Hollywood union chief likely to quit

Thomas C. Short, the controversial head of the union representing Hollywood’s film and TV crews who unified the industry’s blue-collar workforce but was sharply criticized by some for being too friendly with the studios, is expected to resign as early as today.

The son of a Cleveland union leader, Short has served as president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees since 1994, heading a union that represents about 110,000 “below the line” crew members who work behind the scenes.

Short is expected to announce his plans to step down today at a meeting of the IATSE’s executive board in San Diego.

The panel is likely to tap Matt Loeb, one of the union’s international vice presidents, as Short’s successor, said people close to the IATSE who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly. He currently heads the union’s film and TV production division.

Short would be stepping down a year before his four-year term expires. Delegates will formally elect a new president at the union’s convention next summer.

Most observers expect Loeb to get the nod.

The vice president “has big shoes to fill, but he’s a smart guy who understands the business,” said entertainment industry labor lawyer Howard Fabrick.

Short’s plan to retire early has been an open secret in Hollywood.

Many rank-and-file members credit the former Cleveland stagehand with strengthening a splintered union by, among other things, rapidly expanding its membership through aggressive organizing and protecting benefits.

Some members, however, have said Short browbeat dissidents and was too cozy with management. Short advocated early negotiations with the studios, arguing that doing so would win a better contract for members because management would want to avoid the uncertainty of last-minute bargaining.

Short’s outspokenness often put him at odds with leaders of the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, West.

The IATSE has had jurisdictional fights with the writers over the representation of workers in the reality and animation genres.

Last year, during the height of the writers strike, Short criticized guild leaders, saying their actions threw thousands of his members out of work.

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richard.verrier@latimes.com