AFTRA FLASH

AFTRA - Your Voice in Music, Entertainment and News & Information -
Your Union

February 2006

In this issue

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NEW NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
LOCAL BRIEFS
ATLANTA
CHICAGO
CLEVELAND
DETROIT
LOS ANGELES
NEW YORK
SAN FRANCISCO
SEATTLE
WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE
WE REMEMBER
UPDATE YOUR RECORDS
PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY

NEW NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
On February 6, John Hinrichs joined the AFTRA staff as National Director of Communications. Hinrichs is based in Los Angeles and will oversee AFTRA's communications functions, including press relations, member communications, and outreach, as well as communications strategies for organizing campaigns. Hinrichs comes to AFTRA from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) where he served as Senior Communications Specialist. His responsibilities with SEIU included the development, planning, and leadership of communications strategies for organizing, legislative, and contract campaigns, including media outreach and creation of print and web based advocacy content, press materials, fact sheets, and other publications. Prior to his work at SEIU, Hinrichs was a principal at Next Wave Communications where he directed a range of projects that included serving as communications director and press secretary for the campaigns of California State Senators Wesley Chesbro and Betty Karnette, as well as campaign manager for Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard. “A strong communications structure and strategy is critical to AFTRA’s work in effectively negotiating and organizing union work opportunities for AFTRA members in the digital age,” said AFTRA National Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth. “We are pleased that John Hinrichs will bring his talent and experience in both labor and politics to those efforts.”

For the complete announcement, visit www.aftra.com.

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LOCAL BRIEFS
ATLANTA
Lend Me An Ear! Fundraiser
The 2nd Annual Lend Me An Ear!, a night of Old Time radio recreations by the Atlanta AFTRA/SAG/AEA Radio Players, was presented on November 14, 2005. A fundraiser for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, it brought in more than $1,500 in donations and 800 pounds of canned goods just in time for Thanksgiving. The evening was a salute to “Women in Radio,” highlighting the great ladies from the Golden Age of radio: Gracie Allen, “Our Miss Brooks,” “Baby Snooks,” Judy Canova and “Beulah,” and included tributes to the daytime serials, aka “soaps.” With dozens of performers and nearly 200 in attendance at the New American Shakespeare Tavern, it was another rousing success. It was a wonderful way to celebrate radio’s past, help a good cause, and share in union camaraderie while enjoying shepherd’s pie and a glass of ale. Thanks to all who helped in this endeavor! We look forward to the 3rd installment this coming autumn.

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CHICAGO
Chicago AFTRA Local January Election Results
CHICAGO AFTRA LOCAL BOARD OFFICERS
Dan Frick, President
Richard Steele, 1st Vice President
Craig J. Harris, 2nd Vice President
Richard Shavzin, 3rd Vice President
Eileen Parkinson, Treasurer
Oksana Fedunyszyn, Recording Secretary

NATIONAL BOARD
Eileen Parkinson and Nancy Sellers

CHICAGO LOCAL AFTRA BOARD
Bernie Allen, Will Clinger, Deb Doetzer, Renee Ferguson, Lee Fuller, Byron Heusdens, Mark McCarthy, Megon McDonough, Julie Mann, Lia D. Mortensen, Bernie Tafoya, Bob Wallace, Cedric Young

AFTRA-SAG Radio Players to Perform
Join the AFTRA-SAG Radio Players as they bring back to life two top network radio shows of the 1940s: The Adventures of Sam Spade ("The Jade Dragon Caper") and Easy Aces ("Jane Serves on a Jury").

Wednesday, February 22
6:30pm – Doors Open
7:00pm – Performance Begins
Claudia Cassidy Theater
Chicago Cultural Center
Second Floor
Michigan Avenue
(Between Randolph and Washington)

Admission is FREE!

