MAXIMIZE YOUR AFTRA HEALTHCARE BENEFITS
RECORDING ARTISTS: DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR
ROYALTIES
FCC HEARING ON MEDIA
CONSOLIDATION SCHEDULED FOR NASHVILLE
AFTRA FIGHTS CENSORSHIP
SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH THE AFTRA BROADCAST TALENT
REVIEW
WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHANGE
AT NBC
PODCAST CELEBRATES THE 100TH
BIRTHDAY OF AFTRA FOUNDER
GIRLS
INC. HONORS AFTRA NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
LOCAL BRIEFS
ATLANTA
CHICAGO
LOS ANGELES
NEW YORK
SAN FRANCISCO
TWIN CITIES
WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE
PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY
UPDATE YOUR RECORDS ONLINE
AFTRA MEMBERS SAVE MONEY DURING THE
HOLIDAYS
MAXIMIZE
YOUR AFTRA HEALTHCARE BENEFITS
Not Covered by the AFTRA Health Plan?
Take Advantage of New Dental/Vision Plans
New Dental and
Vision Plans are now available to AFTRA members not covered by the AFTRA
Health Plan. Enroll today and you can enjoy money-saving benefits like
rolling over your unused dental benefits and more. But hurry! Open
enrollment ends December 31! Click here to find out
more and enroll online>>
AFTRA H&R Premiums Due December
15
Have you received your AFTRA Health Plan Premium invoice?
Remember, premiums for the January 1, 2007, quarter are due no later than
Friday, December 15, 2006. If you have not yet received your premium
invoice, call the AFTRA Health Fund immediately at 1.800.562.4690 or click
here to visit the AFTRA H&R
website>>
The AFTRA Health Plan: Changing to Meet Your
Needs
The healthcare crisis makes it difficult to provide the
quality care Americans need. Many AFTRA members rely on the AFTRA Health
& Retirement Funds—an organization separate from AFTRA—to provide
health coverage. In 2003 and 2004, AFTRA worked with the AFTRA H&R
Funds to meet with members in AFTRA Locals across the country to hear
concerns about their healthcare needs. The Funds Trustees listened—and now
have made changes to the AFTRA Health Plan, beginning January 1, 2007, to
keep participants covered through the healthcare crisis. Click here to visit the AFTRA
H&R website and find out more>>
RECORDING ARTISTS: DON’T THROW
AWAY YOUR ROYALTIES
If you are a recording artist,
SoundExchange may be holding money for you. SoundExchange will be making
its next distribution soon—so any artists who have not yet registered with
SoundExchange need to do so by Friday, December 15, 2006,
or they may lose a portion of their unclaimed monies. If you think there
may be money waiting for you, please check with SoundExchange immediately. You
can register for SoundExchange by visiting www.soundexchange.com. DO NOT
MISS THIS IMPORTANT DEADLINE!
Recording artists should also check with the AFM/AFTRA Intellectual Property Trust
Fund and the Alliance of
Artists and Recording Companies to see if there is money waiting there
for you.
Actors and other artists on spoken word recordings and cast
albums: Please check these websites, there may be royalties waiting for
you.
FCC HEARING ON MEDIA CONSOLIDATION
SCHEDULED FOR NASHVILLE
Join with AFTRA members in Nashville,
TN, on Monday, December 11, to oppose further relaxation of media
ownership regulations. Attend this second official FCC public hearing and
make your voice heard. Click
here for details>>
AFTRA FIGHTS
CENSORSHIP
New standards adopted by the Federal Communications
Commission to censor "indecency" on the airwaves are overly vague and
unconstitutional, AFTRA—along with a coalition free speech organizations,
community broadcasters, filmmakers, performers, and writers—argued in a
legal brief filed on November 30. Click
here to read the press release>>
SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH THE AFTRA BROADCAST TALENT
REVIEW
The AFTRA Broadcast Talent Review offers
a private and secure system for members to submit talent reels to
prospective employers and others. This online service provides
password-protected instant access and permit AFTRA members and their
franchised agents to seek increased employment opportunities with
confidentiality and convenience. The low-cost service is available to
AFTRA members seeking employment as anchors, reporters, sportscasters,
weathercasters, disc jockeys, or hosts in radio and television. Members
will be able to save money and time by avoiding mailing or overnighting
countless tapes, and instead offers instant secured access to talent reels
to whomever they choose. Click here to check
out this exciting service for AFTRA members>>
WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHANGE AT NBC
Click here to
read an important message from AFTRA National Executive Director Kim
Roberts Hedgpeth>>
PODCAST CELEBRATES THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF AFTRA
FOUNDER
In a podcast recording, AFTRA National
President John P. Connolly celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth
of George Heller who founded the union that evolved into the American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Click
here to listen>>
GIRLS INC. HONORS AFTRA NATIONAL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Girls Inc. honored AFTRA National Executive
Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth at its annual celebration luncheon at the
Beverly Hills Hotel. Click here to read
the whole story>>
LOCAL BRIEFS
ATLANTA
AFTRA/SAG Holiday Open House, Friday,
December 8
Click
here for details>>
CHICAGO
AFTRA/SAG EEOC/Creative Casting Committee
Presents "Diversity in Visual Media: Reflecting the Real America,"
Saturday, December 9
Click
here for details>>
Agent Access with Sam Samuelson, Stewart Talent,
Monday, December 18
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, December
12. Click
here for more information>>
LOS ANGELES
Join Us for the Next
Seasoned Readings Project, Monday, December 11
“Before You Go”
by Jim McGuinn is the next staged reading of the Seasoned Readings
Project, on Monday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m. This monthly reading is held
at the WGA West, 7000 West 3rd Street. RSVPs are required. Please call
323.782.4536 to reserve your seat and click
here for more information>>
Turkeys and Toys—Brighten the Holidays for Children
in Union Families Impacted by Unemployment
Get a head start on
the holiday spirit by donating a new, unwrapped toy or game to brighten
the holidays for children in union families impacted by unemployment this
year. Please drop your donation in the big gift box located in AFTRA's
Lobby on the 9th Floor at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard by December 11. If you
have questions about this annual AFTRA tradition, please call Kathleen
Winslow at 323.634.8104 or click here to send her an
email>>
Learn More about AFTRA LA Member Programs—New
Classes Just Added!
