SAG in WSJ

Wall street journal
 The venerable Wall Street Journal posts the following story in it's online edition 9/18/08. I'm re-purposing here with credit to the newspaper:

SAG Votes on Next Act

Union Election to Guide Talks With Studios

With negotiations for a new contract between the Screen Actors Guild
and the Hollywood studios unresolved, a union board election this week
will provide a window on how determined the guild is to continue to
fight for a new contract.

[Read more...]

SaVoa Connect

Ed Gambill is a talkative guy.  ‘Course he is…he’s a voice-actor.  But, I mean, he’s one of those guys you have a hard time getting off the phone with, ’cause he’s got something interesting to say.

What’s been interesting lately is an effort Ed’s putting together on behalf of SaVoa, the Society of Accredited Voice-Over Artists.  Ed is certainly the most conspicuous person fronting SaVoa, although there is a complete board of accomplished Voice-actors behind him, and an impressive ‘n’ growing number of members supporting him.

Ed called me Thursday to ask if I’d participate in a little experiment.  The call had an entirely different effect on me aside from Ed’s motives.

Although I’d purchased Source-Connect Standard many weeks ago, I had never even followed-through on finishing my Certification with the support staff at Source-Elements in Chicago.  Aside from a test session with Bob Souer, I hadn’t even touched the product, or attempted a session through Pro-Tools or the Source Elements Desktop — a free utility from Source-Elements that allows you to send, recieve, record, and playback soundfiles in your Source-Connect sessions.

Ed’s call changed all that.  Ed wanted me to be the starting point in an audio link-up that would end at an ISDN studio in Boston, with an in-between Source-Connect/ISDN Bridge just outside of Atlanta.  ‘Not quite sure why Ed picked me, but I knew it meant I needed to get my butt in gear and get my set-up in operating order.

Most of my attention the next day (Friday) was on getting Source-Connect up and running on my equipment.  I scheduled a certification session with Source-Elements and immediately ran into trouble.  My connection was fine, but my audio quality was "crackly" according to Mac, the sanguine tech-support guy at Source-Elements.  Back and forth we went.  No luck.

I fiddled with mic cords, USB connectors, software set-ups, Pro-tools configurations, and re-booted several times after changing various Windows settings.

First guy I thought to call for help was Bob Souer. But even though Bob had returned from Europe, he was at a funeral in Chicago.  Then I called Liz de Nesnera who confirmed that all my finagling was for naught.  "Sounds crackly," she said.  Ed Gambill said the same thing, but he was wrestling with his own software demons that day, and I didn’t want to bother him further.

We confirmed an appointment for the next morning to do the bridging experiment, though, and again I felt the pressure. 

I tried to tell myself it was a simple matter of elimination.  Trial ‘n’ error.  By 2am Saturday morning I had my culprit: my 2-and-a-half-year-old M-Audio FireWire Solo unit, purchased with Pro-Tools.  For whatever reason, it was failing.  Luckily, I had an M-Audio Tube Pre USB interface, and when I substituted it for the FireWire Solo, all was good.

10:30am PST Saturday…I’m connecting via Source-Connect to Thom Wilkins in Atlanta, who’s on the line with me, and bridging my signal to ISDN and JJ Wright in the Boston area, who recorded, prompted me on takes, and finished-up the production.  Other than a slight latency (not unlike waiting for a TV reporter to respond on a Satellite link-up) it was amazingly seamless and clear as a bell.

I have no idea what technological wizardry it takes to "bridge" a Source-Connect signal to an ISDN line.  But Thom seemed to have it well in hand, and the result was a success. Ed was ecstatic.

I’d post the soundfile for you, but I think you’ll be hearing it soon on a SaVoa announcement near you, along with an explanation of what Ed has up his sleeve to offer SaVoa members. 

I can tell you it’s innovative, quite beneficial for SaVoa members, and will save you money.

CourVO

For Those Interested….Just a Bit More on Fi-Core

‘Not to beat a dead horse, but I just keep running across more great explanations of "Financial Core" status relating to unions or "guilds" for actors.  These articles get a little pithy sometimes, but it’s valuable to understand this stuff, and it’s the reality of the legacy and history of our industry that we inherit.
—————————————

"Financial Core"

By Amy Lynn Smith

Myth: If you’re a performer in a union town, you either have to join an
actors’ union, or stick to working strictly non-union jobs.

Fact: There is a third option called financial core status, which is
typically described as being a "dues paying non-member". It’s an
alternative to the difficult choice workers usually have to make
between individual freedom and job security.

The meaning of "financial core" refers to the requirements of workers
in unionized industry to pay their union dues. In 1963, the Supreme
Court ruled that if workers are compelled to join a union, they must
only pay the portion of their dues which covers the union’s cost of
collective bargaining- known as financial core dues.

Then, in 1988, the Supreme Court ruled, in the case of Communications
Workers vs. Beck, that financial core does not include the obligation
to support union activities beyond those pertinent to collective
bargaining, contract administration and grievance adjustment.

So what does it mean when a union member declares "financial core"
status? Mark McIntire was the first performer to declare financial core
status in the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nationally. He also co-founded
the Financial Core Foundation, together with Charlton Heston, in an
effort to spread awareness about worker’s rights. "If we’re flying in a
plane and we don’t like the course the pilot has chosen," explains
McIntire, "the Supreme Court has said you can put on your golden
parachute called ‘financial core’ and jump out- without having any
adverse effects on your livelihood. You still have to pay for the
contract process- the fuel in the plane- but you don’t have to stay on
board if you don’t want to."

