AFTRA FLASH!

TELEMUNDO NEGOTIATION UPDATE
After more than six months of negotiations, NBC/Universal subsidiary Telemundo has walked away from the bargaining table with AFTRA. In a stunning turn of events, the company asserted that there was nothing left to talk about and further negotiations would be fruitless. This decision came on the heels of AFTRA’s efforts to inform GE shareholders, community groups, and the general public of the double-standard the Company was proposing be applied to performers and broadcasters engaged to render services in Spanish, including their refusal to consider ANY residual structure in a Telemundo entertainment contract. For more information or to volunteer to help in AFTRA’s ongoing Spanish-language organizing campaign, contact Herta Suarez in Miami, (954) 920-2476, or Leslie Simon in Los Angeles, (323) 634-8118.

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LEGISLATIVE and PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE
Media Consolidation
Supreme Court Rejects Industry Appeal of Media Ownership Rules
In mid-June, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of a group of media corporations seeking to overturn an appeals court ruling in Prometheus Radio Project v. Federal Communications Commission. That lower-court decision threw out the FCC ownership rules issued in June 2003 that would have significantly loosened media ownership restrictions over television stations and newspapers.

AFTRA and other groups are calling on the FCC to hold adequate hearings around the country to really understand the connection between localism, diversity, artistic expression, and access before issuing any new rules.

For updates on media consolidation issues, visit AFTRA’s legislative page on media consolidation.

Free Press
Budget for Corporation for Public Broadcasting Restored
In early June, the House Appropriations Committee cut funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) by almost 25%. Two weeks later, the House voted to restore $100 million in funding due to pressure from noncommercial broadcasters and their allies, such as AFTRA.

AFTRA was part of a coalition of more than 30 organizations that signed a letter to the House Appropriations Committee asking it to overturn the decision to cut funding to the CPB. The letter stated that this legislation would decimate programming on National Public Radio (NPR), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and other public media, and that this action puts at risk public broadcasting's ability to give a voice to the needs of diverse communities that go unheard by commercial media outlets.

Health Care
SB 840, California Health Insurance Reliability Act (CHIRA)
Passed by the California State Senate
On May 31, 2005, State Senate Bill 840, the California Health Insurance Reliability Act (CHIRA), authored by State Senator Sheila Kuehl, passed in the State Senate by a vote of 24 to 14 and has been sent to the State Assembly for consideration. SB 840 would provide every Californian with comprehensive health benefits while preserving each consumer's right to choose his or her own doctor. SB 840 would create a streamlined reimbursement process that would take the place of current public and private insurance plans, thus saving billions in administrative costs. Consumers would pay a yearly means-based premium for all coverage, which would include medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, hospitalization, and emergency coverage, along with other services.

The plan is expected to put no new burden on California's general fund. According to projections made by independent experts from the Lewin Group, SB 840 could reduce overall healthcare costs in California while insuring every resident at a high level of coverage.

Please visit the Health Care for All website for more information on CA SB 840.

IF YOU WANT TO HELP PROMOTE SB 840 in CALIFORNIA

AFTRA and Auctions for Change – an online auction clearinghouse for non-profits – have partnered to raise awareness and funds for Health Care for All (.org), a leading universal healthcare advocacy non-profit promoting SB 840.

Auctions for Change is looking to obtain VIP-level concert tickets and one-of-a-kind music memorabilia to be auctioned off to benefit Health Care for All - CA. Funds raised will support awareness and education efforts for this historic reform bill.

If you or any industry personnel you know, is interested in learning about this campaign or donating concert tickets, please contact Auctions for Change.

A complete press kit is available on the Auctions for Change website and artists including Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Ethridge, The Wallflowers, and others have donated items to the campaign.

AFL-CIO – AFTRA Statement
It is a healthy and mature impulse for any organization – including the AFL-CIO and the larger labor movement – to engage in rigorous evaluation and reevaluation of its strategy, tactics, and operations. That impulse becomes destructive, however, when the reaction to internal disagreements is to walk away. The labor movement is a family, with the shared goal of improving and enhancing the lives of working people in America. Just as one does not settle a family disagreement by leaving, it is, in AFTRA's view, a grievous mistake to deal with a disagreement in the House of Labor by splitting up the Federation. In the end, that division only serves the corporations and employers that have an interest in the weakening and ultimate destruction of unions. Surely, as workers struggle to earn a living wage, provide benefits for their families and claim a voice in their working lives, the labor movement can struggle as well in search of a more positive solution on their behalf. We encourage that continued dialogue.

