SAG-AFTRA SF-NorCal Fall 2013

SAG-AFTRA SAN FRANCISCO-NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LOCAL

FALL

INSIDE THIS ISSUE President’s Report

1

Nat’l. Board Report

2

Broadcast Notes

2

Contract Corner

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Committee Report

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Of Note

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New Members

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2013

President’s Report Kathryn Howell

SAG-AFTRA SAN FRANCISCONORTHERN CALIFORNIA LOCAL 350 SANSOME STREET,SUITE 900 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104 P:(415) 391-7510 FX:(415)391-1108

sf@sagaftra.org www.sagaftra.org/SF Facebook

EDITOR: Len Egert DESIGN: Vicki Balich

Greetings and happy fall. As president of our local, I look forward to making sure the needs of all member categories are addressed. We have a strong and vibrant broadcast community and I will be sitting in on meetings of our local Broadcast Steering Committee in order to better understand their concerns and issues.

On the theatrical side, I am excited that a statewide coalition has been formed with the goal of increasing California’s film incentive program, which is up for renewal in 2015. I attended an initial meeting in San SAG-AFTRA FALL Francisco, and Local Board member MEMBERSHIP MEETING Charlie Holliday and others will be MONDAY, October 21, 2013 doing the same in Sacramento.

Even though the coalition is popuMarriott Hotel Union Square lated in main by representatives 480 Sutter Street San Francisco, CA from Southern California, they hear our needs and they need our supNew Member Orientation 6 p.m. port. There is a desire to make sure Membership Meeting 7 p.m. the legislation includes Incentives This meeting is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA for filming throughout our state, members in good standing. Unfortunately, no not just in Los Angeles. When the guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger details are solidified, we will be performers under 18 years old are welcome. No RSVP necessary. asking members to contact their SAG-AFTRA MEMBERS, PLEASE BRING YOUR state representative in support of MEMBERSHIP CARD (paid thru October 31, 2013) FOR ADMITTANCE. this legislation. Stay tuned!

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National Board Report -

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Denny Delk

We just finished the very first SAG-AFTRA convention in Los Angeles.

It was a little like 400 hundred people playing a game of musical chairs, with only about 60 chairs.

Convention was a part of AFTRA’s legacy. It provided the opportunity for lots of members from around the country to gather and share problems and solutions to the issues that dog us all: How can we organize more work? How do I break into the audiobook world? Are all the TV reporters around the country required to carry cameras? So many opportunities for us to understand that just because we don’t live and work in Los Angeles and New York, we all share common problems and we need common solutions.

Under the new constitution, the convention is the highest authority in the new union. It elects officers, save for the president and treasurer. Our new officer corps represents small locals and large locals, actors, broadcasters and singers. The newly elected hail from New York and Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. Our new executive vice president is Gabrielle Carteris, a spunky actor who realizes that we

Broadcast Safety Update:

are a national union with national needs. San Francisco is also represented in the governing structure of the new union. Bob Butler continues as a member of the Broadcast Steering Committee. And I was asked to co-chair the Committee of Locals (representing all locals outside New York and Los Angeles) and the Agents committee.

And though we clearly did a lot of business, with frank and even fractious discussion about the future of the new union, there was a little time for revelry (ask me sometime about Smokey Mountain apple pie). We kept an AFTRA tradition alive by awarding the first SAG-AFTRA Gold Cards, recognizing service above and beyond the call. As a past recipient myself, I was very proud to honor two of my friends, David Hartley-Margolin and Patricia O’Donnell as this year’s honorees.

All of San Francisco’s representatives at convention served you proud. And one day I hope you will put your name in the hopper to be part of this important gathering. It is one way we honor and serve our fellow performers, as those who have gone before have served us.

