I have been an IATSE Union member for 10 years - two with Local 491 in North Carolina and eight in Local 491 here in Georgia. I work in the Set Decoration department and have for the bulk of my career. I primarily work as an On Set Dresser, and also as a Set Dresser & Property Assistant. While my career has largely been in Features, I have worked in episodic Television as well. Because of this I a
m familiar with the struggles of both the off production and on set crew. I returned to my home state of North Carolina in 2012 when I had the opportunity to work on Iron Man 3 as the Set Decoration PA. Eric West (our Warehouse Manger and an amazing human!) sponsored me into Local 491 during that production. I now had an IA Card! In early 2013 NC began discussing cutting their film incentive program and immediately 85% of the work went away. Because of this experience I know the value of state tax incentives and have fought to keep them here in GA and in NC. My Husband, Rob - a Gangboss in Set Dec and I moved to Atlanta in 2014 and transferred our cards to Local 479. I have been an active member of the Local since moving to Georgia. I served as a Delegate to the District 7 Convention (2019, 2022), am currently Chair of the Constitution Committee and Set Decoration Craft Chair for the Negotiations Committee. I am also member of both the Pride, and Women’s Committees. I have studied in order to learn all I can about how to better engage the Membership, the ins and outs of our Contracts, and building relationships with other IA Locals so that I can fight for better conditions. To further this goal, I took courses including:
Turning the Tables Study Group: presented by UC Berkeley Labor Center and Jane McAlevey
Cornell’s Industrial & Labor Relations Strategic Corporate Research Summer School
Labor Notes Steward Trainings
This summer I attended the Southern School for Women Workers at the Historic Highlander Center in Tennessee hosted by the Labor Heritage Foundation and AFSME, with Megan Kier. I co-host an Inter-Local Book Club with other IA Locals in which we discuss books pertaining to Union history and governance. I have served as a Steward since 2019 and witnessed over and over again as Productions have pushed the boundaries of our contracts or outright lied to crew. I have seen the erosion of our Unionism in favor of individual gain which strips us of our collective power. I want to step into a greater leadership role at our Local, to protect our Members and fight for the betterment of us all.