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CLEVELAND
Conservatory Program
Hot Pizza / Cold Readings Session #3
Focus: On-Camera Auditions

Monday, March 6
6:30pm – 9:00pm
Cleveland AFTRA Office
1468 West 9th, Suite 720
Cleveland

Open only to AFTRA members in good standing
Free for all conservatory members, $5 for non-conservatory members

Cleveland AFTRA Annual Membership Meeting
Monday, March 27
6:30pm – 9:00pm
More details to follow.

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DETROIT
AFTRA Local Board Member Martha Reeves Elected to City Council
“I believe that the music we presented changed the world,” she said. “I’m a civil servant. I always have been.” Martha Reeves, Motown Singer, was recently quoted by Jeremy W. Peters in a New York Times article (published January 19, 2006, “In Detroit, Motown Singer is Trying a Brand New Beat”) . An AFTRA member since 1962, Martha is one of our loved and respected members of the AFTRA Board of Directors in Detroit. She has recently won a seat on the Detroit City Council and somehow has found the time in her hectic touring schedule to include giving back to her community as well as to her union, AFTRA. The Detroit AFTRA Board Members have come to know her as a genuine, creative, and thoughtful person. Congratulations, Martha, and thanks. You have our deep appreciation and support.

Detroit AFTRA Membership Meeting
Monday, February 27
6:30pm
Detroit AFTRA Office
Vanguard Center
23800 West Ten Mile Road, 2nd Floor Boardroom
Southfield, MI
Election and other issues will be discussed.

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LOS ANGELES
Seasoned Play Reading Committee
The AFTRA/SAG/WGA Seasoned Play Reading Committee invites you to join them for a play reading of J. S. Cook's "Ancestor."

Monday, February 13
WGA-West
Multi-Purpose Room
7000 West Third Street
Los Angeles

Admission is FREE!

The Seasoned Play Readings are held monthly on the second Monday of each month. RSVP to (323) 782-4526, press #2.

Legislative and Public Affairs News – Health Care Forums Scheduled, February 23 and March 4, Tell Your Story
One of the priorities for AFTRA’s Legislative and Public Affairs Task Force is working with other unions and community organizations advocating for solutions to the health care crisis in this country. As AFTRA members know, costs of health care and the numbers of uninsured Americans are rapidly increasing with no end in sight. At two upcoming Los Angeles hearings, members and union representatives will have an opportunity to testify about problems with out health care system and propose potential solutions. These are also good opportunities to learn about the problems working people are facing with health care delivery and hear a discussion of solutions to this problem. Click here to learn more about these hearings and/or to join AFTRA LA's Legislative and Public Affairs Task Force.

AFTRA Los Angeles Hosts Breast Cancer Early Detection Program – February 24
AFTRA Los Angeles is pleased to host a free mammography and breast exam program for qualified women in AFTRA households. Click here for program qualifications and registration details.

"How to Audition” Workshop
AFTRA LA will welcome Laura James to lead two sessions of "How to Audition," February 27 and March 6. The workshop will focus on cold readings and prepared monologues. AFTRA members in good standing may submit (in person or by mail) their pictures and resumes for instructor consideration to:

Ron Thomas
Member Services Representative
AFTRA Los Angeles
5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900
Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Please be sure to include your AFTRA ID number and mark your envelope "Laura James." Deadline for submissions is February 16.

AFTRA Casting Showcase
The next General AFTRA Casting Showcase for LA members, scheduled for March 6, will feature Casting Director Pam Dixon.

To sign up for this showcase, please call the Showcase RSVP line at 323.634.8123 between 9:30am, February 21, and 5:30pm, February 24 only.

Please be prepared to provide your name, AFTRA ID number, telephone number, e-mail address, and your scene partner's name. Members will be signed up on a "first come, first served" basis until the showcase is filled. All participants must be AFTRA members in good standing. (Members may sign-up for one showcase per month.)

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NEW YORK
AFTRA Mentoring Program
Upcoming dates for the AFTRA Mentoring Program are:

Saturday, February 25
Saturday, March 4
Saturday, March 25
Saturday, April 8

All sessions are from 12:00pm – 3:00pm and will be held in the Stanley Greene Room at the AFTRA New York Local, 260 Madison Ave., 7th Floor.

