ACFC Statement on BLM Clothing Incident
Friday, February 26, 2021
ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor
RE: Employer Directing Technician to Refrain From Wearing Apparel with Black Lives Matter on it.
On Wednesday February 24th ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor became aware of a very concerning situation. A crew member on one of our signatory productions was informed that a Black Lives Matter shirt worn earlier in the week violated company policy regarding garments at work with political slogans on them. The crew member was asked not to wear it or any other political garments again.
Such an act by an employer is highly concerning to our Union. We immediately opened dialogue with the production’s managing producer and those at the executive level in the company. In a short amount of time, the executive communicated that it believed the request was made in error, and the company was working to rectify the situation, apologize to the affected crew member, and review company
policy.
We will continue to monitor this issue and expect the employer to ensure such behavior is not repeated. It is clear that many of us in the film and television industry need to raise our collective consciousness so that these types of events are not merely objected to in the moment, but rather so that they cease to occur at all. That is the paradigm shift we truly need.
ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor supports the Black Lives Matter movement and will continue to work on behalf of all BIPOC crew for a safer and more inclusive workplace for all. Unifor National President, Jerry Dias has stated “We see this as our everyday commitment to be anti-racist. Racial justice is a priority at the bargaining tables, in all policy making and included in all our demands made to government across the country. We are working hard to foster equity, inclusion, and diversity both inside and outside of our organization.”
In Solidarity:
Prem Marimuthu – President, ACFC West. Local 2020 Unifor
Daryl Litke – Business Manager, ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor
ACFC WEST – THE ASSOCIATION OF CANADIAN FILM CRAFTSPEOPLE, LOCAL 2020
#108 – 3993 HENNING DRIVE, BURNABY, BC V5C 6P7 CANADA
PHONE: (604) 299-ACFC (2232) FAX: (604) 299-2243
www.acfcwest.com
ACFC Statement on BLM Clothing Incident