Outfest Board Of Directors To Recognize Queer Filmworkers United; Union Waiting On Signed Documentation

Matt Grobar and Anthony D'Alessandro
·3 min read

UPDATED with QFU statement: Outfest’s Board of Directors has decided to recognize the 12-member Queer Filmworkers United as a union, according to Outfest acting executive director Zackery Alexander Stephens, who as we told you Thursday was promoted amid a 45-day leave of absence by the organization’s executive director Damien S. Navarro.

“I am proud to report that Outfest’s Board of Directors has enthusiastically voted today to recognize Queer Filmworkers United as a union representing our staff. Several Board members and I are proud union members,” said Stephens in a statement obtained by Deadline. “This organization would not be possible without the support of labor unions. This recognition is a powerful promise to continue to support and uplift Outfest staff members and those who will join the organization well into the future.”

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Outfest board co-president Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey shared that the decision came down during a recent special session of the board.

“We appreciate the staff’s patience in providing us the time needed to schedule a vote with quorum,” he said. “Our board and our organization are pro-union and we are excited to be supporting our staff’s right to unionize. We look forward to welcoming them to the bargaining table so we can continue to advance Outfest’s mission to amplify LGBTQIA+ storytellers.”

Staffers were told earlier this year that Navarro would be leaving Outfest at an undisclosed date, but the unionization push seems to have hastened his departure. (Outfest maintains that he will return, though insiders claim his departure is permanent.) In addition to his supposedly temporary exit, there have been layoffs in a time of turmoil for the organization, including Director of Artist Development Martine McDonald and Senior Programming Coordinator Gabi Grossman, as well as union members including Development Coordinator Alex Gootter, Marketing Manager Hansen Bursic and Senior Programmer Daniel Crooke.

Outfest has maintained that union activity and the layoffs are unrelated, saying that the pink slips resulted from financial constraints the longest-running fest in L.A. has weathered in a year of double strikes, which has left them “severely impacted.” Deadline has confirmed, however, that staffers we’ve reported on unfortunately remain pink-slipped. That includes those who were pushing to be unionized.

A rep for the Queer Filmmakers United submitted an official statement following a conversation with Deadline and this story:

“We have received word that the Outfest Board of Directors has decided to voluntarily recognize Queer Filmworkers United. While this is welcomed news, QFU has not received a signature from Board representation on our Mission Statement. Until that moment, we have not been formally voluntarily recognized. Four QFU colleagues, a majority of the QFU Organizing Committee, remain laid-off on the heels of our decision to unionize,” reads the statement.

“If Outfest is committed to voluntarily recognizing the Union, we hope that they will sign the Mission Statement that includes our entire bargaining unit, including the four QFU members who were laid-off yesterday. To protect the rights of the four laid-off QFU members, CWA has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Outfest with the National Labor Relations Board. We remain open to working with Outfest to reinstate the workers whose jobs have been eliminated.”

Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is one of the leading organizations working to promote equality by creating, sharing and protecting queer and trans stories on the screen.

The organization’s largest fundraiser, the Legacy Awards, will take place as planned October 22, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday, with Shirley MacLaine and Trace Lysette to be feted at NeueHouse in Hollywood.

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