Archive for May, 2008
Television and Radio Artists Agree on Three-Year Contract
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have tentatively agreed on a three-year contract covering prime-time television shows.
The tentative deal announced today includes wage increases, payments for work used on the Internet and other “new media,” increased employer contributions to the union’s health and retirement plans and other contract improvements.
AFTRA President Roberta Reardon says the pact achieves:
meaningful gains in compensation and working conditions for performers. It also establishes AFTRA jurisdiction in the dynamic area of New Media, and it preserves performers’ consent for use of excerpts of traditional TV shows in new media.
Denver-Area Union Vets Concerned About McCain’s Record
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Union members gathered in Denver to highlight key issues in the 2008 election and ask Sen. John McCain to pay attention to the issues that affect working families and veterans. McCain was in the Mile High City yesterday for a fundraiser, and as they have at McCain campaign stops across the country, union members turned out to meet him.
Some 38 percent of AFL-CIO members are veterans, so veterans’ benefits like health care and education are important issues for union members. (If you’re a veteran or from a military family, take our survey and let us know.) The federal government employees’ union, AFGE, has launched a campaign to convince McCain to change course and support fully funded public services for veterans, as well as a new G.I. Bill to expand college access for returning veterans. Mike Coulter, a Vietnam-era veteran and union member, served the people of the United States as an air traffic controller and federal employee for 25 years.
It’s important for union members to stand up for veterans’ issues. Last week, Sen. McCain spoke out against the increase in VA funding, and that is unfortunate.
McCain and Bush Raise Big Bucks, Avoid Tough Questions
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Sen. John McCain headed to his home state for a fundraiser yesterday, alongside a guest who he’s stood with for many years: President Bush.
McCain’s campaign treasury reaped the benefits of Bush’s taxpayer-funded trip to Phoenix, but McCain tried to avoid the appearance of running as a third term to the least popular U.S. president on record.
McCain was willing to appear alongside Bush for all of 47 seconds, even though he’s been willing to vote with him 100 percent of the time in 2008. Maybe he’s trying to prove he’s not the “McSame” as we’ve had the past seven years—but his voting record isn’t encouraging.
AFL-CIO-Led Coalition Moves Boardroom Votes on Universal Health Reform
Shareholders scored victories in corporate boardrooms across the nation this spring, gaining the right to vote on universal health care proposals spearheaded by the AFL-CIO, as Daniel Pedrotty from the AFL-CIO Office of Investment explains.
Because of an initiative led by the AFL-CIO and a broad coalition of investors, shareholders have won the right to vote on universal health reform proposals at several corporate annual board meetings this spring.
AFL-CIO Hosts Cliff Schecter, Author of ‘The Real McCain’
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Cliff Schecter, blogger, author and activist, has closely followed the career of John McCain—and finds it bears little resemblance to the media’s image of the senator from Arizona. Schecter has just published a tough, well-researched profile of the likely Republican presidential nominee in his new book, The Real McCain: Why Conservatives Don’t Trust Him and Why Independents Shouldn’t.
Schecter will join us this Friday, May 30, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Gompers Room here at the AFL-CIO, to discuss issues like McCain’s support of more tax cuts for the wealthy, his relentless backing of the Iraq war, his flip-flopping from opposing torture to voting to allow water boarding and more. We’ll have copies of The Real McCain available and we plan to post video clips and a podcast from the event in case you’re out of town or can’t make it. Schecter will be joined by blogger Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake, and a complimentary beer and wine event follows.
‘Independent Contractor’—Another Word for Employer-Free Ride
New legislation would toughen penalties and crack down on employers who take away workers’ benefits and rights by misclassifying them as “independent contractors” instead of regular employees.
When workers are misclassified as independent contractors, they pay higher taxes and lose important rights, such as workers’ compensation coverage, minimum wage and overtime protections, family and medical leave and the right to organize and collectively bargain.
Federal Employees Concerned About McCain’s Record on Veterans
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Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a groundbreaking update to the G.I. Bill, which would cover the cost of college education for all returning veterans.
By ensuring our nation’s veterans have access to education, this bill would honor their service and give them the opportunity to have good jobs and economic security.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) didn’t show up to vote, but, this weekend, he left no doubt as to how he felt about the bill.
McCain chose to put an attack on the new G.I. Bill at the center of his Memorial Day speech, claiming it would hurt retention. (According to a Time magazine analysis, the bill would help recruitment as much as it would reduce retention. The U.S. Department of Defense reports that our military met its recruitment and retention goals in April.)
Honk if You Don’t Want a McBush Health Care Plan
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Rush-hour drivers navigating a major rotary (that’s “traffic circle” for those of us outside the New England crowd) in Falmouth, Mass., were laying on their horns and waving last week. But not in anger. They were showing their support for the two dozen union members rallying at the rotary—and out of traffic—for health care reform.
The union members and leaders carried signs reading “Healthcare: It costs too much! It covers too little! It excludes too many! And it’s getting worse!” and “It’s Time to Turn Around America.”
Hollywood and TV/Radio Artists in Tough Talks and More Bargaining News
Tough negotiations still are under way between Hollywood studios and television and radio artists, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
NEGOTIATIONS
AFTRA, Hollywood Studios: The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) announced in an e-mail to its membership that challenging issues remained, as the negotiations with Hollywood studios continue on a contract covering some prime-time TV shows. “We are confronting a number of challenging issues, and a resolution may not be quick or easy,” AFTRA President Roberta Riordan said. Central issues include a push by studios to gain full control of clips containing the images of actors for use on the Internet.
Put on a New FACE
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Our good friends over at FACE Talk, one of the best organizing-focused blogs, have a new home—a face-lift, so to speak. They are now part of the AFT’s Faculty and College Excellence (FACE) website, which itself has received a new look.
With a roster of regular bloggers from campuses around the country, FACE Talk brings first-hand accounts and comments about the latest organizing campaigns, bargaining, administration outrages, legislative action and more from the world of higher education.
