NABET, Local 15 received its first organizing charter in 1965 and a reissued charter in 1968. NABET, Local 15 had its origins in the 1940s when the Association of Documentary Film Cameramen organized an independent union. In the late-1940s, the National Association of Broadcast Engineers, a CIO member union, approached the ADFC and gave them a charter. At that time the name was changed to the Association of Documentary and Television Film Craftsmen (ADTFC) to accommodate the expanding craft categories to be covered by the NABE union umbrella. The ADTFC organized film crews working on low-budget and television films, areas not organized by IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Operators, affiliated with the AFL. In 1954, most of the 700 members of ADFTC joined the various locals of IATSE. Those who remained with the ADFTC formed a new union affiliated with the CIO, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians. When the AFL and CIO merged in 1955, IATSE and NABET remained separate entities. With the increased number of television commercials, series and feature productions in the early 1960s, workers previously unorganized by IATSE now organized NABET, Local 15, also known as the Association of Film Craftsmen. By the early 1970s, Local 15 expanded as its members increasingly worked on more feature films. Regional offices opened thoughout the country, from Boston to Miami to San Francisco. In the late 1980s, NABET set up a meeting between officials of IATSE and Local 15 to discuss a possible merger. Soon after, NABET International accused Local 15 of trying to secede. The International brought charges against Local 15, which subsequently went to court in an attempt to retain its member status as a NABET local. It lost the case, and the International revoked its charter in 1990. Local 15's membership voted to join IATSE, and was admitted to various IATSE locals in October 1990.
From the description of Records, 1953-1990. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 477249555
