TORONTO, ON. Jan. 11 — With the assistance of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, IATSE Local 173 has successfully certified The Toronto International Film Festival Group and The Toronto International Film Festival Inc. (TIFF).
On September 10, 2005, IATSE Local 173 filed an application for certification with the Ontario Labour Relations Board. A representation vote was conducted on September 17, 2005. TIFF raised a number of legal challenges, which resulted in the ballot box being sealed. A final mediation meeting between the parties took place on January 3, 2006, at which time all outstanding legal issues were resolved.
This resolution allowed for the unsealing of the ballot box and the counting of the ballots. Local 173 won the representation vote by a margin of 22 to 6. The local is now certified as the bargaining agent for all projectionists for TIFF in the City of Toronto.
TIFF began in 1976 with the inception of the Toronto International Film Festival, now considered second in importance only to the Cannes Film Festival. TIFF also operates Film Circuit, which provides Canadian and International films to formerly under-serviced areas, and Sprockets, the TIFF children’s film festival. In its first year, TIFF was operating on a $221,000 budget and currently operates with a $12 million budget, 70 full-time staff, 500 part-time and seasonal staff, and 1,700 volunteers. In addition, TIFF is scheduled to open its own building in the heart of Toronto’s theatre district, in 2008.