BROADCAST NOTES

As you may be aware, news crews in the Oakland area have been targeted with theft and violence at an unprecedented level over the past year. Of particular concern is the unpredictability of these attacks, some occurring during the day with security present and in areas not previously thought to be unsafe. In addition, these attacks are not random but appear to be targeting news crews specifically. SAG-AFTRA, shop stewards and station management held meetings last fall to try to address the problem in a variety of ways. Despite the actions taken, such as management’s increased commitment to the practice of sending security along with news crews covering stories in certain areas of Oakland, the violence continues.

As the recent incident involving the KGO-TV news crew robbed at gunpoint demonstrated, we are still confronting serious safety concerns in Oakland. SAG-AFTRA has again been holding meetings with station management to discuss ways to increase safety in the field. While some of those meetings have produced real results, other stations have been less willing to pursue new policies and procedures to protect news crews. SF-NorCal’s local Broadcast Steering Committee has met and discussed different possible solutions and ways to raise awareness about the problem. Some of the ideas include advocating for reducing unnecessary live shots, reaching out to certain public groups for assistance/visibility and pressing for safety training. Additionally, our feedback indicates that newspersons are sometimes reluctant to request security or to turn down an assignment based upon safety concerns and assume that another reporter will simply take their place.

The local Broadcast Steering Committee discussed the importance of changing the culture in the newsroom so that broadcasters support each other in their safety concerns. We can all think about the culture of our newsrooms and about how to support one another in our demands for safety. When news crews become targets, we all have to stand together.

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BROADCAST NOTES

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As a reminder, all SAG-AFTRA agreements have some language which allows newspersons to decline assignments if they feel the assignment is unsafe. Check your specific CBA or give us a call to review this language.

If any safety concerns arise or if you have ideas about how to increase safety at your station, call your SAG-AFTRA representative.

Station Updates KGO-TV: Like other ABC O&Os (owned and operated stations), KGO-TV is coping with budget cuts and staff reductions. Negotiations for a successor agreement for newspersons continue. The parties have met a couple of times and are in the process of reviewing various proposals and counterproposals.

KRON 4: A tentative agreement for newspersons was reached in August and is working its way through the ratification process. Earlier this year, Young Broadcasting announced plans to merge with Media General. That transaction is expected to conclude later this fall.

KISQ-FM: Thanks to an email from our members at KISQ, we were notified that Clear Channel had not implemented the wage increases required under the contract. Although it took longer than expected, Clear Channel corrected its error. The correction included an increase slated to go into effect when the contract was ratified in 2011; the July 1, 2012 increase; and the July 1, 2013 increase. We’re glad that we where finally able to resolve these issues and thank everyone for their patience over the last two-plus months.

KOIT/KBLX: Difficult negotiations continue to maintain job protection, wage increases and fair use of announcer’s materials.

KPIX-TV: Members have been at the forefront of the struggle to protect news crews in the field and continue to work with management to address safety concerns.

TTN/Metro: Has a finalized, signed, printed contract, which will be distributed shortly. We’re also holding a quarterly meeting to discuss general issues that have occurred.

KGO-AM and KSFO-AM: The stations continue to be part of the global Cumulus negotiations involving New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Last week, two unit meetings were attended by a large majority of the members at these stations. The meetings covered local and national topics, including the use of personal cell phones for company use, reporters’ safety and cuts the company proposed at the negotiations table. We had an amicable meeting with local station management, and look forward to the company’s responses. It would not be possible without the great work and feedback from this engaged group of members.

A black eye and bruised shoulder won’t stop SF-NorCal from getting a deal!

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BROADCAST NOTES

Broadcast Steering Committees The past few months have brought meetings of both the national and local Broadcast Steering Committees.

The national BSC meeting was held at our New York office at the end of June. It was attended by Faith Sidlow, Mark Jones and Bob Butler, along with our broadcast staff team. The meeting included a discussion of strategy for dealing with layoffs and affects bargaining, and what we can do when employers close or move shops, or make other major changes.