- Improv Class for AFTRA Members—Submissions Due
January 25
- Scene Technique Class—January 24
- Auditions, the Business and Avoiding the
Negative—January 30
AFTRA LA
and San Diego members: Learn more about these and other classes by
visiting the LA Calendar of Member Events here>>
NEW YORK
AFTRA@Work Presents
“Getting Heard in the Voiceover Market—True Stories from the Field (Part
2),” Tuesday, December 5
Click here for
more information>>
SAN FRANCISCO
AFTRA SF Celebrates
its Electronic Media Agreement with Blackbox Theatre's recording of “The
Creature” for Podcast
AFTRA and Equity members James
Carpenter and Andrew Hurteau (and Equity member Paul Silverman) made local
history when they performed at the Blackbox Theatre a stage reading of an
adaptation of Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein” for podcast starting Halloween
night.
AFTRA SF Congratulates San Francisco
Members
Al Hart and Joel Bartlett—RTNDA Lifetime
Achievement Award
John Fowler, Sydnie Kohara, Bob Long, Ross
McGowan, and Hank Plante—2006 NATAS Silver Circle
Inductees
Rose Allen—BABJA Honoree
Bob Butler—NABJ
Salute to Excellence
Click here for more
information>>
TWIN
CITIES
Attention, Twin Cities actors! You are invited to the First
Annual AFTRA-Equity Holiday Mixer! Sunday, December 10
Click
here for details>>
WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE
ABC Casting
Project a Success!
The Washington-Baltimore Local was pleased
to host ABC Casting Project auditions on November 17 at DC’s Shakespeare
Theatre. Executives from ABC Television’s Talent Development and Primetime
Casting Departments auditioned 28 AFTRA members for the network’s upcoming
pilots as well as for the Casting Project’s Talent Showcases.
Geoffery Soffer with ABC Casting in New York, praised AFTRA
members saying, “Our scouting trip to DC and Philly was successful, and we
met several local actors that we will keep in mind for ABC projects and
the ABC Entertainment Television Group's annual Talent Showcase. We
appreciate the assistance of AFTRA in helping us to coordinate these
auditions and look forward to continuing our strong relationship with
them.”
The showcases provide promising actors the opportunity to
demonstrate their talent, and are designed to expand opportunities for
AFTRA members of color, those with disabilities, women, and seniors.
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 AFTRA Local.
UPDATE YOUR RECORDS
ONLINE
Please remember to keep your contact
information-including email-current with your AFTRA Local and AFTRA
H&R. You can update your information by requesting a multi-use change
of address form from your Local office. You can also update your
information online at the AFTRA
website, click on the "Members Only" button, fill out your
information, and check a box to automatically forward your address change
to AFTRA H&R!
AFTRA MEMBERS SAVE MONEY DURING THE
HOLIDAYS
Traveling During the Holidays? Save with Union
Plus!
Don't forget your everyday savings with Union Plus
benefits—including discounts on travel, computers and entertainment. Union
Plus delivers the best benefits through the collective buying power of
over 13 million AFL-CIO union members and helps union members enjoy life
at a great price. AFTRA members enjoy discounts on credit services, legal
services, pet services, travel, computers, and much more. Click here to visit the Union Plus website
to save on holiday travel and more >>
Send Holiday Greetings the Union-Made
Way
Wish everyone on your holiday card list the season's best
with gorgeous union-made greeting cards from The Union Shop Online. Choose
from nine unique card selections, each set a bargain at just $10 for 12
cards and envelopes. Several offer greetings in Spanish as well as
English. Click
here to see all the designs and order now>>
Enjoy Your Holiday Shopping the Union
Way
The Union Shop Online—the AFL-CIO's retail store
for activists—has something for everyone on your holiday gift-giving list.
From these holiday cards to books and clothing, games and music, stocking
stuffers and kids' stuff—you'll find it union-made at The Union Shop
Online. Stop by
now>>