The AFTRA Mentoring Program is aimed at college students and college-aged young adults in the New York area. If you are interested in becoming an AFTRA Mentor, please contact Victoria Pistone or call 212.863.4257.

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SAN FRANCISCO
AFTRA San Francisco Local Spring General Membership Meeting
Mark your calendars for the upcoming AFTRA spring membership on Monday, March 20, 2006. New membership orientation begins at 6:00pm. Location and agenda details to follow.

Tax Planning Seminar for Actors
This workshop, held at the beautiful Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel, includes the IRS Service Guidelines for adults and young performers. Featuring Guest Speaker Alan Markle, CPA.

Monday, February 13
7:00pm – 8:30pm
Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel
55 Cyril Magnin Place (near 5th at Market)
San Francisco

Easy access via public transportation and parking is available at the 5th and Mission Garage. Seating is limited. RSVP to the San Francisco AFTRA/SAG office at 415.391.7510.

Audition Monologue Workshop
The Media Access Office (MAO) of Northern California will hold an Audition Monologue Workshop taught by Laura Gardner and Frank Collision.

Saturday, March 4
11:00am – 3:00pm
AFTRA/SAG Office
350 Sansome Street
San Francisco

The class is an intensive audition monologue workshop with individual one-on-one coaching. Participants will be expected to come with a prepared (i.e., memorized) monologue suitable for use at auditions, which the participants will present to the class and then work on with the instructors. The monologues should be under two minutes in length, appropriate to the actor's age and sex, be an active, emotionally charged scene, rather than passive (i.e., telling a story, exposition, etc.). The workshop is open to MAO members or performing union members with an ADA-recognized disability who are willing to register with the MAO.

Attendance is limited to twelve participants, on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, send a check or money order in the amount of $10 payable to "Friends of Californians with Disabilities, Inc." to:

Friends of Californians with Disabilities, Inc.
Media Access Office North
4071 Port Chicago Highway, Suite 250
Concord, CA 94520-1157

You may also call the MAO office at 925.602.7721 for more information. This class is primarily funded through an ABC Development Grant.

Station Updates

• Agreements for the KRON-TV Writers and Directors and the KTVU-TV Newspersons have been signed.
• A new agreement for the KGO-AM Staff Announcers and Newspersons is being signed.
• The KPIX-TV Newspersons and Announcers contract negotiations recently opened.
• Negotiations continue on behalf of the KRON-TV Newspersons in an effort to reach an agreement.

Legislation
Film/TV incentive legislation has been introduced in the City and County of San Francisco, based on a rebate system - hearings are scheduled.

Health Care legislation, similar in nature to SB 2, has been introduced in the City and County of San Francisco - hearings are scheduled.

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SEATTLE
Station Update
The AFTRA Seattle Local has recently completed new three-year contracts for Reporters and News Writers at KIRO TV, a Cox Broadcasting station. The agreements include cost of living increments for all represented employees averaging 9% over the term of the contracts.

Washington State Shield Law
The AFTRA Local is supporting a state shield law for journalists, which prohibits a news reporter from being required to turn over notes and other records except in special circumstances. The legislation is an outgrowth of reporters being jailed in the U.S. for refusal to name sources or turn over confidential records.

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WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE
Have You Heard about Metro’s “Doors Closing” Contest?
Staff phones and email in-boxes were inundated with questions about the transit authority’s announcement that it would be holding a contest to pick the new voice of the subway system. Why? Because a look at the announcement as well as the contest rules revealed that the lucky “winner” would have to agree to no pay. Further, he/she would have to agree to be available to appear at press events and additional recording sessions over the next year, again, for free.

The Washington/Baltimore membership reacted and the membership mobilized. First, we gathered signatures for a petition to be sent to the Metro Board of Directors as well as area City Councils and Boards of Supervisors. Next, several voice-over professionals gathered at a local recording studio on a Sunday afternoon to record a radio spot objecting to the terms of the contest.