Several locals shared their examples of successfully negotiating L to R: Bob Butler, Lauren Renaud, Joe Vazquez, Scott Lettieri, enhanced severance in these cases. The St. Louis, Boston and Joshua Johnson, Barry Schimmel, Jessica Bowker and Len Egert Philadelphia locals presented bargaining strategies, including how to avoid impasses and how to run a strong pressure campaign. Toward the end of the committee meeting, several locals discussed examples of local outreach initiatives, including mentoring programs and how to make the most of our presence at broadcasting conventions.

Our local BSC met to discuss a number of pressing issues. First on the agenda was a recommendation to the local board for broadcast representatives to fill open positions on our board. This was followed by a policy recommendation for the national BSC concerning fees and a brainstorming session on how to address the ongoing concerns of safety for broadcasters in the Bay Area. The strong participation of this committee is vital to protecting the interests of local broadcasters. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact our office.

Mark Jones

Bob Butler and Jessica Bowker at Times Square

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CONTRACT CORNER The Five Steps to Flipping Film Work As a member of SAG-AFTRA (or AEA), if you work on a student film, short film or micro/low/no -budget feature film, you must make sure the project is under a SAG-AFTRA contract. For the Student and Short Film Agreements, there is minimal paperwork, and the $100-per-day rate in the contract is deferrable, should you choose to defer your pay. So, when you hear a maker of short films talk about how it is going to be “too expensive” or there is “too much paperwork,” please send them our way for clarification — all it takes is one phone call.

For ultra-low budget feature films (under $200,000), there is a little more paperwork, and the $100 minimum rate is non-deferrable. A Pension & Health contribution of 16.8 percent must be made as well. So, with 10 percent going to your agent, a filmmaker is looking at $125± a day to work with a professional actor — what a bargain!

If you hear about an audition for a short film and you are interested in working on it, but it says “non-union,” please take a moment and educate the filmmaker about the Short Film Agreement and have them call the TV/Theatrical Department in San Francisco to get the full details. If you see a feature film project that is already offering $100 per day to their actors, there is no reason that they shouldn’t consider working with SAG-AFTRA performers.

The Five Steps to Flipping Film Work: 1. Hear about audition for a short or feature film.

2. Get the part; now you must make sure it’s under contract.

3. Have the filmmaker call Lori Shockley in the SAG-AFTRA San Francisco TV/Theatrical Department, (415) 391-7510, ext. 239, to get the proper paperwork.

4. Filmmaker fills out paperwork, you get to work.

5. Everyone is happy!

It is that simple. Good luck, and let us know how we can help — we are just a phone call away.

Contact: lori.shockley@sagaftra.org or (415) 391-7510 ext. 239

CONTRACT CORNER

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Film Incentives Coalition Last month, a delegation from our local attended the preliminary planning session of the California Film Incentives Coalition. Local President Kathryn Howell, former Local Board member Kathy Goodin, and Business Representatives Lori Shockley and Lauren Renaud joined SAG-AFTRA Director of Government Affairs Jennifer Heater at San Francisco City Hall to meet with other unions, studio representatives and business owners to discuss a plan of action for increasing the California Film Incentives Program.

Currently, the incentives program has a low cap, which makes us less competitive against other states, including New York and Louisiana. Eligibility is limited to feature films with budgets under $1 million, miniseries under $500,000 and 60-minute television series under $1 million.

Every year, there has been more demand than the incentive program can cover, resulting in work leaving California. The coalition seeks to lobby our state Legislature to increase the incentives and eligibility requirements. The bill has been successfully renewed in the past, but this will be the first request for an increased amount. For this reason, the coalition is making a bigger push, and member support must be part of the plan. If you would like to be involved in this effort, please contact our office and speak with Lori Shockley or Lauren Renaud.

Educational Seminars – General Service Agreements Watch your inbox! The SAG-AFTRA Agency Department will be stepping up our scheduling of informative, educational seminars on general service agreements, or GSAs (i.e., the contracts that some agents have been using to represent our members instead of the standard legacy SAG agency contracts).

These GSA contracts are signed outside of SAG-AFTRA’s protection, and it is imperative that members have a working knowledge of what these contracts say before signing them — your professional future and your income may depend on it. This educational seminar will be especially helpful to any member having trouble making sense of the complicated legal language contained in the GSAs that their agents have provided them.

