The Activator, August 26, 2013

Issue: #17

Aug. 26, 2013

IN THIS ISSUE Howard and Aquino Elected Call for Nominees Gold Card Freelance Tidbit 'Proud Union Home' Yard Signs Actors Fund's e-Learning Center Theatre Club Discount Movie Tickets Rental Company offers Discount Stay Connected

Yard Signs Available Now! Details below.

Holiday Schedule

Howard and Aquino Elected SAG-AFTRA National President & National Secretary-Treasurer On Aug. 15, SAG-AFTRA announced the results of elections for its top two elected positions.

Members re-elected Ken Howard and Amy Aquino to lead the union. Howard will serve as the first elected national president of SAG-AFTRA and Aquino as its first elected secretary-treasurer. Both previously served the Screen Actors Guild for two consecutive terms prior to merger, and each served respectively as co-president and co-secretary-treasurer of SAG-AFTRA following the merger in 2012. Their two-year terms began on Aug. 15.

Ballots for the national officers election were mailed to 139,967 eligible voters on July 16, and 28,755 were returned today, for a return of 20.54 percent. Howard received 16,396 votes, with Esai Morales receiving 9,850 votes, Paul Edney receiving 1,359 votes and Marilyn Monrovia receiving 960 votes. In the election for secretary-treasurer, Aquino was elected to the position with 17,590 votes and Jane Austin received 10,662 votes. The complete announcement is available at SAGAFTRA.org.

Official Call for Nominees for the Inaugural SAG-AFTRA George Heller Memorial Gold Card This year marks the inaugural year for the SAG-AFTRA George Heller Memorial Gold Card Award.

Formerly known as the George Heller Memorial Gold Card Award, it previously was AFTRA's highest honor for service recognition.

The Gold Card is bestowed on those who have made a significant contribution through years of service to SAG-AFTRA (including service to the former Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA) and its members. The honor is given to recipients under the guidelines (available online) approved by the National Honors and Tributes Committee and adopted by the National Board at its recent meeting.

If awarded, the recipient or recipients will receive their Gold Card at this year's inaugural SAGAFTRA National Convention in September.

The nomination form and guidelines are available online. The deadline for nominations is 3 p.m.

(CT) Aug. 30, 2013.

Freelance Tidbit Just a reminder, session payments for commercial work are to be issued and mailed no more than 12 working days from the date(s) services were rendered. Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and holidays observed by the producer, and one must take into consideration USPS delivery time.

'Proud Union Home' Yard Signs Now Available Have you noticed the 'Proud Union Home' signs popping up across Chicagoland? The red, white and blue displays were created by the Chicago Federation of Labor as a way for households to show their solidarity and pride in being union members. "The response has been overwhelming," said Chicago Federation of Labor spokesman Nick Kaleba.

While supplies last, the 18-by-24-inch signs are available for free at the SAG-AFTRA Chicago office and come with an optional stand. Show your pride in America's labor movement and middle class by displaying a sign in your front yard or window. Pick one up today!

The Actors Fund's New e-Learning Center Offers Health Care Guides Does health care reform have you stumped? Are you baffled by Medicare?

With The Actors Fund's new e-Learning Center, SAG-AFTRA members now have online access to a wealth of knowledge, resources and practical tips on the changing landscape of health care reform.

The Actors Fund recently produced four online tutorials: Medicare Basics, Help with Medicare Costs, Getting Medications Discounted or Free and Healthcare Reform Basics. The series is introduced by Actors Fund Artists' Committee Co-Chair Laura Linney, also a SAG-AFTRA member. Future installments on affordable housing, financial wellness and more are on the horizon.

"Webinars and seminars require that you be in a certain place at a certain time," said Renata Marinaro, The Actors Fund's Artists Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) Eastern Region director of health services. "People in our entertainment community have dynamic schedules and might not be able to make it to one of them. These tutorials allow you to access the information anytime, anywhere.

"I hope after viewing these tutorials, people will say, 'Oh, now I understand it!'" she said. "Of course, we're always available for individual counseling as well."

You can watch the first tutorials in the series here. Have questions on getting affordable health insurance? Contact The Actors Fund's AHIRC team at actorsfund.org/AHIRC or The Actor Fund's Chicago office at (312) 372-0989.

Attention SAG-AFTRA Members: Join the Theatre Club Everyone knows that Chicago is a great theater town. Would you like to receive an occasional free ticket or discount offer to a show? SAG-AFTRA Theatre Club is a benefit of membership for Chicago members in good standing. We have been working with local live theaters to set up a SAG-AFTRA Theatre Club. This will be run similar to our SAG-AFTRA Movie Club. From time to time, local theaters will offer members free or discounted tickets.

Recently, club members enjoyed free tickets to Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 the Musical and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Check out these great shows and support local 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.

Discount Movie Tickets At this time, the SAG-AFTRA Chicago office is no longer selling movie tickets.

We'll let you know when they become available again.

Unionized Rental Company offers Union Members a Discount Classic Party Rentals is a proud union facility with workers represented by Teamsters Local 710.

For the month of September, including Labor Day, they are offering several discounts to all union members, including 25 percent off the rental of tables, 50 percent off chairs and 50 percent off standard delivery. They also rent linens, grills, tents, coolers, bars and additional party accessories.

Check them out online or phone (708) 485-8010. This is for new orders only from Sept. 1-30, 2013. Other terms and conditions apply.

The products noted herein is provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and is administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement by the union nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

Stay Connected with SAG-AFTRA Keep your contact information current with the union so you can receive important career information and timely payments of residuals. By providing your email address to SAG-AFTRA, you'll receive contract updates, e-newsletters, casting information, career workshop and seminar announcements, and email messages from your elected leaders.

Submitting Your Email for the First Time Mail or fax your: Current professional name SAG-AFTRA ID number Professional signature Email address To: SAG-AFTRA 5757 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036 Attn: Data Processing Department FAX: (323) 549-6792 To Update Your Email Address: If you would like to change your Email address, please send an email to emailupdate@sagaftra.org and include the following information: Current professional name SAG-AFTRA ID number Prior Email address listed with the union New Email address Remember to also keep your records current with the SAG-Producers Pension and Health Plans and the AFTRA Health & Retirement Funds, your agents and other industry professionals.

Holiday Schedule for Office and KMRC SAG-AFTRA Chicago and KMRC will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 and be closed all day Monday, Sept. 2. Happy Labor Day!

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.