There's lots of talk about unions in Costa Mesa lately.
Here's some more.
But, before I get to the main part of this opus, I want to thank my union for the residual check I just received. Without the union, I wouldn't have received it.
Yup. I'm a card carrying union member and have been for many years. So, let me bend your ear about my experience with unions.
Before coming to California to be a starving actor here, I was a starving actor in New York City and that's where I got my first taste of unions.
As was the case with most actors in New York, my acting jobs didn't pay the rent, and I needed a day job.
Although it's the actor's standby, I wasn't a very good waiter (the job requires a well developed Zygomaticus major), so I looked for day work in an office.
Then, just as I was considering becoming a Freegan (that's a Dumpsty Diver to most people), the New York Times offered me, and I accepted, a job at their HQ just off Times Square.
During the final steps of signing on with the Times, I was handed a bunch of the usual employee papers to sign. No problem. I quickly signed them. I liked being able to eat.
Then, I was handed some papers to sign to join a union. I said I didn't want to join the union. The Gray Lady smacked me around a little and told me that if I wanted the gig at the Times I had to join the union. I joined.
Life went on. I worked days and studied with Stella Adler at night and also did plays at night incuding one with Robert DeNiro, before he became ROBERT DENIRO. Today's his birthday, by the way. And, I still haven't gotten my clock back.
In time, the subject of union membership came up again. But, in a different way from my experience at the Times. You see, as an actor, I wanted to join the Screen Actors Guild.
But, when I asked SAG for the papers to sign to join, I was quickly shown the door after being told that I couldn't join SAG because I had just been doing stage plays and hadn't at that time appeared in a movie.
"Oh, okay, I get it," says I (being something of a quick study as we say in the biz). "If I just go do a movie, you guys at SAG will let me in your union. Great. I'll get right on it."
So, at the first opportunity, I went on a movie audition. Well, sort of. Actually, I couldn't even get past the front desk. "Can I see your SAG card, please," said the bored secretary with the Brooklyn accent. "Ah, no, I'm not in SAG yet. You see, once you people put me in your movie I can get it." "Sorry, you can't be in this movie unless you're a member of SAG. Next." I was quickly shown the door again.
You see the Catch 22 problem. You can't be in SAG unless you're in a movie and you can't be in a movie unless you're in SAG.
Finally, I learned about an open cattle call for another film that was about to shoot. The deal with open calls (cattle and otherwise) is that non-SAG actors can auditon. However, the director has to interview all the SAG actors who are right for the part before he can even look at non-SAG actors. If he doesn't like any of the SAG actors, he can then pick a non-SAG actor.
As it turns out, the director wanted me for the part. That's how I joined SAG.
So, if you ask me, I'll tell you that unions can be funny things. Sometimes when you don't want to join, you have to. Then, sometimes when you do want to join they won't let you.
But, my union experience story doesn't end just yet. There is a short Act III if you're still awake.
One day I saw in one of the Trades that a new union was forming for people who work in the biz. I went to their first meeting. The guy in charge wanted to know if anyone wanted to run for election for any of the offices that had to be filled. I checked off Secretary/Treasurer. I then forgot about it.
The election was held, and to my horror I was elected. I quickly sent in my resignation letter. I figured that any group of people who would elect unknown me as their Secretary/Treasurer must be crazy; or actors. But, I repeat myself (sorry Mr. Twain, but it is a good line).
Anyway, as I said before, unions can be funny things some times.
Oh, don't go yet. There's more. I told you at the top that this was an opus. You see, I wasn't a reporter at the Times, but I did later play one in a movie, so you know when you read the CM PRESS you're getting method reporting as taught by Stella Adler.
Say, did I mention that my first role as a reporter was when I played a radio reporter in a play in second grade in Boston? Well, let me tell you about that... "Hey, come back, where are you going? I haven't finished yet. What's that you say? I'm chewing up the scenery? Don't call you, you'll call me?"
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OHIO BUSINESS OWNER TERRORIZED AND SHOT FOR BEING NON-UNION
News article from The Blaze
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HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY DIFFERENCE?
About three years ago, Costa Mesa's municipal government employed 611 people.
Today, that number is below 472 and it's still going down. Have you really, honestly, noticed any difference?
If you're like most responsible and productive Costa Mesans, you'll say that you don't notice any difference at all. Your life hasn't been affected one bit. You get up in the morning and you go to work. Your kids go to school. You mow your lawn. You go to the store. You live your life as the self-reliant and responsible person you've always been.
So, why was Costa Mesa's government so large?
Our City government (like most governments) has a lot of redundancy and a lot of empire building.
Over the years as money flowed into the government coffers, staff and their human rubber stamps on prior City Councils worked hard to build their empires by finding more "necessary" services to provide, not only to residents and citizens, but to non-residents, illegal aliens and people in other cities.
This built a lot of expensive fat into the system.
Now that Costa Mesa is on a diet and some of the empires are being cut back, those few who benefited from the phony necessary services are whining.
They want you to keep paying for "community gardens" used by a handful of people. They want you to pay for day care even if you don't have kids. They want you to pay for this and that and the other.
They want government to do just about everything for them.
Fortunately, we now have a responsible new City Council that does have this city on a diet.
And, this new City Council also seems to be getting its priorities straightened out so that the money that is spent falls more in the category of a fish hook that will let people feed themselves forever, rather than giving them a free fish that will feed them only for one day and cause them to come back the next day for another free fish.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
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