McIntire declared financial core status because he was opposed to how
SAG was spending his dues money. But he says, "The typical person who
declares financial core is a person competing for jobs in a marketplace
which is not thoroughly unionized."

A member who wishes to declare financial core status must do so in
writing. The union, by law, must accept this declaration. They must
then determine what percentage of dues cover collective bargaining, and
allow this now "dues paying non-member" to pay only the financial core
percentage of the union dues.

This is where it gets a bit confusing: Since financial core performers
are still paying for collective bargaining, they are still eligible to
work on union productions, and collect union scale for those jobs.
along with all the union benefits, such as health insurance. They are
not permitted to vote in union elections, hold union office, and they
do not receive "member-only" benefits such as newsletters.

When working under a union contract, these performers must adhere to the

rules of the contract as it pertains to an individual job. But because
these performers are not technically members of the union, they are not
bound to the rules of the union itself. That means that they are not
prosecutable, for example, under the SAG Rule #1 which forbids its
members to work for non-union signatories. Therefore, performers who
declare financial core status are eligible to work on both union and
non-union productions.

"Actors have always been under the false impression that in order for
them to audition for a production, they must be unionized," explains
McIntire. "That is simply not true. You can’t discriminate against an
actor because they are not unionized. Performers declare financial core
because its a business decision. They want to work."

Over the years, the issue has also been clouded because SAG and AFTRA
generally led talent agents to believe that they would forfeit their
union franchises if they handled non-union work, which is not true.

Steve Stratton has been a professional announcer since 1978. As a
member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
(AFTRA), he became disenchanted with many of the policies of his
Tri-State AFTRA Local, and last September, he declared financial core
status in AFTRA (although he remains a full member of SAG).

"My local wasn’t representing me at all," says Stratton. "They were
doing things that were keeping me from being able to make me a living.
Going financial core was an excruciating decision for me. I believe in
unions when they’re doing their job to take care of their members. It’s
no secret that every day, there are union performers who cheat the
rules. But I felt I made the more ethical choice, by being honest about
how I wanted to run my own business, and how I want to choose the jobs
I will or won’t take."

Stratton also points out that in the stronger traditional union
markets, such as Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, financial core
status may not be a necessary or a desirable choice.

Charlton Heston is a vocal supporter of workers’ rights to choose
financial core. "An increasing amount of work throughout the film
industry is done off-union. And that’s not going to change." he says.
"There is no reason that members, who have paid their dues, should not
be able to work in productions outside the union jurisdiction.

"

There are plenty of good reasons why performers choose financial core:
Greater job opportunities, in both union and non-union productions,
which means better income. The benefits of union membership, combined
with personal responsibility for their own careers.

Steve Stratton certainly recognizes the advantages of his financial
core status. But he also sees the potential down side. "The biggest
negative is that nobody knows what it is," says Stratton. "The
employers are confused by it, most members are surprised it’s even
possible. I used to worry that if a union signatory called the union,
they would say that I’m not a member- which technically, I am not. But
the union is required to tell union signatories that I am ‘eligible to
work under the contract.’

"My other big concern," continues Stratton, "is that financial core
members will charge greatly inflated – or even reduced – rates, and
erode the marketplace to the point that I can’t afford to work here. I
still charge union scale, or competitive rates, for my work. People
shouldn’t use financial core for their own personal profit. Everything
else is positive. My work is easier to do. I don’t have to charge extra
fees for things like talent payment services. I have greater
responsibility for my own business."

Although a large portion of the broadcast work in many Central Cities
markets remains union, a very sizeable segment of corporate production
is non-union. In a market where 60-75% of the work is corporate, this
comprises a serious achilles heel for union organizers.

And how do the unions feel about financial core? Many are evasive about
the topic. Others provide all the necessary information to their
members. Stratton’s AFTRA Local was given an opportunity to comment,
and did not respond. However, when another performer called her SAG
Local, the office clearly and objectively outlined the facts of
financial core membership for her.

"Performers have got to realize their rights," Heston explains. "That’s
what it comes to. No matter what their union tells them, there is no
question that members have the right to be financial core members. They
cannot be prevented from working." And financial core membership
doesn’t mean being anti-union. "Even for the financial core member, the
union still provides a valuable function." says Stratton. "They set a
standard for conducting business in our marketplace.

"
Talent agencies, casting directors and signatories must also be aware
of financial core performers. It is illegal to discriminate against a
financial core performer wishing to audition for a production.

These production entities should understand the law, and how it impacts
them. "When an agent or signatory is dealing with a financial core
person," Stratton explains, "They should respect that performer’s
position, and not try to treat them any differently than any other
professional. A financial core member is simply someone who has chosen
to run their own business and make their own decisions." ###

——————————–

CourVO

Fi-Core Explained

Top-notch Voice-Actor Connie Terwilliger responded to a question on the Yahoo Voiceovers Forum about Fi-Core….or Financial Core…a sort of non-union, union status.  Her response referred the questioner to THIS website, and one of the most cogent explanations I’ve yet seen on this topic.

Thanks Connie!

CourVO