FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2010
LOS ANGELES (April 29, 2010) – The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA, AFL-CIO), a national union of more than 70,000 performers, recording artists and broadcast journalists working in the entertainment and news media industries, today announced the hiring of Robert Masciola, Amy Masciola, Jennifer Peat and Steve Sidawi who will join the AFTRA staff in the National Organizing Department over the next three weeks. The four new staff positions are part of the organizing infrastructure enhancement approved by delegates to the AFTRA National Convention last summer in Chicago.
“AFTRA’s elected leadership understands the big picture: that for any kind of worker, whether technical, professional or artists in the media and entertainment industries, organizing is the key to bargaining strong contracts, and strong proactive bargaining makes it possible to organize,” said AFTRA National Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth.
Hedgpeth continued, “Last summer, delegates to the AFTRA National Convention elected by and from AFTRA’s membership endorsed that vision by voting to increase the AFTRA initiation fee in order to fund important additions to AFTRA’s organizing and research infrastructure. Today, I am pleased to announce that Robert, Amy, Steve and Jennifer will join the AFTRA staff and put their incredible range of skills and organizing experience in the service of AFTRA members’ long-term vision of building power on behalf of all performers, recording artists and broadcasters striving to forge careers in our rapidly changing industries.”
Robert Masciola has been named Assistant Director of Organizing. Mr. Masciola will be based in Washington, D.C., and will also work out of the AFTRA New York office as needed. He will focus on strategic research for upcoming negotiations including Exhibit A of the AFTRA Network Television Code and broadcast group owner negotiations, as well as staff training, particularly for those working on new media issues.
Since 2004, Mr. Masciola served as Deputy Director of the Center for Strategic Research of the AFL-CIO. He has worked with AFL-CIO affiliated unions to develop and implement industry-wide and company-specific organizing campaigns. He has led numerous organizing campaigns in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, and facilitated annual training programs for the AFL-CIO and AFL-CIO-affiliated staff researchers in addition to co-directing summer research programs at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Prior to his work with the AFL-CIO, Mr. Masciola served as a Senior Research Analyst at the Service Employee International Union (SEIU), and from 1991-1994, he served as Coordinator and Legislative Assistant at the National Institute for Citizen Education in the Law. Following his undergraduate work concentrating in Political Science at Old Dominion University, Mr. Masciola received his M.A. in Congressional Studies from Catholic University.
Amy Masciola is joining AFTRA as Strategic Campaign Coordinator in the National Organizing Department. Ms. Masciola will be based in Washington, D.C., and will also work out of the AFTRA New York office as needed. Her initial focus will include the upcoming network staff newspersons negotiations, as well as coordinating some of the national efforts for local freelance organizing committees.
Ms. Masciola joins AFTRA from the AFL-CIO’s Center for Strategic Research, where she held the position of International Campaigns Coordinator. Her experience includes developing and implementing strategic campaigns. She served as a Strategic Research Analyst for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and as a Research Analyst at the Graphic Communications International Union, where she coordinated global workers rights campaigns for workers in a major multinational corporation and conducted research and developed strategies for organizing and bargaining campaigns in various industries. Ms. Masciola received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. She also taught at the University of Maryland and served as an instructor at the Center for Strategic Research’s Campaign Fundamentals program at the National Labor College.
Steve Sidawi is joining AFTRA as National Representative/Organizer. He will be based in the AFTRA National office in Los Angeles and his focus will include freelance organizing. Mr. Sidawi has 13 years experience as an organizer, field representative and Lead Organizer for SEIU and Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE). His experience includes leading large organizing campaigns both in the private and public sectors, as well as conducting staff trainings, working with community leaders during campaigns and coordinating communications and legal strategies for various campaigns. Mr. Sidawi received his B.A. from UCLA and his M.A. from California State University-Fullerton, and he has served as a University Fellow at University of Southern California and an Instructor at CSU Fullerton and published numerous publications and technical reports.
Robert Masciola, Amy Masciola and Steve Sidawi will start their new positions at AFTRA on Friday, April 30.
Jennifer Peat will join the AFTRA staff on May 17 as National Representative/Organizer. She will be based in the AFTRA National office in New York, and her initial focus will include internal organizing in the broadcast area to support and move successful resolution of contract negotiations and contract campaigns as needed.
Ms. Peat comes to AFTRA after serving as lead organizer for the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), where she led an NLRB election for health care professionals at a Psychiatric Hospital and collaborated with the National Nurses Organizing Committee to run the Philadelphia portion of a national campaign against one of the largest hospital chains in the U.S. Prior to her work at PASNAP, she worked for seven years as an Organizer and Lead Organizer for the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees( UNITE, later UNITE HERE) in New York where her responsibilities included directing multiple organizing projects in different locations across the country, supervising up to eight staff consisting of staff and member organizers and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. While studying Communications at American University in D.C., Ms. Peat also worked as a public relations intern at EIN Communications.
In addition to Joe Barnes, who was hired in December, all four staff persons will report to Philip Denniston, AFTRA National Director of Organizing, who is based in the AFTRA National’s New York offices.
About AFTRA
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO, are the people who entertain and inform America. In 32 Locals across the country, AFTRA members work as actors, journalists, singers, dancers, announcers, hosts, comedians, disc jockeys, and other performers across the media industries including television, radio, cable, sound recordings, music videos, commercials, audio books, non-broadcast industrials, interactive games, the Internet and other digital media. The 70,000 professional performers, broadcasters, and recording artists of AFTRA are working together to protect and improve their jobs, lives, and communities in the 21st century. From new art forms to new technology, AFTRA members embrace change in their work and craft to enhance American culture and society. Visit AFTRA online at www.aftra.com.