IATSE Joins Hollywood Commission’s Workplace Misconduct Reporting Platform

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As a seasoned industry veteran who has seen my fair share of unsavory incidents behind the scenes, I am thrilled to hear about the expansion of MyConnext, the online platform designed to combat harassment, discrimination, and abuse in Hollywood. The fact that IATSE is offering this tool to over 85,000 members across television, film, and commercials is a significant step forward for creating safer work environments.

The Hollywood Commission-built online platform, designed for industry professionals to report incidences of harassment, discrimination, and abuse, is expanding.

Beginning Tuesday, the union IATSE will make available a tool called MyConnext to approximately 85,000 U.S. members who work in various sectors such as television, film, and commercials. Developed to address industry feedback seeking a way to document workplace misconduct, MyConnex allows users to log instances of such behavior along with a timestamp for personal records, which can be shared with employers and/or unions if desired. Employees can submit questions and reports anonymously and utilize a “hold for match” feature that sends a report only when another individual has reported the same person. This ensures that multiple reports are not sent unnecessarily.

Beyond its standard functions, this tool also offers “workplace advisors” to the users. These advisors are professionals who can privately consult with union members about their concerns, provide them with helpful resources, and suggest possible solutions or actions.

Malia Arrington, Hollywood Commission’s executive director, expresses her pleasure that the MyConnext tool, resources, and assistance via the Ombuds office are now accessible to IATSE members. This expansion effectively doubles the number of people we can help.

According to Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE’s assistant department director for motion picture and television production, “MyConnext embodies the essence of a union. It offers collective power, support, and necessary resources to ensure a secure working environment.

Back in May, a new platform was unveiled by the Hollywood Commission, led by Anita Hill, in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America. This platform already had the support of SAG-AFTRA, who made their “Safe Place” reporting system accessible on it. Notable employers like Netflix, Amazon Studios, and the Kennedy/Marshall Company were among the initial partners for this platform.

MyConnext, functioning independently from the Hollywood Commission, is headed by a management team comprising Andria Wilson Mirza, who serves as director at ReFrame, Dr. Louise Fitzgerald, a retired professor of psychology and gender and women’s studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Wokie Nwabueze, an expert in workplace culture strategy.

IATSE currently offers a safety app and a 24/7 hotline to members, but MyConnext offers harassment-focused reporting options with more flexibility than what is available through phone calls or the safety app. IATSE’s Holtgrewe hopes that individuals who were hesitant to use the previous methods will find these new tools helpful and beneficial.

Workers represented by the union can document previous suspected misdeeds on MyConnext, not just those happening now. If a specific company isn’t part of the platform, Holtgrewe explains, members can file complaints about any employer that has a collective bargaining agreement with the union directly to the union leadership for resolution.

According to Matthew Loeb, the international president of IATSE, this tool provides an additional secure method for members who are worried about their professional and personal well-being to document and report incidents of harassment or other types of workplace mistreatment without fear of reprisal.

IATSE members can now access MyConnext through their Local’s website.

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2024-12-03 23:26