In 1998, in order to qualify for the union, I had to work for 90 days. At the end of my 90 days, I paid a $1800 “initiation fee” and was given a “seniority date”.   As time passed, I posted for several classifications that interested me and without being interviewed, I was turned down.  I wasn’t turned down for any reason other than; someone with more seniority than me had also posted for the job.  Even if they made errors, had poor attendance, or weren’t as

productive as me, they got the job.  During my 6 years at the lab, I worked almost all of it on night shift, 7:30pm to 4am, because seniority also applied to shifts.  No matter how well I performed, or how many classifications I earned, the union had me pegged as a date and dues check.  The date served to protect a pecking order dictated only by years of service, and where performance and diligence are not factored into any advancement. 

During my time at the lab I made many friends, and worked next to some of the best film technicians in the industry.  Most of them were proud, hard-working and diligent, but not all of them.  Even those that made repeated mistakes or delivered less product were earning the same exact pay as those that performed flawlessly.  Further still, most of those hard-working men and women I started out with are still on undesired shifts because of their seniority date.  Unfortunately, they have spent years honing a skill-set that may one day be antiquated and unnecessary.  Instead of preparing the union members for the ever-changing dynamic of our industry, they enforce strict “job classifications”.  The ultimate effect being that a person that wants to grow and change with the industry simply cannot.  Those that want to stay working by broadening their knowledge base are restricted.   After struggling with basic union tenets of seniority and job classifications, I ultimately realized that I could not advance any faster than the union would allow me.  I realized that the basic union principle of, “I was here first”, was so pervasive, that I had no chance of making my own way.  I would not be able to “do my time” on night shift, and then land a  schedule where I could spend time with my kids. 

After six years, I decided that I wanted to make my own way, I wanted to progress on my own accord.   Even though I had to make sacrifices, I cancelled my union membership and started with a new division.

- Bastien Minniti -