The spot aired on WTOP radio on Wednesday, January 11. Copies of the spot via MP3, along with the petition were sent to the Metro Board, the Arlington County Board, the Fairfax, Prince George's, and Montgomery County Boards of Supervisors, as well as other press outlets that same day.

We got some very positive publicity. WTOP ran stories all day long on Friday, January 13. WJLA-TV Channel 7 covered the story on Friday night, January 13 and The Washington Post ran a story in the Metro section on Sunday, January 15. Thank you to Melissa Leebaert, John Badila, and Liz Noone for being our wonderful spokespersons.

The Washington/Baltimore Local members involved want to publicly thank Nelson and Renee Funk of Potomac Audio, who opened their studio and gave their time to this effort. Additionally, profound thanks go to our AFTRA broadcasters who not only covered the story, and helped us to make this a newsworthy story, but for proudly expressing solidarity with their AFTRA colleagues.

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WE REMEMBER

	Al Lewis (1923 - 2006), actor, best-known as the cigar-chomping Grandpa from the television sitcom, The Munsters. Lewis was a vaudeville and circus performer, but his career didn't take off until television did the same. Lewis first appeared on TV as Officer Schnauzer in Car 54, Where Are You? – a comedy about a Bronx police precinct that aired from 1961-63. One year later, he appeared in The Munsters. Lewis, sporting a somewhat cheesy Dracula outfit, became a pop culture icon playing the irascible father-in-law to Fred Gwynne's ever-bumbling Herman Munster on the 1964-66 television show. Lewis' life off the small screen ranged far beyond his acting antics. A former ballplayer in high school, he achieved notoriety as a basketball talent scout familiar to coaching greats like Jerry Tarkanian and Red Auerbach. He operated a successful Greenwich Village restaurant, Grandpa's, where he was a regular presence – chatting with customers, posing for pictures, signing autographs. In 1998, Lewis ran as a Green Party candidate for New York State Governor against incumbent Governor George Pataki. Although defeated, he did succeed in winning 52,000 votes. Lewis rarely slowed down, opening his restaurant and hosting his weekly WBAI radio program. At one point during the 1990s, he was a frequent guest on the Howard Stern radio show. He also popped up in a number of movies, including the acclaimed They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and Married to the Mob. Lewis reprised his role of Schnauzer in the movie remake of Car 54, and appeared as a guest star on long-running television shows such as Taxi, Green Acres, and Lost in Space.
	Fayard Nicholas (1914 - 2006), world-famous tap dancer, renown from the halls of vaudeville to the Cotton Club, and from Broadway to Hollywood film and television. Fayard Nicholas and his brother, Harold, who passed away in 2000, thrilled audiences with their unique blend of athleticism and grace. They were hailed by The New York Times as "masters of timing and ministers of grace.” In 1932, the same year they made their first film, Pie, Pie Blackbird with Eubie Blake, they opened at the Cotton Club working with the likes of Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ethel Waters, The Step Brothers, and The Berry Brothers to name a few. Samuel Goldwyn saw them at the fashionable club and invited them to California to do the film Kid Millions (1934). In 1940, they were contracted to 20th Century-Fox where they made six films. After their first Broadway show, Ziegfeld Follies, the Brothers went abroad for the first time with Bob Hope, Eve Arden, Fanny Brice, and Josephine Baker, to London to star in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds (1936). Fayard and Harold went on to star in many Broadway, Off Broadway, and theater productions throughout the U.S. and abroad. In 1981, the Brothers were honored with a retrospective of their work in films on the Academy Awards television special. Fayard received a Tony Award for his choreography in the Tony Award winning Broadway show Black and Blue in 1989. In 1994, the Brothers received their long overdue star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Their achievements and appearances are too numerous to mention here. According to Who's Who in Hollywood, The Nicholas Brothers are "...certainly the greatest dance team ever to work in the movies." Fayard Nicholas was 91 when he died.
