AFTRA FLASH!

HISTORIC LATIN GRAMMY AGREEMENT
AFTRA and the National Latino Media Council (NLMC) announced that the first-ever Spanish-language production of the Latin Grammy Awards will be produced by FRB Productions under an industry-standard AFTRA agreement for its broadcast on Univision. AFTRA congratulates Univision on stepping up and doing the right thing for Spanish-language performers.

In contrast, Telemundo insists on broadcasting the “El Premio de la Gente” awards show without applying the same industry standards to its Spanish-language performers. AFTRA’s negotiations with Telemundo for a national agreement, stalled in July of this year when the NBC/Universal-owned subsidiary refused to return to the bargaining table.

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ALERT - CASTING SCAM
AFTRA has received a report that a company representing itself as a casting agency for AFTRA covered programs, is asking unsuspecting performers to pay money in advance, that the company alleges will be sent to AFTRA towards payment of the union initiation fee. THIS IS A SCAM. Performers should note that no outside company is authorized to accept payment of initiation fee or dues that are payable to AFTRA. If you are asked to sign a contract with a company that holds itself out as a casting agency, production entity, or talent agency, and you are asked to pay the entity any portion of what would otherwise be payable to AFTRA for initiation fee or dues, please contact either the AFTRA National office in New York, or the AFTRA Los Angeles Local immediately. The proper authorities will be notified.

Contact Information:

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SOUND RECORDINGS NOTES
Moore Claims Process
If you were:
• A ROYALTY ARTIST

• WHO MADE ANY VOCAL RECORDING FOR (OR ON BEHALF OF) A SIGNATORY TO AFTRA’S PHONO CODE

• AT ANY TIME UP TO JANUARY 1, 1995.

You have the right to request a review of the earnings that were reported to the AFTRA Retirement Fund on your behalf, to determine whether any earnings that should have been reported on your behalf were not reported, and if so, to receive appropriate credit towards your AFTRA retirement for such earnings. This review includes any earnings that should have been reported on your behalf for any time period prior to January 1, 1995.

If you wish to file a claim for a review, please send a note requesting a "Moore Settlement Claim Form” to the address below or by fax to (212) 532-2242.

Dominique Bravo
AFTRA Ombudsperson/Moore Settlement
260 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10016

BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS ON YOUR REQUEST!

Once your request has been received, a claim form will be mailed to you so you can begin the process. If after receiving your claim form, you have any questions, the AFTRA Ombudsperson will be available to assist you.

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LOCAL BRIEFS
CHICAGO
Agent Access with LaMonica Campbell, Iris Talent

Wednesday November 16, 2005
KMRC
One East Erie, Suite 660
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 5:00PM Friday, November 4

Agent Access Details
You must be an AFTRA member in good standing with the Chicago office to be eligible to participate. Complete program details are posted on the Chicago website and at seniorradioplayers.com/castingaccess. We will not contact you via an agent or manager. Please include a legible personal contact phone number.

Materials may be mailed or hand-delivered to:
AFTRA/SAG Chicago
One East Erie, Suite 650
Chicago, IL 60611

Please place your materials in a standard-sized envelope and print only the following information clearly on the outside front:

Your name - as it is listed with the union(s)
Your AFTRA and/or SAG member number(s)
The name of the talent agent to receive this submission.

You must submit a separate envelope for each event - materials will not be shared or recycled among the agents. If more than one event has been announced, you may submit for all scheduled events at the same time (with separate materials) and need not wait for individual submission periods. However, you may not submit materials in advance for agents who have no pending Agent Access events scheduled.

Submissions without legible name and valid member ID number(s) on the outside front of the envelope will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to provide us with your correct name as it is listed with the union(s) and accurate union ID number(s).

LOS ANGELES
"Divas of Daytime"
On October 15th, AFTRA LA's Women's Committee, in association with the AFTRA/Museum of Television and Radio (MT&R) Mentor Program for College Students, hosted "Divas of Daytime," a panel program highlighting the leading ladies of daytime drama. Suzanne Rogers, Jacee Jule, Jeanne Cooper, Renee Jones, and Kate Linder were panelists with Local and National Board member Patrika Darbo serving as moderator.

