Category Archives: Education Committee

Info from the Education Committee

Training Seminar Monday November 28th

Austin Stagehands,

Brother Paul Arebalo and Ian “Micky” McGuane will be presenting a pre-meeting seminar before the Local 205 regular membership meeting on November 28th.

The topic of the seminar is “Essential Knots” and it will feature hands-on practice and visual presentations.  This seminar is open to ALL Austin area stagehands and is free.

This is a “very” basic class.  If you have a moment of panic and uncertainty when asked to tie a bowline or a clove hitch, then this seminar is probably for you.

Knots Tying

The seminar will be held in the IBEW 3rd floor meeting room from 6:00 pm to 7:30pm.
Please RSVP using this form.

Since there was a huge turnout for the last seminar, I’m trying a different sign up process. To sign up, please fill out the form at: https://goo.gl/forms/Q2mxAslkmrWzstFG3. You should receive an immediate confirmation that your sign up request was recorded.

If you cannot make this seminar, there are plenty of online resources for self-learning, just ask another stagehand what knots you should know and consult Grog’s Animated Knots page (or smartphone app).

Training Seminar Monday Oct. 24th

IATSE Local 205 is starting an educational seminar program to help raise the skill levels for all workers in Austin. These are short seminars on basic crafts and skills, presented by IATSE Local 205 for any and all Austin stagehands.

The first educational seminar will be held on Monday, October 24th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the IBEW Building, 3rd Floor meeting room, 4818 E. Ben White Blvd, Austin TX 78741.

The topic of October’s seminar is basic audio- connectors, equipment, signal flow and gain structure.

audio-cables

There is no cost to attend the seminar, however you must RSVP to so that we can plan for how many people will attend.

Todd Drga
IATSE Local 205 Vice President

Lynda.com Subscriptions (New or Renewal)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

If you were signed up for a Lynda.com subscription that just ended on 8/31, you may renew your subscription for $25.  See this flyer for what the courses are like or browse all of them on lynda.com.

New subscriptions also cost $25. See the attached flyer for more information on Lynda.com and the online training that is offered.

All year 2 subscriptions will last until 8/31/2017.

You must be, and remain, in good standing with all financial obligations to Local 205 in order to sign up for Lynda.com.

To sign up or renew, please follow the following procedure. Please note that the IATSE office in NY wants to receive ONE check from Local 205 for all people who sign up, so we must follow these steps.

  • Email and let me know that you want to renew or sign up.
  • If you are signing up for the first time, please include your date of birth (required by Lynda.com) and the email address you would like to have associated with the Lynda.com account.
  • Renewing members will continue to use the email address that they signed up with last year.
  • Send a check for $25, payable to “IATSE Local 205” to Treasurer Kelso. Please put “Lynda.com” on the memo line so she knows what the check is for.
  • You may mail the check to PO Box 142, Austin TX 78767 or pay at the monthly meeting.
  • Your subscription will be activated when the IATSE office in NY receives and processes the subscription forms. Lynda.com will contact you directly to complete the sign in process at that time.

In solidarity,
Todd Drga
IATSE Local 205 Vice President

Stewarding II Training Oct 5th and 6th

Via Sam Chesney, Steward Committee Chair:

Brothers and Sisters,

Local 205 will be offering Steward 2 training and testing again in October. This course is open to all members who have completed previous Stewarding courses. There is no charge associated with this class.

Dates: October 5th and 6th from 9am to 5pm
Location: IBEW 3rd Floor Meeting Hall
Please RSVP to

The Steward 2 course is for members who have completed Steward 1 training and offers additional instruction in writing grievances, investigating complaints and incidents, dealing with management, CBA analysis, Call Steward, Hiring Hall paperwork, and a lot more. In addition, the second day, October 6th, we will be offering the Steward exam.

Note that the Business Agent is under standing orders from the membership to appoint and crew stewards who have passed this test and attended these classes above other considerations. Also note that in order to keep your qualified steward status you are required to re-certify bi-annually.

Sam Chesney
Chair, Steward’s Committee

IATSE Local 205

Education! Stewards’ Training Program Reboot

From the Education Committee via Vice President Drga:

Brothers and Sisters,

Local 205 will be presenting another round of Steward training classes. We have expanded the Steward training into three separate classes:

Steward Training I – open to all members and required for apprentices. The objective of this class is to introduce the Steward’s job and responsibilities, how workers relate to the Steward and Union, Unionism and Solidarity, reading and understanding a contract, and safety on the job.

