Olympia Film Society Projectionist and Volunteer Walkout: Out of Focus: Workers Disagree with Board Decision

topic : Olympia Film Society

The following was written and signed by over 20 projectionists and other OFS volunteers.

The OFS Board of Directors fired operations manager Jeffrey Bartone on August 21, 2007 after 21 years of service to the organization. His termination was based on complaints of “rude, abrasive, and uncooperative behavior.”

It is our opinion that the recent decision was not a true representation of the OFS community’s wishes, due to an inadequate number of participating board members. We further feel that Jeffrey’s termination was the result of the personal agendas of a few board and staff members through a calculated and opportunistic effort. Furthermore, the move included no contingency for filling the extensive job requirements of technical director, further highlighting a lack of responsibility on the part of the Board.

“To maintain high standards of participatory decision making...”—OFS Goals

Section I, Article IV of the OFS bylaws states that the Board must include a minimum of eight members. Though violation of this bylaw carries no explicit repercussions, we believe its intent was clearly ignored when the Board voted on Jeffrey’s dismissal with only five members taking part. Present at the vote were three prospective members poised to become voting parties. Their confirmation to the Board was made conditional, requiring them to stand aside on this issue. In a consensus system, any individual member can block a vote from being approved. We only assume that the reason for this unethical action was based on the fears that one or more of the new members would have blocked the vote. We call for a re-vote on Jeffrey Bartone’s termination with at least the minimum number of required Board members as required by Washington State Law. We demand that all board members are allowed to vote free of any conditions to their participation.

The position of Operations Manager at OFS is an extremely challenging job. Jeffrey Bartone, in his 21 year history in the Capitol Theater, has accrued an intimate knowledge of the facility. Out of friendship with Jeffrey, local electricians, plumbers, and other professional tradespeople work after hours and free of charge. It is Jeffrey’s unique style that has such an irreplaceable impact in making the Capitol Theater available to us all.

We feel that the Board acted rashly in firing Jeffrey without securing an interim Operations Manager. We believe this reveals irresponsibility on the part of the Board, and ignorance of the very nuts and bolts that hold the Capitol Theater together.

We the projectionists, along with many other volunteers, view Jeffrey as the human face to OFS. He has personally welcomed us into the organization, appraised our interests and skills, and found us our place here.

In firing Jeffrey, the Board cited a number of complaints about his behavior. Many of us would not be part of OFS today had it not been for Jeffrey. We are now willing to walk out on our volunteer shifts and to possibly end our involvement with OFS. We propose this gesture in contrast to any complaints he may have received.

“To promote the spirit of an active volunteer society among the membership.”—OFS goals

Jeffrey’s termination only serves to highlight larger problems within OFS – the Board is out of touch with what many of the organization’s most passionate volunteers want OFS to be. As trust in volunteers dwindles, and intent on profitability increases, volunteering at the Society becomes more like a daily grind. We seek to remind the Board that they are responsible to us, the volunteers, and demand accountability.

This singular and extraordinary social organization has been an invaluable contribution to the Olympia community. Firing Jeffrey isn’t the first step we’ve disagreed with, but it is a drastic, irreconcilable misuse of power. We are not interested in making OFS more economically viable at the expense of our core reason for being here – fun. Those who view OFS only as a business are mistaken when they expect us merely to be obedient sources of free labor.

To express support for the projectionist/volunteer walkout and demand accountability from the OFS Board, community members can call OFS at 360-754-3635 or send an email to capitoltheater@yahoo.com. For more info on the walkout, check out http://www.ofsvolunteers.com or Local News on Craigslist Olympia