Starting a Job
When you arrive for work on a new production, you must complete a start-up package. Complete it promptly and submit a time-sheet to your head of department at the end of each week.
If you do not receive your cheque within a week after pay day, call the production company. If this does not work, please contact us.
You will be asked to provide residency documentation so that the production company receives federal and provincial incentives. See the residency paperwork section for more information and an example.
Make sure that you carry valid trade certificates/licenses with you when you report to work. If you are required to have licenses or certificates to perform your duties, you must be able to provide proof when requested. Please ensure that you have any trade certificates and/or licenses on file at the IATSE Local 891 office as well, as they may be required in order to dispatch you for work.
When required, all employees are responsible for providing their own general purpose work gloves, hardhat, and safety footwear.
Please make sure to bring your tools with you when you go to work.
If you become injured on the job it is imperative that you report the incident to First Aid immediately. Without proper documentation at the time of the injury, any claim to WorkSafeBC (WCB) may become problematic.
You can learn more about what to do if you're injured at work here.
Deal Memos
Deal memos are important documents. Please read the following information.
Studios, companies, and employers all have their own sets of policies and procedures. As long as these policies and procedures don't conflict with our Master Agreement, human rights legislation, WCB regulations, or any other provincial, federal or territorial law, they are entitled to have them.
Our position is that we are your exclusive bargaining agent. When you sign your deal memo, you are simply acknowledging receipt of information about those rules and policies. It is only IATSE Local 891 and/or the British Columbia Council of Film Unions (BCCFU) that can agree to them. Therefore, if you encounter something new or, in your view, unusual in a deal memo, contact us and we will endeavor to address your concerns.
No Standard Deal Memo
Carefully read each deal memo. They can vary significantly from production to production.
Take the Time
Employers know that it could take up to 45 minutes to read and sign a deal memo and they expect you to do that. We expect that you are doing it on company time and that you are being paid to fulfill that obligation.
Don't assume that every season of a series has the same rules. Having said that, related productions under the same company banner should have the same rules -- we keep a watchful eye on that.
Take Deal Memos Seriously
If you find yourself facing disciplinary action for breaking company policy, claiming ignorance because you have not read the deal memo is not an acceptable excuse. Nor is it acceptable to believe a rule does not apply to you because you think it is unreasonable, or you think IATSE Local 891 believes it to be unreasonable. Even if we are successful in overturning any disciplinary action, it may take six months to several years to go through the process, which could have a huge impact on your career and limit your entitlement to work for certain employers during the process.
You Sign Up for Safety
As a member of IATSE Local 891, as an employee, and as a worker in British Columbia, you have a responsibility to comply with Article 12 of the Master Collective Agreement and any other applicable safety rules, laws and regulations. If you fail to do so, you may be disciplined for non-compliance by an employer or employer designate. Please visit our safety area for more information.
