Variety (November 1957)

Wednesday, November 6, 1957 P^nTEfr WE CANNOT PERMIT THIS ISSUE TO 8E DETERMINED BY SABOTAGE AND OBSTRUCTION.. IN THE UNITED STATES, NO ISSUE SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY THESE MEANS... WE do not mean to wave the American flag ... or to wrap ourselves in it. BUT, to- those who are in* dignant, disgusted or merely curious about last week¬ end’s foul-up of various NBC television programs, we submit these sobering facts for consideration: -!■ The collective labor agreement between NBC and the Radio and Television Directors Guild, AFL- €10/expressly permits the director to talk directly to cameramen and other members of the technical crew during pre-dress rehearsals and on the broadcasts of unrehearsed programs. In all other circumstances, the director’s instructions must be relayed via the head -of the technical crew. 2a The direct-communication clause was obtained in hard-fought bargaining. It is important to the director, who bears full responsibility for the artistic quality of the program in a highly competitive indus¬ try. The clause, if enforced* would bring NBC’s operation into conformity with working procedures in effect at CBS and ABC since.'the infancy of television. 3a The agreement between NBC and National As¬ sociation of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) -fully recognizes the director’s right of direct communication in the instances noted above. The two collective agreements are m full accord; there is no discrepancy or inconsistency 0 between them. THERE IS NO “JURISDICTIONAL DIS¬ PUTE” OF ANY KIND. 4. Nevertheless, when NBC and the Guild put the .contract provision into effect on .November X, 1957, the network’s programs/were sabotaged. Cameras panned at the ceiling or meditatively contemplated the floor. K Mike” booms became immobile. Superbly trained technicians, masters of their intricate crafts, became amateurs sporting with deadly toys. Pro- _ grams which represented many thousands of dollars struggled through rehearsals and came before the pub¬ lic as travesties of the television art. Recognizing their inability legally to oppose the contracts, technicians instead resorted to the destruction of NBC’s product. 5a Throughout this dreadful performance, while NBC’s broadcasts and rehearsals were being system¬ atically reduced to a state of chaos, the members of this Guild—directors, associate directors and stage- managers—exerted every possible effort to put on the air programs of acceptable professional standards. Our members struggled against sabotage of the net¬ work’s product with every means and skill at their command. The management of NBC, apparently transfixed by fear of the damage NABET could do, gave the directors little or no support. Yet in a num¬ ber of instances the unremitting efforts of our mem¬ bers put good programs on the air despite the crippling opposition encountered. 6m We refuse to recognize that deliberate sabotage and destruction of the product is a permissible tactic in the pattern of American labor relations. An unre¬ solved grievance on the assembly line cannot lead to putting the left front wheel on loosely. What man¬ ner of men can lose all pride in their craft and delib¬ erately “blow the show”? And what' type of union leadership can cause or permit them to do so, enforcing their non-cooperation by threats of fines or other dis¬ cipline? 7m Whatever one’s views about union tactics may be, one thing is clear to the members of this Guild: SABOTAGE AND OBSTRUCTION CANNOT BE PERMITTED TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. 6m At 5 :10 P.M. on Nov. 2,1957, the Guild agreed with NBC to postpone to Nov. 8,1’957, the working procedures permitted by the collective agreements. This was neither a surrender nor a retreat. NBC re¬ quested further time in which to negotiate with NABET. On the chance thafi NBC may be able to persuade the leadership of that organization to act iike trade unionists, and not like the leaders of a gang of saboteurs, the Guild agreed to a postponement so that the many thousands of dollars tied up in NBC’s week¬ end programs might not be irretrievably lost. 9a • At 12:01 A.M. on Nov. 8, 1957, the directors will again implement the working rules which are rec¬ ognized in both agreements. If NBC’s programs are again sabotaged, those responsible should answer in jthe court of public opinion as well as elsewhere. Our directors will exert every effort to put NBC’s programs on the air in such form as to vindicate their pride in their jobs and their faith in their fellow employees. If we do not succeed because of sabotage ... PLEASE ,.. PUT THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS! . RADIO AND TELEVISION DIRECTORS GUILD, AFL-CIO 114 East 52nd Street, New York 22, N Y.