Steward Training II – open to all members. This class will prepare members to act as Stewards on the job. Topics will include advanced contract interpretation, representation on the job, Investigation of incidents and complaints and proper completion of Steward paperwork. There will be a test at the end of this class and graduates that pass the test are eligible to become certified Stewards.  If you are already a certified Steward, then you must take this class and pass the test to re-certify.

Steward Training III – by invitation – This class will focus on advanced aspects of the grievance process, including filing, investigation, and taking grievances to arbitration. Graduates of this class will be involved in formation of a Local 205 Grievance Committee.

Note that each of these classes will be 2 days long and you must attend both days. The dates for the upcoming classes are:

Steward I :  Jan 12-13, 2016

Steward II : Feb 5-6, 2016

Steward II :  Sometime in May/June 2016

Steward III :  Sometime in May/June 2016

These classes are offered to Local 205 members at no cost. Please keep in mind that there is a significant cost in materials and time to present each class, so if you sign up for a class we expect you to attend.

To register, email the education address with your intent to attend.

Texas AFL-CIO

Education! AFL-CIO Organizing Classes

From the Organizing Committee via Vice President Drga:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Local 205 has made arrangements to present a two day Organizing Training class.
This class is taught by the AFL-CIO and it is open for all members to attend.

More details to follow but here is what you need to know now:

The class will be held at the IBEW building on August 25th and 26th. You must attend both days.

Class hours are 9am to 5pm with one hour for lunch

There is no cost to attend.

To register to attend send an email to the education committee.

Education! IATSE and Lynda.com

From the Education Committee via Vice President Drga:

Brothers and Sisters,

IATSE has contracted with Lynda.com to provide a significant discount for online training courses. The regular price for the Premium membership is $375 per year, but we will pay only $20. This discount is only available to IATSE members in good standing.

Please note that the deadline for enrollment through Local 205 is August 10th.

If you have any questions, please  contact me.

In Solidarity,  
Todd Drga
IATSE Local 205 Vice President

Further instructions and info sheets were provided via an announce email to the membership. View the International’s post about it too.

Build Craft, Leadership, and Business Skills in a Cost Effective and Flexible Learning Environment on lynda.com

What is lynda.com?

A leading on-line educator with an extensive library targeting the latest software, creative, and business skills via high-quality instructional videos taught by recognized experts and working professionals.

What do we get?

The IATSE has contracted for all interested IATSE members to have a “Premium” membership.

An Individual annual membership normally costs as much as $375 per year, but IATSE members and local leaders will be able to purchase individual premium annual memberships that will run from September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016, for only $20 each.

Unlimited access from any desktop or mobile device 24/7

Over 2,500 courses on a wide variety of technologies and disciplines, across all skill levels, with new courses added every week.

Up-to-date content

What type of courses are available?

There are thousands of courses in categories such as:

CRAFT

Audio and Music
CAD
Design
Photography
Video
3D and Animation

LEADERSHIP

Negotiation
Time Management
Conflict Resolution
Communication
Business Writing

SOFTWARE

Microsoft: Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Word
Google: Gmail, Calendar, Docs
Adobe: Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator

How do I sign up?

Enrollment is through Local 205. You need to do both of the following:

Email the education address to provide the email address you wish to use for your lynda.com registration and your date of birth. This information is required for registration.

Mail a check for $20 to Treasurer Kelso with “Lynda training” on the memo line. If you are not in good standing, you must pay all outstanding financial obligations (with a separate check) before you can enroll.

Mail your check(s) to Treasurer Kelso at:

PO Box 142
Austin TX 78767

The deadline for receiving your enrollment request is August 10th. This will allow the enrollments to be processed before the subscription begins on September 1st .

After August 10th, Local 205 will submit the enrollment information and payment to the International.

Once your information is processed by the International, you will be contacted via email directly by lynda.com to set up your account.

If you have any questions about this enrollment process, please email or call VP Drga at 512-589-8402.

The following documents were provided by Local 205 regarding info & sign up process.