[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 87 (Thursday, June 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1378-E1379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF J. NICHOLAS COUNTER III UPON HIS RETIREMENT AS PRESIDENT OF 
         THE ALLIANCE OF MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION PRODUCERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 11, 2009

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to share some observations about 
the historic career of J. Nicholas (``Nick'') Counter III upon his 
retirement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television 
Producers, ``AMPTP''. AMPTP is the multi-employer bargaining agent for 
more than 350 production companies in their collective bargaining 
negotiations with more than 20 labor organizations. The production 
companies include the major motion picture studios and independent 
production companies. The labor organizations with whom AMPTP engages 
in collective bargaining include the Directors Guild of America, the 
Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Radio and Television 
Artists, the Writers Guild of America, East and West, the International 
Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Brotherhood of Electrical 
Workers, the American Federation of Musicians, and the International 
Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which is the umbrella union for 
all unions which represent those workers behind the camera--from 
costumers and make-up artists to art directors and animators. AMPTP 
negotiates 80 industry-wide collective bargaining agreements, covering 
some 250,000 industry workers in the United States and Canada.
  Nick joined the AMPTP when it was established in 1982 as its first 
president and has served in that capacity for the past 27 years. During 
his tenure, he has successfully concluded 312 collective bargaining 
agreements with the major entertainment industry guilds and unions. 
Throughout the vast majority of Nick's tenure, the motion picture and 
television industry enjoyed unprecedented labor peace and stability. In 
addition, the industry has thrived with growth in employment and wages 
and consistently improved working conditions under Nick's leadership. 
He has presided over dramatic changes in the motion picture industry, 
from the growth of home entertainment to new media, and he has led 
producers at the bargaining table through these momentous 
transformations. Many in Hollywood say Nick has had the hardest job in 
Hollywood--to maintain unity among the producers and face off with some 
of the most professional and creative workers in any business.
  He has been well-suited to the job. He learned about labor relations 
up close while working summers at a Colorado steel mill where his 
father spent his career. An amateur boxer and high school star football 
player, he graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in 
electrical engineering and a record of accomplishment as half-back on 
the football team. Then he detoured to law school, graduating from 
Stanford University and made his home in Los Angeles.
  Nick's accomplishments go beyond his role at the bargaining table. It 
is well known that motion picture industry jobs come with good 
benefits--health insurance and pensions. Nick has played a critical 
role in ensuring those benefits are secure. He serves as a trustee on 
fourteen guild and union health and pension funds. He is also a trustee 
on the Motion Picture and Television Fund, a past president and current 
member of the Board of Directors of the International Foundation of 
Employee Benefit Plans, and a past chair of the Entertainment Industry 
Foundation. And he has provided his experience and wisdom to many 
national groups examining health care issues that face our nation. He 
has also engaged on safety and environmental issues that affect the 
industry.
  After such a distinguished career, Nick has earned his opportunity to 
live the next chapter. He will give up the all night bargaining 
sessions for more time with his family--his wife, Jackie; his son Nick 
IV; his daughter, Samantha, and her husband, Alex Kurtzman, and their 
son, Jack. As he embarks on this well-deserved retirement, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in expressing our appreciation for the work he 
has done and wishing him and his family well.

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