Need a form or document or general information about agency relations? Check the website. For a specific summary sheet on commissions and franchised talent agency lists, please go here: http://www.sagaftra.org/agencyforms The Agency Department has posted many documents on SAG-AFTRA’s website that work to assist members in understanding their relationships with their agents. There is a section called Information for Agents and Members located on the Agency Department page that contains most of the forms or contracts that you may see when you visit a franchised talent agency and sample letters that you may need during the time you are working with your agent or are updating and/or changing agents. Please be sure to go online and check them out. If there is a document that you think would be helpful but doesn’t appear online, please email us. We are happy to review all requests.

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COMMITTEE REPORTS

BookPALS Magic at Mo’Magic! - Lynne Maes As many of you know, BookPALS stands for Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools, which means that most readers are busy September through May, and bid a fond farewell to the kids come summer. Well, this summer BookPAL Gina Berretta turned out to be busier than usual for SAG Foundation BookPALS, who never say no to an opportunity to share our special magic with kids who need us.

When San Francisco BookPALS were approached to be “mystery readers” for the USF/Mo’Magic Summer Reading Program, we were immediately intrigued. Not only was this right up our alley — what BookPAL does not want to arrive as a special “mystery” guest reader to knock the socks off a group of delighted young readers — but our mission aligned perfectly with the mission of the USF/Mo’Magic program.

One of the program’s overarching goals is to prevent summer learning loss, particularly in reading. In addition, says Helen Maniates of USF, “We believe that if students identify positively as readers and capable BookPAL Malcolm Grissom scholars, they will read more, which leads to more proficient reading and improved academic and life success. We work on creating a positive, voluntary, fun, safe atmosphere for reading as well as on reading skills.” Talk about a perfect fit! SAG Foundation BookPALS volunteers exist to stimulate children’s interest in books, motivate their desire to read, help develop reading and listening skills, and encourage their feelings of self-worth by giving them our time and attention.

brought with it a few challenges. Were we going to be able to get enough readers to cover all 10 classrooms, every week of the program? Would BookPALS be willing to read with 6th through 8th graders (a notoriously tough audience)? Well, actors are nothing if not flexible, and BookPALS in particular rise to a challenge. Each and every BookPAL was reliable, inspiring and, most importantly, an incredible reading role model for all of the children. Thanks to Cheryl Ann Belkin, Carson Beker, Gina Beretta, Duncan Fife, Malcolm Grissom, Roji Oyama and Nancy Sans, we were able to bring BookPALS magic to Mo’Magic.

One of our braver BookPALS, SAG-AFTRA member Roji Oyama, took on the middle-schoolers. Turns out it was a match made in heaven. He reflected, “This lively and active group BookPAL Roji Oyama actually had a class assignment of ‘self-poems’ taking the letters of their first name and assigning character traits to each letter. Great stuff! Their teacher was on her game and prodded the students to stay focused and express themselves. I read a great short visual story about ‘finding rhythm,’ which took a soulful poetic odyssey through all the types of African-American music ... the kids loved it as it was a really well-written piece.” Roji made each of his sessions interactive, sharing the reading spotlight with the young teens and encouraging them to rise to the occasion when reading some challenging poetry out loud.

One unforeseen benefit was that actor-readers were also able to perform for one another.

BookPALS rarely cross paths during the school year, so it was unusual to be able to gather in one place at one time. I heard from more than one BookPAL who appreciated this rare opportunity to enjoy each other’s skills and talents. It was, all in all, a tremendously satisfying experience. I’d be willing to

Committing to this program was a no-brainer, but Cont’d. on page 8

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bet that most BookPALS feel the same way I do: Though our job was to provide enrichment for the children attending the program, we came away enriched ourselves, and humbled and grateful to be part of such important work.

