http://www.btlnews.com Voice of the Crew Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:12:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/sag-aftra-merger-moves-to-membership-vote/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/sag-aftra-merger-moves-to-membership-vote/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:59:16 +0000 Staff http://www.btlnews.com/?p=24716 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO (AFTRA) voted overwhelmingly to merge. “Professional performers are now an important step closer to the strongest union representation possible,” said SAG national president Ken Howard. “Just as our boards have, I believe our members will decisively approve this merger and that SAG-AFTRA will be a leader in shaping the entertainment and media industries."]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/sag-aftra-merger-moves-to-membership-vote/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/john-shaffner-elected-chair-of-art-directors-council/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/john-shaffner-elected-chair-of-art-directors-council/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:53:01 +0000 Staff http://www.btlnews.com/?p=24544 John Shaffner has been elected to a three-year term as chair of the Art Directors Council, effective immediately, replacing Thomas A. Walsh, who continues in the position of president of the overall Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800). Shaffner was formerly vice-chair of the council, a position now filled by Corey Kaplan. Also elected to the Art Directors Council was Jack Fisk. The ADG has four craft councils: Art Directors; Scenic, Title & Graphic Artists; Set Designers & Model Makers, and Illustrators & Matte Artists.]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/john-shaffner-elected-chair-of-art-directors-council/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/local-44-members-join-btl%e2%80%99s-production-listings-discount-program/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/local-44-members-join-btl%e2%80%99s-production-listings-discount-program/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:57:27 +0000 Mark London Williams http://www.btlnews.com/?p=24167 Local 44’s business agent Ed Brown and secretary-treasurer Anthony Pawluc recently invited Patrick Graham, owner of leading film industry publication Below the Line to Local 44's annual Holiday Retirees Luncheon, in order to negotiate final details for Local 44 members to take advantage of Below the Line’s popular Production Listings Discount Program. ]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/local-44-members-join-btl%e2%80%99s-production-listings-discount-program/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/union-roundup-communal-christmas/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/union-roundup-communal-christmas/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:45:25 +0000 Mark London Williams http://www.btlnews.com/?p=22369 Below the Line’s big giant head, Patrick Graham, and truly yours – libations already in hand, a plate of turkey, gravy and fixin’s in our near future. We were guests of IA Local 44 – Hollywood’s property craftspersons – at their annual Christmas party given for retirees.]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/union-roundup-communal-christmas/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/makers-of-academy-awards-strip-wages-from-workers/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/makers-of-academy-awards-strip-wages-from-workers/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:45:35 +0000 Staff http://www.btlnews.com/?p=22135 Teamsters on Chicago's North Side have reached a stalemate during contract negotiations with R.S. Owens & Company, the longtime producer of the Oscar and Emmy Awards. ]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/makers-of-academy-awards-strip-wages-from-workers/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/crafts/union-roundup-home-invasions/ http://www.btlnews.com/crafts/union-roundup-home-invasions/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:57:51 +0000 Mark London Williams http://www.btlnews.com/?p=21921 IA Locals including 44, 729 and 700, Teamsters 399, retirees, producers, and kin of the above, all descended on the home of location manager George Herthel and his wife Pam Boroski. George had become a client of the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s Palliative Care program, which provides relief of suffering “and achievement of the best possible quality of life for patients with advanced illness, and their families.”]]> http://www.btlnews.com/crafts/union-roundup-home-invasions/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/dga-membership-ratifies-new-commercial-contract/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/dga-membership-ratifies-new-commercial-contract/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:34:49 +0000 Staff http://www.btlnews.com/?p=21573 Directors Guild of America announced that the DGA membership has ratified the new collective bargaining agreement between the DGA and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP). "We entered into negotiations with the goal of protecting the excellent health benefits enjoyed by our members, retirees and their families, and obtaining the best possible deal for our members in light of the continued difficult economic environment confronting the advertising production industry," said DGA president Taylor Hackford. "I am very pleased that we achieved our goals with a new commercial contract that contains substantial improvements in every category."]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/dga-membership-ratifies-new-commercial-contract/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/iatse-locals-unanimously-endorse-rep-howard-berman/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/iatse-locals-unanimously-endorse-rep-howard-berman/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:54:08 +0000 Staff http://www.btlnews.com/?p=20695 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) unanimously endorsed U.S. Congressman Howard L. Berman to represent California's 30th District in the United States Congress. These locals represent over 35,000 Los Angeles-area men and women who make their living in the motion picture and television production industries and work in crafts ranging from costumers, set designers, grips, cinematographers to propmakers.]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/iatse-locals-unanimously-endorse-rep-howard-berman/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/union-roundup-occupy-column-space/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/union-roundup-occupy-column-space/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:54:34 +0000 Mark London Williams http://www.btlnews.com/?p=20264 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/union-roundup-occupy-column-space/feed/ 0 http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/dga-reaches-tentative-agreement-on-commercial-contract/ http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/dga-reaches-tentative-agreement-on-commercial-contract/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:50:52 +0000 Staff http://www.btlnews.com/?p=20211 Directors Guild of America today announced that the national board of directors has approved a tentative new national commercial contract to be sent to the membership for ratification. The agreement covers a three-year term from Dec. 1, 2011 through Nov. 30, 2014 and addresses wage increases (2% per year, plus a wage increase of 15.8% for 2nd assistant directors in the first year of the contract); health coverage (including a 17.65% increase in the employer contribution rate for all members plus additional contributions for directors); and the global marketplace for commercials (giving producers additional flexibility to compete for jobs outside of North America while preserving existing employment opportunities for 1st assistant directors). ]]> http://www.btlnews.com/commentary/union-roundup/dga-reaches-tentative-agreement-on-commercial-contract/feed/ 0