SOUND RECORDING NOTES
SONY Settles Payola Investigation in New York State
SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, one of the world's leading record companies and owner of a number of major record labels, has agreed to stop making payments and providing expensive gifts to radio stations and their employees in return for "airplay" for the company's songs – an illegal practice that violates state and federal laws.

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s office conducted a year-long investigation and determined that SONY BMG and its record labels had offered a series of inducements, also known as payola, to radio stations and their employees to obtain airplay for the recordings by the company's artists.

Ann Chaitovitz, Director of Sound Recordings for AFTRA said: "We would like to thank Attorney General Spitzer for examining this pernicious issue. Pay-for-play hurts both recording artists and the public. We look forward to his continuing investigation of the other record labels and the vertically integrated radio station owners."

AFTRA has also been working with the Senate and the FCC on this issue, and we expect those efforts to yield results shortly.

To find out more about the SONY BMG Payola settlement, you can read Attorney General Spitzer’s press release.

Creative Community Praises Supreme Court Decision in Grokster Case
The United States Supreme Court overturned the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of the plaintiffs in the case of MGM, et al. v.Grokster, Ltd., et al.

The following is a joint statement from the preeminent entertainment unions – American
Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, and Writers Guild of America, west – on the Supreme Court ruling. These organizations also filed a “friend of the court” (amicus) brief in January 2005 urging the Court to consider the negative impact of Internet piracy on artists.

“Today a clear and unmistakable message has been sent – that work created by our members deserves the same basic financial protections as every other product in the marketplace. Unauthorized file-swapping of copyrighted material is property theft, plain and simple, and this theft destroys the very protections that allow our members to sustain a career and provide for their families. We applaud the Supreme Court’s decision that advances in technology serve to enhance and promote, rather than undermine, the vibrant and diverse cultural and artistic traditions of this country.

Today’s decision marks an economic and creative victory for every creator whose livelihood has been threatened by the blatant copyright infringement running rampant on peer-to-peer sites across the Internet. What is most important about it is the determination that just because something can be distributed freely, does not mean that it is free, and that the financial rights of creators and copyright holders can no longer be ignored.”

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN MEDIA TASK FORCE
Under the leadership of stage, film, TV and commercial actress Ren Hanámi, AFTRA recently created the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN MEDIA TASK FORCE (APAMTF), whose mission is "to enlighten the entertainment and news industries, as well as the general public, as to the exclusion, under-representation and inaccurate portrayals of Asian Pacific Americans, and to produce meaningful initiatives to ensure equal rights and access for APA’s in the entertainment and news media.” Its immediate goal, currently under way, is commissioning a comprehensive study to examine the disparity between the reality of the APA community and their portrayal, and employment in the entertainment and television news industries. Visit the AFTRA EEO webpage for updates.

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ADA ANNIVERSARY STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY
AFTRA, along with 650 other organizations, recently signed on to a statement of solidarity on the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). While the statement applauds the law and the progress to date in making this country more accessible, it also notes that “although substantial progress has been made, we are reminded every day of the significant remnants of the "shameful wall of exclusion" that continue to prevent this great country from realizing the full promise of the ADA.”

To read the full statement, go to the American Association of People with Disabilities website.

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“MEMBERS ONLY” SECTION COMING TO THE AFTRA WEBSITE
Beginning Monday, August 22, 2005, AFTRA members will be able to log on to a secure section of the AFTRA website to pay dues and update personal records, such as mailing and e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc. To access this section of the website, go to the AFTRA homepage and click on the “Members Only” icon, or you can open the “Members” drop-down menu at the top of any page and click on "Members Only.” After verifying your membership and establishing a unique password, the site will lead you through simple step-by-step instructions to pay your dues by MasterCard or Visa, change your contact information, make a charitable donation to the AFTRA Foundation, or complete other transactions.

LABOR UPDATES
Support UNITE HERE Hotel Workers
AFTRA continues to support our UNITE HERE union brothers and sisters by boycotting hotels across the country.

The following 9 Los Angeles hotels: Century Plaza, St. Regis, Wilshire Grand, Bonaventure, Regent Beverly Wilshire, Hyatt West Hollywood, Hyatt Regency, Millennium Biltmore. To learn more about the boycott, go to the UNITE HERE.

The following 14 San Francisco hotels: Argent Hotel, Crowne Plaza Union Square, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Grand Hyatt Union Square, Hilton San Francisco, Holiday Inn Civic Center, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf, Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Center, Mark Hopkins InterContinental, Omni Hotel, Sheraton Palace and the Westin St. Francis. For information and a list of alternative accommodations, visit the Local 2 website.