2013 marks BookPALS’ 20th anniversary and we’re celebrating all year. If you are interested in learning more about SAG Foundation BookPALS, please join us for an orientation at the SAG-AFTRA San Francisco–Northern California Local offices on Saturday, October 12, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Come at 11 a.m. to learn what BookPALS BookPAL Carson Beker is all about, and stay to learn from and celebrate with veteran members of the BookPALS team. If you’re already a member of our amazing team, feel free to either come at 11 for a refresher,” or join us at noon to share some lunch, share some joy and kick off the new school year in style. We promise food, books and door prizes, but most of all a chance to reinvigorate your passion for making change in the world by getting out there and reading with kids.

BookPAL Nancy Sans

AFTRA-SAG Federal Credit Union is a source for financial services and support among entertainment industry professionals. Since 1962, ASFCU has stood side by side with members like you as a provider of benefits, from auto and home loans, to custom savings plans, Coogan accounts, Young Performer and Teen Access accounts, investments, retirement and estate planning.

You’re in Good Company The perks of AFTRA-SAG Federal Credit Union membership are reserved for a very select group: professionals in the business of entertaining and informing the world. Perhaps the biggest advantage ASFCU offers is that membership gives you an ownership interest in the credit union. Unlike traditional “for profit” banking institutions, profits earned at ASFCU are returned to you in the form of better rates, better products, better benefits and better service.

Services are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Questions must be handled by the providers.

SAG-AFTRA does not endorse any of these services.

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OF NOTE

NOTE

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE to members in good standing, spouses and children : John L. Dales Scholarship Fund - SAG Foundation Program George Heller Memorial Scholarship Fund - AFTRA Foundation Program Union Plus Scholarships - AFL-CIO Bob Butler, former BABJA president, was elected the 20th president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) at the organization's annual convention in Orlando, Fla. Click here for the entire press release .

Kudos to filmmaker Jeremiah Birnbaum, director/producer for Torn being shown at the Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema on October 25.

Are you a new member? Click here for benefits of SAG-AFTRA membership.

Save the dates!

Fall Membership Meeting, Monday October 21 2013 International Black Women’s Film Festival AFTRA Health & Retirement Plans, Saturday October 26 Bay Area Black Journalists Association Annual Scholarship Luncheon, Friday, November 8, 2013 City Club of San Francisco. Stay tuned to for details.

Affordable Health Care, Monday November 18

SAG Awards 2014 In order to become eligible to receive and vote on the SAG Awards, your dues must be current and paid prior to December 2, 2013.

The SAG-AFTRA San Francisco-Northern California office will be closed on the following holidays: Oct. 14 Nov. 11 Nov. 27 Nov. 28-29 Dec. 24-25 Dec. 31

Columbus Day Veterans Day Half-day early closure Thanksgiving Winter Solstice New Year’s Eve

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San Francisco – Northern California Local Welcomes New Members and Transfers July 1, 2013 to August 31, 2013

Alexandria, Natasha Anzalone, Nancy Askew, Lillian Balcazar, Sonia Bowman, Tyrone Brigantino, Carly J. Buckley, Karen Buzolin, Mariah Chavez, Anna M. Clark, Scott P Crooks, Evan Cuevas, Steven Cypress, Kora Fenoglio, John Buford Geronimo, Don Henson, William Johnson, Gustave Khadijah, Khadijah Kwong-Van Dusen, Alice Lam, Keanu Micah Lamey, Thad Lane, Joshua Christopher Lee, Emmanuel Manuel, Jon McCune, Marianne

McIntyre, Ross A. Meng, Sabrina Middleton, Jason Moore, Charlene Morales-Woolery, Brady Otokiti, Adam Padnos, Corey Placencia, Michael Ramser, Jennifer Raynes, Sonia Reeser, Adam Rivera, Brian Rolfes, Andy Saad, Michael Sample, Mark Scott, Donavin Dain Somers, Zoe Sotelo, Beverly Ssenjovu, Patrick J. Tsai, Albert Wallen, Miriam Wedge, Malia Wolf, Myrton Running Wrabel, Jessica Lee Zhang, Matthew

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