LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT (LBA)

Under the unionized labour format, the LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT is responsible for supplying the production with technical crew. They do this by liaising daily with the HOUSE HEADS, PRODUCTION MANAGER, and TECHNICAL DIRECTOR to determine staffing needs. On unionized productions, technical departments rarely have CREW MEMBERS or PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS assigned to them in advance: they are assigned as needed and called by the LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT.

This position also tracks and accounts for all 1st Year Production Assistant hours for the whole term and works closely with each Production Manager to ensure sufficient numbers of PA’s for each call. They also deal with the staff ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR to organize the USHER schedule

PRE-PRODUCTION PERIOD

• Attends Terms of Work negotiation meeting, and acts as the chief negotiator for the labour team
• Writes and posts/distributes the negotiated Terms of Work agreement
• Works closely with the HOUSE HEADS, PRODUCTION MANAGER and TECHNICAL DIRECTOR to determine the preliminary labour needs of the production
• Calls and chairs a meeting of all CREW MEMBERS and PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS assigned to the show; outlines the terms of work negotiated for the company and discusses the methods to be used in creating and posting crew calls
• Becomes familiar with all academic schedules, specific student schedules, the Master Production Schedule, and the Staff Supervision schedule; uses this information as a basis for calls
• Creates a formalized timesheet, to be used for the production

PRODUCTION PERIOD

• Meets daily with the HOUSE HEADS, PRODUCTION MANAGER, and TECHNICAL DIRECTOR to ensure adequate staffing levels are supplied to the production
• Posts notices and/or personally contacts all crew to inform them about call times and locations
• Establishes and maintains a communication system that keeps all production personnel informed with regard to unionized staffing issues
• Ensures PERMISSION TO BE ABSENT policies are adhered to; signs forms as a supervisor
• Maintains a system of Progressive Discipline as outlined in the Collective Agreement; gives VERBAL WARNINGS and writes FORMAL LETTERS, when necessary, to unionized members of the production, after decisions made by the Discipline Tribunal indicate action
• Monitors personnel performance and motivates when necessary
• Negotiate Negotiates with the PM, TD, HOUSE HEADS, and Resident Staff, changes to schedules and Terms of Work
• Acts as a mediator to resolve conflicts
• Collects from the HOUSE HEADS all hours of work performed by individual CREW MEMBERS and PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS; shares this information with the PM, TD, and Resident Staff
• Issues paycheques to unionized crew members
• Participates in the strike as a general crew member
• Submits to the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR any documentation deemed necessary to the TECHNICAL BOOK (the technical archive of the production)
• Attends and participates in the Post Mortem
• Submits written evaluations of all crew members within the department, and any other production personnel with whom they had regular contact, no later than the start of the Post Mortem

This information is intended as a guideline only. It is not intended to replace the required reading or research in your area, or information gained in the classroom.

To be used in conjunction with specific department job descriptions.

The demands of this position, and the hours worked, will vary with each production

THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS POSITION MAY BE ALTERED WITHOUT NOTICE BY THE RESIDENT STAFF AND FACULTY