The following 2 hotels in Chicago: downtown Four Seasons and Intercontinental Hotels. The boycott is part of an ongoing comprehensive campaign to win better wages, working conditions and bargaining rights for hospitality workers. It is a part of efforts in 12 strategic cities nationwide. For more information, go to UNITE HERE.

LOCAL BRIEFS
Pittsburgh
Things that go bump in the night like a lead pipe to the temple...

Sounds like something from the minds of Tom Savini, Jeff Monahan, and Marty Schiff has escaped. There was a cold start to summer as Pittsburgh AFTRA presented Tom Savini's Chill Factor starring Bingo O'Malley on Monday, June 13. Proudly produced under an AFTRA contract in our region with local actors and crew.

Chicago
Chicago Leafleting Supports Spanish-Language Organizing
As part of NBC’s Talent Diversity Initiative, Chicago’s Stand Up for Diversity auditions and showcase for comedians of diverse backgrounds were held May 9 and 10. Per NBC, “The top comics from our nationwide search will be brought back to Los Angeles to be showcased for key Hollywood players this fall.”

The Chicago Local took the opportunity to leaflet and inform the public of NBC/Telemundo’s current bargaining positions which deny Spanish-language performers and broadcasters the industry standard terms and conditions made available to their English-language counterparts at NBC and Universal. AFTRA has been in bargaining for a first contract on behalf of the broadcasters at Telemundo’s Chicago station for nearly two years. Telemundo broadcasters, who deliver the news, sports and weather in Spanish, should be paid equitably and should enjoy the same protections and benefits as their English-language counterparts at the other stations in Chicago.

NBC showcases in Miami and Atlanta were also the scene of Telemundo leafleting.

Arizona
Arizona Makes Production History with New Tax Incentive Bill
It’s a wrap! On Friday, May 20, 2005, Governor Napolitano signed the Motion Picture Production Tax Incentive Bill (SB1347) into Arizona law. SB1347 is a tax incentive for production companies that incur costs of $250,000 or more in Arizona on local goods, services, and wages. The incentive allows a production company to choose between either a refundable/transferable 20% tax credit or a 100% sales tax exemption on their Arizona costs. The law will go into effect in January 2006.

Los Angeles
Los Angeles Laugh Factory/Red Cross Blood Drive Sunday August 21
The LA Laugh Factory is looking for AFTRA’s help in signing up blood donors for this important event. Donors must make an appointment. If interested, they should call Katherine at (323) 828-2800 ext. 203 or visit www.givealife.org.

Top comics will entertain you while you give blood, and you could win an iPod, roundtrip airline tickets, Gucci sunglasses, and more! All donors will receive Laugh Factory tickets and a gift bag full of goodies from the sponsors of the drive.

New AFTRA-SAG Federal Credit Union Branch in Sherman Oaks
The AFTRA-SAG Federal Credit Union has opened a third branch in Sherman Oaks at 14118 Magnolia Boulevard with free parking off Hazeltine. The other two credit union branches are located at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 925 (at Museum Square) in Los Angeles, and at 4100 Riverside Drive, Suite A, in Burbank. Hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00am – 4:00pm and Friday from 9:00am – 6:00pm. Check out the services available through the credit union.

Actors' Fund Seminar
www.AHIRC.org
Getting and Keeping Health Insurance
Wednesday, September 7, 2005, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
5757 Wilshire Blvd., 1st Floor Cagney Room
RSVP to Simon or (323) 933-9244 ext. 32
This seminar is for uninsured and under-insured members of the arts and entertainment community – providing information on obtaining and keeping health insurance and finding free and income based-health care when you are uninsured.

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WE REMEMBER
Joe O'Brien (1915-2005), legendary DJ and “Good Guy.” O'Brien worked as WMCA/New York’s morning man from 1935 to 1969, traversing many eras in the station's history – including a legendary run as the main Top 40 competitor of WABC/New York and becoming a "Good Guy" in the process. From 1970-72, he handled the morning show at WNBC. From the mid-1970s until his official retirement in 1986, he worked at B/EZ WHUD, giving "Beautiful Music from Radio Terrace" to the entire Hudson Valley region.

Frank Gorshin (1934-2005), actor, comedian, and impressionist known for playing the frisky Riddler in the 1960s TV series Batman, for which he earned an Emmy nomination. He received his second Emmy nomination as a guest star in a classic Star Trek episode. He has many film and stage credits to his name.

