies and Employees Union Probably Will Be Revoked after Protest The American Guild of Variety Artists, jj negotiating in New York with the large ;;cuits on a proposed unionization of vaude\e and stage shows, on a return of vaudei;le to film houses, and in a campaign to jkoll all the estimated 15,000 variety per{|aiers who had belonged to the American deration of Actors which it supplanted, Lb week won a skirmish with vaudeville jjjnts on the West Coast. It had the back| of the powerful Screen Actors Guild of the parent actors' group, the Assoed Actors and Artistes of America. • arter Revocation Hinted . 'resident William Green of The American leration of Labor, informed Kenneth Thornexecutive secretary, of the Screen Actors that an AFL charter to the Amusement , e> fid, encies and Employees Union, Local No. 1, Angeles, had been rendered inoperative March 18th, and probably would be revoked, | the information given to Mr. Green by the I Id, the Variety Artists and the Four A's. last Wednesday, after ihe amusement agen|i| union had served notice on the Variety lists that it expected the latter to deal with as a group, Mr. Thomson, who is also ond vice-president of the Four A's, tele:phed Mr. Green that he, Joseph Weber. ;ident of the American Federation of Musics, and I. B. Kornblum were "certain that J AFL was not in possession of the facts" Jjpi the charter was granted to the amuse'■t agencies' union, which is claiming juris— ion over all agents in the amusement field, ^ast week Lloyd Skeels, executive secretary -""-he union in dispute, the Amusement AgenH: Employees Union, was understood to be jferring with J. W. Buzzell, executive secreJi of the Los Angeles Central Trades and J or council and a vice-chairman of the C>;n.'; nee of American Federation of Labor ; ijdio Unions, whose appeal last fall to the Vjds to negotiate jointly was refused. g ' Raise Discussions Be Resumed Soon esumption of the conferences between pro'..,?rs and the Conference of American Federaof Labor Studio Unions, over relinquisht of the general 10 per cent wage increase ast fall, gained over producer protest, was 'A rated as a possibility for late this week, or It. Frank Freeman, head of Paramount proion, president of the Motion Picture Pro:rs Association and chairman of its labor mitteee, was to meet with J. W. Buzzell let a date. nd Technicians Win itracts from Studios be Hollywood Sound Technicians Union, al 195, of the IATSE has won contracts eight independent studios and sound serv§ jnits. The Local served notice on all in; ndent units, several weeks ago, that it • ted bargaining contracts involving what unts to 54 hours pay for 42 hours work, trike. if demands were not greeted, was ed. The union last Wednesday asked simi lar wages from the Republic and Walt Disneystudios. It will make similar demands on the large studios, when all independents have signed, it is understood. Painters' Local Asks Action from the NLRB The Moving Picture Painters Local 644 threatened to send a representative to the Washington office of the National Labor Relations Board, unless the Los Angeles office speeds action on the local's application for certification as bargaining agency for studio scenic artists. Walter Spreckels, Los Angeles regional director for the board, declared he would hold an open hearing. Screen Writers Disagree With NLRB Examiner Directors of the Screen Writers Guild filed an exception to a report of James Fitzpatrick, National Labor Relations Board trial examiner, which said there was no evidence that producers had failed to bargain in good faith with the guild. The guild claims the producers failed to bargain because of a previous contract with Screen Playwrights, whose pact has been terminated. The report covered 1935 to 1939. Equity Moves to Get Higher Salaries A raise in minimum rates for legitimate theatre actors was demanded by resolution last Friday at the year's first quarterly meeting of Actors Equity, in New York. The raise would be to $50 weekly from $40. At the same meeting, the approximately 500 members attending also asked, by resolution, for a central casting office, for actors earning between $40 and $100 weekly ; a national, subsidized theatre ; and less delay by the Equity Council's committee on unemployment and an experimental theatre. Bert Lytell, president, announced last Thursday that he would accept renomination. The decision will eliminate any contest for the presidency, in elections scheduled for late Mayor early June. He was renominated the following day. Ticket Agencies Ask Theatres about Code The Associated Theatre Ticket Agencies, through Attorney Gustave A. Gerber, was expected this week to ask the League of New York Theatres whether it would sustain the Code Enforcement Authority penalties against three of the Agencies' brokers who have been charged with violating the code's anti-speculation section. It was said by Mr. Gerber that there was no evidence justifying the suspension of the three brokers' franchises. Move to Dissolve Actors' Fund Frank E. Lynch, one of the four trustees of the death benefit fund of the American Federation of Actors, applied last Friday, in New York supreme court, for dissolution of the fund. The request was made by Mr. Lynch for himself and Ralph Whitehead, executive secretary of the AFA, which was expelled from the Associated Actors and Artistes of America last summer. The move was protested, by affidavit, byAlan Corelli, executive secretary, of the Theatre Authority. Inc. There will be another hearing on April 30th. Philadelphia Locals Call Off Strike Threat; Musicians Announce Indefinite Postponement after Talk with Weber A strike, which would have tied up all of the Warner Theatres' Philadelphia houses and showed possibilities of becoming nationwide (with musicians, members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and other union workers in Warner studios dropping their jobs) was averted 48 hours before its scheduled beginning, on Monday, when the Philadelphia IATSE locals called off the movement. In sympathy with the four month old strike of musicians against Warner theatres in that city, and under the mutual assistance pact with the national American Federation of Musicians, George E. Browne, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, had issued a "road-call" for a strike against Warners' Philadelphia theatres, by Monday, unless the circuit capitulated to the musicians. However, last Saturday, A. Rex Ricciardi, secretary of the Philadelphia unit of the AFM, Local 77, announced an indefinite postponement of the sympathy strike. The postponement followed a telephone call from Joseph Weber, president of the AFM, who has been in Hollywood. It was expected that the musicians would continue to try negotiations with the circuit, and that picket lines would be maintained. The dispute arose from the musicians' insistence that Warners employ their members in every house with a stage show. The circuit dropped stage shows, and musicians, in that city. The IATSE, immediately upon its announcement two weeks ago, of a sympathystrike, was warned by Warner attorneys that contracts with the circuit precluded any such moves, despite the assistance pact with the AFM. Meanwhile, the Local 77 last \veek inaugurated a "music appreciation campaign" in Philadelphia, with free orchestras for groups, speakers, bell-ringing and general canvassing, to explain the union's stand. And it hired a press agent. The Warner theatres in Philadelphia last week signed a contract with the Steam and Operating Engineers Union, Local 835, providing wage increases. The contract extends to Aug. 31, 1943. Managers' Union Calls Strike Against Circuit The managers and assistant managers of the Five-Boro Theatre Circuit of New York having repudiated it several weeks ago, in a signed letter, the motion picture division of the Theatrical Managers, Agents, and Treasurers Union, called a strike against 11 of the circuit's houses last Thursday. The union claimed it had a closed shop contract, and asked the management to dismiss the recalcitrant managers and their assistants.