Here are some of AFTRA’s highlights of 2009.
Winter 2009
JANUARY
AFTRA Magazine
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AFTRA leaders and members from around the country headed to the nation’s capital to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack AFTRA members and staff enjoy the Obama. AFTRA festivities at a pre-inaugural celebration. joined Actors’ Equity, (L-R) Terrie Bjorkland, James Lurie, AFM, IATSE, SAG Purvi Patel, Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, and the Department Roberta Reardon, Lainie Cooke, for Professional Holter Graham, Ed Fry and Bob Butler. Photo: AFTRA Employees for an exclusive preinauguration reception. AFTRA First Vice President Bob Edwards served as master of ceremonies.
Web producers, assistant producers and a reporter at CBS3.com in Philadelphia celebrated successfully winning an election to make AFTRA their voice at work.
In recognition of the mobile nature of AFTRA’s members, such as journalists on assignment, recording artists on tour and actors on location, AFTRA launched its “Join Online” feature, permitting applicants to join via the AFTRA Web site. Sheryl Crow (at podium) speaks during the February launch of musicFirst’s Performance Rights Act campaign. In the background, (L-R) Dionne Warwick, will.i.am, members of Los Tigres Del Norte, Matt Maher and Herbie Hancock. Photo: Sean McCormick
Dozens of AFTRA recording artists, including Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris and will.i.am, traveled to Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to support the Performance Rights Act. Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corrigan later testified in March before the House Judiciary Committee about the issue calling it “one of fundamental fairness.” The committee approved the bill in May and its counterpart in the Senate approved it in October.
MARCH
Members approved a landmark agreement to cover performers working on audiobooks produced by Audible.com, one of the Internet’s largest online distributors of audiobooks.
FEBRUARY More than 100 voiceover performers turned out in Miami for OYEME USA 2009—the first voiceover conference of its kind for the Hispanic market in the United States. The conference was presented by the Association of Latino Artists of South Florida in association with AFTRA. Five AFTRA-represented workers in Washington, D.C., received a $50,000 arbitration award from Citadel Broadcasting Corp. as a result of the employers miscalculation to severance pay related to layoffs and personal service contracts.
JULY The tri-union national disabilities awareness campaign, I AM PWD, presented the keynote address at NEA’s National Summit on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities. The Joint AFTRA and SAG Commercials Contracts Negotiating Committee. Photo: AFTRA
AFTRA members were among the many union members, community activists and local elected officials who welcomed U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to Los Angeles.
MAY Some of the biggest names in music—and AFTRA members—including Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and Joan Baez, marked folk singer Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday with a benefit at Madison Square Garden. Seeger has been an AFTRA member since 1941. AMEE Award honorees Smokey Robinson and Jeanne Cooper. Photo: Getty Images
Actress Jeanne Cooper, singer Smokey Robinson, broadcaster Vin Scully and the late voiceover artist Don LaFontaine were honored in Los Angeles at the AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence Awards (the AMEES). Proceeds of the evening benefitted the charitable and educational programs of the AFTRA Foundation. AFTRA actors, announcers, recording artists and other members from coast-to-coast took action in support of the Employee Free Choice Act by participating in the Artists 4 Workers Choice multi-union video, coordinated by the AFLCIO, and produced with the talents of working members from AFTRA and Actors’ Equity, AFM, DGA, IATSE, SAG, WGAE and WGAW.
“Star Trek” actor George Takei, actress Dr. Victoria Ann Lewis, “Dancing with the Stars” dancer Cheryl Burke and comedian/ storyteller Charlie Hill were the recipients of the 2009 Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Awards in Los Angeles. AFTRA negotiated two new agreements to cover performers working on audiobooks produced by John McElroy Productions and Mind Wings Audio.
AFTRA National EEO Director Ray Bradford was honored by the County of Los Angeles at the 27th annual Volunteer of the Year Recognition and Awards luncheon.
The AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee—a national committee of working members from around the country— met in Washington, D.C., to discuss how best to approach and coordinate on a number of issues affecting broadcast journalists nationwide, including the increasing use of multimedia journalists (MMJs) in local broadcast stations.
JUNE
AFTRA Portland members joined forces with IATSE members and media industry professionals in Southeast Portland to stand up for increases in Oregon’s film and television incentives by attending town halls hosted by two state senators whose leadership is important to building the incentive plan to bring more projects to the state.
AUGUST The Chicago Local played host to more than 240 delegates to the 62nd AFTRA National Convention, where they were welcomed via a video message from President Barack Obama—the first time a sitting U.S. president has addressed convention delegates. Roberta Reardon was elected to a second term as AFTRA’s National President during the National Convention. Reardon, along with National Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth and Chicago Executive Director Eileen Willenborg were the recipients of AFTRA’s highest honor, the Gold Card, awarded on the last day of the Convention.
More than 240 delegates converged on Chicago for the 2009 AFTRA National Convention. Photo: Johnny Knight Photo
Philadelphia member Rod Carson was honored by the AFTRA Philadelphia Local with its Hall of Fame Award for lifetime achievement. Dan Hunt received the Bill Evans Award. Former AFTRA staffer and local entertainment attorney Mary Cavallaro was presented with the Friend of AFTRA Award. Members ratified the 2009-2012 AFTRA Television and Radio Commercials Contracts.
AFTRA members honored 10 AFTRA-covered programs on TV and radio with the American Scene Awards, recognizing excellence in programming that portrays diversity in a positive and realistic light.
AFTRA delegates officially endorsed an internal organizing campaign at the 2009 National Convention, with delegates voting to raise initiation fees with the additional revenue specifically dedicated to internal organizing efforts. In response to concerns raised by the International Federation of Journalists and its U.S. affiliates, including
Winter 2009
AFTRA began 2009 with a bang and kept its momentum throughout the year, with many milestones—from members ratifying the TV and Radio Commercials Contracts and the Interactive Media Agreement to the AMEE Awards in Los Angeles and the National Convention in Chicago.
AFTRA, jointly negotiating with SAG, reached a deal with advertisers on terms for successor agreements to the AFTRA Television and Radio Commercials Contract and the SAG Television Commercials Contract.
AFTRA closed out the 2008-2009 fiscal year having recovered more than $17.1 million for AFTRA members through claims, settlements, grievances and arbitrations against employers. Combined with the $17.3 million recovered during the 20072008 fiscal year, the union returned over $34.4 million to AFTRA members’ pocketbooks during a two-year period.
19 AFTRA Magazine
AFTRA: A look back at 2009
APRIL