Gorshin's first professional job came at age 17 when he won a talent contest, his prize being a one-week engagement at Jackie Heller's Carousel nightclub where Alan King was headlining. He studied at Carnegie Mellon and spent two years in the Army during the Korean conflict, serving in Special Services as an entertainer.

Henry Corden (1920-2005), actor and voice artist best known for his role as Fred Flinstone’s voice. He gave his voice to a number of other Hanna-Barbera productions, including The Jetsons, Josie and the Pussycats, The Atom Ant Show, The New Tom & Jerry Show, and Jonny Quest.

Corden was frequently tapped to play heavies in films and on television. He can be seen in such live-action films as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Black Castle (1952) and The Ten Commandments (1956). He also appeared in dozens of TV shows, including Dragnet, Perry Mason, and Gunsmoke.

Corden is survived by his wife of nine years, Angelina, five children, and five grandchildren.

Eddie Albert (1906-2005), an actor who is best known as the constantly befuddled city slicker-turned-farmer in television's Green Acres. He was nominated for Academy Awards as best supporting actor in Roman Holiday (1953) and The Heartbreak Kid (1972).

Besides the 1965-1971 run in Green Acres, he costarred on TV with Robert Wagner in Switch from 1975 to 1978 and was a semi-regular on Falcon Crest in 1988. Albert acted on radio and appeared in summer stock before his break in show business came during the ’30s in the Broadway hit Brother Rat, a comedy about life at Virginia Military Institute. Warner Bros. signed him to a contract and cast him in the 1938 film.

Among his other films: Carrie, Oklahoma!, The Teahouse of the August Moon, The Sun Also Rises, The Roots of Heaven, The Longest Day, Miracle of the White Stallions, The Longest Yard, and Escape to Witch Mountain.

Peter Jennings (1938-2005), one of America's most distinguished broadcast journalists. Jennings reported on many of the pivotal events that shaped our world including the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall; the US civil rights movement; the end of apartheid in South Africa; the signing of the Voting Rights act; the Vietnam war; the demise of communism; the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich; and 9/11 in NYC. He reported from all 50 states as well as numerous locations around the globe.

Jennings joined ABC News on August 3, 1964. He established the first American television news bureau in the Arab world in 1968 when he served as ABC News bureau chief for Beirut, Lebanon. In 1975, Jennings moved to Washington to become the news anchor of ABC's morning program A.M. America, then went to Rome before moving to London to become ABC's Chief Foreign Correspondent. In 1978, he was named the foreign desk anchor for World News Tonight. He co-anchored the program with Frank Reynolds in Washington, D.C., and Max Robinson in Chicago until 1983.

Jennings was named anchor and senior editor of World News Tonight in 1983. In his more than 20 years in that position, he was honored with almost every major award given to television journalists, including 16 Emmys, two George Foster Peabody Awards, several Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, several Overseas Press Club Awards, and an Edward R. Murrow Award.

He is survived by his wife, Kayce Freed, his two children, Elizabeth, 25, and Christopher, 23, and his sister, Sarah Jennings.

Luther Vandross (1951-2005), legendary singer who, during his four-decade career, sold more than 25 million copies, with each one of his 14 albums achieving either platinum or multi-platinum status.

Vandross began his career writing and performing jingles for television commercials. He appeared on Sesame Street in October 1969 and it was after a chance meeting with David Bowie at a recording studio in 1975 that Vandross was asked to sing backup on Bowie's hit album, Young Americans. Later, Vandross served as Bowie's opening act and also sang backup for Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand.

When record companies rejected him, Vandross used his own money to produce his 1981 debut album, Never Too Much. It went on to top the R&B charts and sold 2 million copies. Vandross went on to win eight Grammy’s for his works.

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UPDATE YOUR RECORDS
Please remember to keep your address – including email – current with the Health & Retirement Funds, as well as with your AFTRA local. Members who want to change their addresses with both the union and H&R can get a multi-use change of address form from their local office.

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PROTECT YOUR SECURITY!
Protect yourself from the growing problem of identity theft. Avoid using your Social Security number on any public document. Use your AFTRA Performer ID Number (that’s the number on your AFTRA Membership Card, not the number on your AFTRA Health and Retirement Card) whenever you fill out audition sign-in sheets, member reports, or send correspondence to the union. Do not put your Social Security number on resumes or headshots. If you can’t find your AFTRA Membership Card, call your local AFTRA office.

If you are communicating with the AFTRA H&R Funds, use your participant ID number located on your AFTRA Health Fund card. If you have a question about your participant ID number for AFTRA H&R purposes, contact the Funds office directly at (800) 562-4690.

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