Activator - June 2013

Issue: #12 IN THIS ISSUE Support Chicago Sun-Times Photojournalists Rally June 13 First Major SAG-AFTRA Contracts Overwhelmingly Approved with 96 Percent of Vote Reserving the KMRC Audio and Video Suites Attention SAG-AFTRA Chicago Members: Join the Theatre Club Join the Movie Club Congress Hotel Strike Comes to an End After Almost 10 Years

June 7, 2013

Second Annual

SAG-AFTRA Chicago Membership Meeting YOU ARE THE UNION - And We Can Prove It! An open discussion with special guests, Ron Magers, broadcaster ABC 7 news anchor David Pasquesi, actor Veep, The Mob Doctor, Boss Cheryl Wilson, singer and vocalist When: Monday, June 10, 2013 6 p.m. social hour 7 p.m. meeting Where: Film Row Cinema at Columbia College 1104 S. Wabash, 8th Floor, Chicago, IL 60605 This meeting is open only to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger performers under 18 years old are welcome. No RSVP necessary. SAG-AFTRA MEMBERS, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD (paid thru April 30, 2013 or Oct. 31, 2013) FOR ADMITTANCE.

Thursday, June 13 Rally to Support Chicago Sun-Times Photojournalists On May 30, the Chicago Sun-Times media group fired its entire photography staff. Join with the Chicago Newspaper Guild (CNG) as it fights this illegal union-busting.

Noon - 1 p.m. Thursday, June 13 Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street, Chicago You can also show your support for the Sun-Times photographers and photo editors by liking their Facebook page Save the Sun-Times Photojournalists and by signing this CNG petition to Sun-Times CEO Timothy Knight demanding the paper step back from the layoffs and come to the bargaining table.

Please show your support for these talented, hard-working men and women who deserve to be treated with fairness and dignity.

SAG-AFTRA members and staff join with laid off Chicago Sun-Times photojournalists and supporters to rally outside the newspaper on June 6.

To learn more, visit the Chicago Newspaper Guild's website at www.chicagonewsguild.org.

SAG-AFTRA is a union that has among its members a diverse group of performers, broadcasters and newscasters. This message should not be interpreted as a personal statement of opinion by or of any specific member of the union.

First Major SAG-AFTRA Contracts Overwhelmingly Approved with 96 Percent of Vote New Three-Year Commercials Contracts Effective Retroactive to April 1, 2013 In national voting completed on May 31, SAG-AFTRA members overwhelmingly approved new, three-year contracts negotiated with the advertising industry covering commercials. The 2013 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract and 2013 SAG-AFTRA Radio Recorded Commercials Contract are the first major contracts negotiated by SAG-AFTRA as one union since merger in March 2012.

Overall, the membership of SAG-AFTRA voted 96 percent in favor of the new agreements.

Integrity Voting Systems, an impartial election service based in Everett, Wash., facilitated the voting and certified the final count today. The new contracts go into effect immediately, retroactive to April 1, 2013, and remain in force until June 30, 2016.

More information and summaries of the provisions for the 2013 commercials contracts may be viewed at SAGAFTRA.org.

Reserving the KMRC Audio and Video Suites Just a reminder: Please contact Kathy Byrne at the SAG-AFTRA office, (312) 573-8081 ext. 508 or kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org to reserve the KMRC Video Suite or Audio Suite. It is best to book a time in advance. Call or email Kathy with a date and time to make your reservation.

If you have not been trained on the new equipment, please attend the orientation offered on Wednesday nights, 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. for training.

Attention SAG-AFTRA Chicago Members: Join the Theatre Club SAG-AFTRA Chicago members in good standing are invited to join the Theatre Club. The club is run similar to the SAG-AFTRA Movie Club. From time to time, local theaters will offer members free or discounted tickets.

Club members have already attended I Love Lucy at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, Now and Later at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire and Disconnect at Victory Gardens Theater.

If you are interested in joining this free club to receive these special offers, please send an email to kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org for further information.

Join the Movie Club If you are interested in receiving an occasional free sneak preview movie pass, please join the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Movie Club. Send your name, member number and email address to Kathy Byrne, director of TV/Theatrical, at kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org. You must be a SAG-AFTRA Chicago member in good standing to participate. Passes will be sent via email a few times a year as they become available.

Congress Hotel Strike Comes to an End Strike leaves lasting impact on hotel industry in Chicago With the 10th anniversary of the Congress Hotel strike approaching, UNITE HERE Local 1, the union representing Chicago's hospitality workers, announced the end of its strike. It is widely recognized as the world's longest strike.

On June 15, 2003, Father's Day that year, 130 members (100 percent of the workers) of UNITE HERE walked out on strike after the hotel unilaterally reduced their wages, froze their health care contributions, and demanded the right to subcontract out all the work to minimum-wage subcontracted workers. The strikers have picketed regularly ever since. Many SAG-AFTRA members and staff have joined them over the years. Prominent political leaders including thenU.S. Sen. Barack Obama, Gov. Pat Quinn, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinckle and numerous others have walked the line in support of the workers.

When the Congress workers went out on strike, the standard wage for room attendants was $8.83 per hour. The citywide standard for room attendants is now $16.40 an hour. Congress hotel room attendants still make $8.83 per hour.

"The decision to end the Congress strike was a hard one, but it is the right time for the union and the strikers to move on. The boycott has effectively dramatically reduced the hotel's business. The hotel treats their workers and customers equally poor, and the community knows it. There is no more to do there. The reclusive owner lives in Geneva and Tel Aviv, and hasn't been to Chicago since the strike started. We don't see getting a contract here, and we have many more battles to fight for economic justice," said UNITE HERE Local 1 President Henry Tamarin.

The union has found jobs for more than 60 strikers over the years and is continuing to assist others. UNITE HERE has made an unconditional offer to return to work on behalf of the strikers, allowing them to return to their jobs if they choose without risking disciplinary action from the union.

In response to members' requests to stay informed, The Activator may include notice of rallies, pickets and other actions by unions and the labor movement that have not been sanctioned by the National or Chicago Board of Directors of SAG-AFTRA. This information is provided as a convenience.

The information contained herein regarding workshops, vendors, special offers and the like is provided for informational purposes and is not intended to imply endorsement by SAG-AFTRA of them or the information, material, products or services provided. SAG-AFTRA makes no warranties or representations regarding the use of the material or the quality of the services or service providers.

SAG-AFTRA Chicago: (312) 573-8081 Hotline: (312) 867-3710 Email: chicago@sagaftra.org WEBSITE SAGAFTRA.org.