	Christopher Penn (1963 - 2006), actor. started acting at the age of 12 and made his film debut in 1979's Charlie and the Talking Buzzard. In 1983, he was featured in Francis Ford Coppola's youth drama Rumble Fish and appeared in a small role in the high school football drama All the Right Moves. He also appeared in the hit dance musical Footloose in 1984, played a villain in the Clint Eastwood western Pale Rider (1985), and co-starred with his brother, Sean, and mother Eileen Ryan in At Close Range (1986). Penn was typically cast as a supporting actor, featured as a villain or a working-class lug, or in a comic role. Two of his more memorable performances came in Reservoir Dogs and True Romance. In 1996 he won the best supporting actor at the Venice Film Festival for The Funeral. He also appeared in Robert Altman's ensemble film Short Cuts. He also appeared in The Darwin Awards, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival one day after his death. Penn was 40 when he died.
	Wilson Pickett (1942 - 2006), 1960’s soul music pioneer who worked up some of the hottest dancefloor grooves on hits like "In the Midnight Hour" (1965), "Land of 1000 Dances" (1966), "Mustang Sally" (1966), and "Funky Broadway" (1966). Admired by fans who like their soul on the rawer side, he helped establish the sound of Southern soul with his early hits, which were often written and recorded with the best of the session musicians in Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Before establishing himself as a solo artist, Pickett sang with the Falcons, who had a Top Ten R&B hit in 1962 with "I Found a Love." "If You Need Me" (covered by the Rolling Stones) and "It's Too Late" were R&B hits for the singer before he hooked up with Atlantic Records, who sent him to record at Stax in Memphis in 1965. One early result was "In the Midnight Hour," whose chugging horn line, loping funky beats, and impassioned vocals combined into a key transitional performance that brought R&B into the soul age. He was 64 when he died.
	Knowles Robertson (1928-2005), retired broadcast journalist and founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area Broadcast Legends, passed away on January 22. Robertson had been residing in Sonoma, California, for many years following his retirement. Prior to his retirement, Knowles worked at San Francisco radio station KNEW. Robertson was 77 when he died.
	Wendy Wasserstein (1950 - 2006), award-winning playwright, honored friend of AFTRA, gifted wordsmith to thousands of AFTRAns of all ages. Wasserstein's writing, known for its sharp, often comedic look at what women had to do to succeed in a world dominated by men, chronicled the feminist struggles and successes of the baby-boomer generation. She found her greatest popular success with The Heidi Chronicles, which won the Best Play Tony Award, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989. Primarily a playwright, Wasserstein also wrote for TV and the movies, most notably the screenplay for the 1998 film version of Stephen McCauley's novel, The Object of My Affection. Wasserstein authored the best-selling children's book, Pamela's First Musical (1996). She also wrote two collections of personal essays, Bachelor Girls, published in 1990, and Shiksa Goddess: Or, How I Spent My Forties (2001). Wasserstein was 48 when she died.
	Shelley Winters (1920 - 2006), award-winning actress who, over a six-decade career, proved to be a highly prolific, galvanic presence on both stage and screen. Winters, who is is probably best remembered for her role as the champion swimmer Belle in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), won Oscars in 1959 for The Diary of Anne Frank for her role as Petronella Van Daan, mother of Peter Van Daan, and in 1965 for A Patch of Blue, in which she played a mother who tries to end her blind daughter's friendship with a black man, played by Sidney Poitier. During Winters' long career, she evolved from a buxom sexpot to a serious dramatic actress. She was a devotee of The Actors Studio, and constantly challenged herself to find new ways to perform and reinvent herself. She continued working into her 70s, playing Roseanne's grandmother in a recurring role on the television show Roseanne in the 1990s. She died at the age of 85.

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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. You can also change your information with the union only
online at www.aftra.com, click on the “Members Only” button.

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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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