More Mentor Events
The second AFTRA/ MT&R Mentor Program event on November 18, Covering Disasters: the Lessons of Katrina and Rita, will feature AFTRA LA broadcasters in a panel discussion before broadcast journalism students from LA area colleges.

NEW YORK
The New York Local has an active schedule of important member events this month.

On October 18, Washington/Baltimore member Sheldon Smith will reprise his acclaimed seminar "How to turn a Non-Union Offer into a Union Job."

On October 25, the Local will host a New Members meeting at which the benefits and obligations of AFTRA membership will be explained. All new members are invited to bring any question they may have about AFTRA or our contracts, and all other members who are confused or curious are also welcome.

The Annual Membership Meeting will be held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel on November 1st. Highlights will include a presentation by James Brown of the Actors' Fund on "Health Care Alternatives for AFTRA Members."

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LABOR UPDATES
AFL-CIO
The AFL-CIO has announced the formation of an Industry Coordinating Committee (ICC) to facilitate expanded cooperation and collaboration among the affiliated unions in the media industries. This initiative expands upon the multi-union model we have built at the DPE in the legislative and public policy arena to also encompass collective bargaining and organizing. If implemented successfully, this ICC structure has the potential to positively impact AFTRA's plans for expanded organizing. Of course, AFTRA's participation is subject to Board approval and oversight and does not affect any other relationships we might seek to strengthen or expand with unaffiliated unions. To see the full press release, go to AFL-CIO ICC Formation.

AFTRA is also a key participant within another AFL-CIO national strategic body, the AFL-CIO's Civil, Human and Women's Rights Department. Ray Bradford works with this department as part of a group of affiliated unions' civil rights Directors working on developing a set of Diversity Principles that will be disseminated to each union for adoption. In keeping with several convention resolutions adopted during their summer convention in Chicago, these resolutions mandate, among other things, that each union adopt these principles, and formulate a plan to develop and increase diversity among their membership, staff, and elected leadership. AFTRA is the only entertainment/broadcast industry union at the table.

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WE REMEMBER
Chris Schenkel (1923 – 2005), a sportscaster for more than six decades. His radio and television career included virtually every major sports competition and several pioneering broadcasts.

Schenkel was the first to cover the Masters Tournament on television, in 1956; the first to call a college football game coast-to-coast on ABC; and the first to serve as live sports anchor from the Olympics, in Mexico City in 1968. He was inducted into 16 halls of fame, including the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters and College and Pro Football halls, and he won an Emmy for lifetime achievement in 1993.

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown (1924 - 2005), a Grammy-award winning guitarist and singer. Born in Louisiana, but raised in Texas, he took an eclectic approach to music drawing influence from jazz, country and Texas blues, as well as the Cajun music of his native Louisiana. During his career, Brown recorded 30 records. He won a Grammy Award for Traditional Blues in 1983 for his album, Alright Again.

Brown’s professional musical career began in 1945, playing drums in San Antonio. He was nicknamed "Gatemouth" for his deep voice. He received note, and his fame took off, during a 1947 concert. He soon played guitar and other instruments. In the 1960s he moved to Nashville to participate in a syndicated R & B television show. While he was there recorded several country singles and made several appearances on the television show “Hee Haw”. He became an official ambassador of American music and participated in tours sponsored by the US State Department in the ‘70s and toured the world extensively in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.

Don Adams (1923 – 2005), a comedian and actor best known for his role as Maxwell Smart, for which he won three Emmys. He dropped out of school in 1941 to join the Marines and was returned to the States at one point to become a drill instructor, acquiring the clipped delivery that served him well as a comedian.

After the war he worked in New York as a commercial artist by day, doing standup comedy in clubs at night, taking the surname of his first wife, Adelaide Adams. His following grew, and soon he was appearing on the “Ed Sullivan” and late-night TV shows. Bill Dana, who had helped him develop comedy routines, cast him as his sidekick on Dana's show. That led to the NBC contract and "Get Smart."

Adams, who married and divorced three times and had seven children, served as the voice for the popular cartoon series, "Inspector Gadget," as well as cartoon character Tennessee Tuxedo.

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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 IDENTITY!
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 & 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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