Here are the first three (of like 11 pages):
AN OPEN LETTER OF CONCERN TO EQUITY FROM THE EQUITY COMPANY OF THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE FIRST NATIONAL TOUR BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT
The Equity Members of The Thoroughly Modern Millie Touring Company wish to clearly state that the ideas expressed here represent the opinions and conclusions of the Equity Members of The Thoroughly Modern Millie Touring Company alone. This information should in no way be misinterpreted as an approved standard or recommendation for wage and per diem structures in other companies, although it should be noted that the content was unanimously approved by the Equity Members of Thoroughly Modern Millie Touring Company in addition to two other Equity members touring with other departments of the show. We have given our best effort to represent the points illustrated here in a fair and accurate manner.
OUR UNION HAS MISREPRESENTED US
We, the company of the Millie Tour, feel compelled to address our union representatives and fellow union members with our concerns relating to the concessions made to our contract and, in particular, the process under which these oncessions came to be. It seems that Equity has agreed to these concessions with little concern for our opinion and (seemingly) no regard for how these concessions will affect our morale and financial well being. WHY? Why did the union take this issue to a 4-hour committee meeting and will neither release the names of those people who voted for these concessions or the notes from the meeting? Why did the union wait until late February to discuss these issues with our producers when initially faced with them in November? Why were members of other unions on this tour consulted in advance for their input and asked specifically how they might be able to make cuts in their contracts and not us?
WHY NOT ASK US?
"The Union assumes that the actors will never want concessions made to any contract. That is why we don't seek out a company's concerns on concessions that specifically affect them." -- A Union Representative
It is wrong to assume that we would not be able to understand the need for concessions and would be [so self interested] that we would not consider our fellow union members or the larger implications of our conduct. It is demeaning to imply that we do not care how the concessions will affect the producers, the future of our own show, and the health and well being of our union as a whole. We do care about the precedence the concessions will set and how they impact future tours. We also care about the ability to do our job without subsidizing the producer's business expenses with our salary. What we won't stand for are concessions that a) lower the quality of life on the road, b) do not protect us in terms of housing and c) take thousands of dollars out of our pockets without touching a cent of the union's 2% deduction. This may demand all involved to think outside of the box, consider roads that have not been gone
down before and face change with optimism and hope. If we all contribute then perhaps we will be able to come up with solutions and equal compromises that benefit the producers, our union and the Millie Tour Company, while addressing the issues that will ensure the future of Equity Theatre.
DISCRIMINATION
The per diem concessions penalize individuals by $10 a day for living alone. This penalty affects those who are married or have partners who are not in the company, have children, pets, or would just like to live alone. This penalty adds up to $3,650 /year. This kind of discrimination is incomprehensible.
LOWER THAN GOVERNMENT STANDARDS!
In the cities currently booked for the seven months of the tour that will be affected by the concessions, the $40 a day meal allowance is 12% lower than the average for the government standard for meals and incidentals in those cities. When
looked at over the entire seven months, the $40 a day meal allowance comes out to be approximately $1,300 less than the average of the government standard for per diem. It takes nearly $2,600 of salary, which is taxable and subject to union dues as well as agent fees, to make up for that shortfall.
QUALITY OF LIFE
The concessions take away the company member's right to choose one¡¦s housing based on ones individual needs. Under the current contract, the individual has flexibility. He/she can choose to find his own housing, change hotels if the current one is unsatisfactory, or make his own arrangements based on personal or health related circumstances, which is legally allowable by companies across the country.
THE HIDDEN COST OF TOURING
The costs of living on the road are not limited to food and housing. Expenses normally incurred at home are inflated weekly, by the circumstances inherent in changing locale. This includes being in unfamiliar surroundings and not having access to the resources of home. Traditionally, the inflated expenses have been slightly defrayed by per diem funds. Under the concessions, the full cost of touring must be shifted to the member's taxable income.
AT WHAT COST?
We have been told that our producers need to lower their costs by 15-20%. They are cutting 2 trucks, scenery, at least 2 crewmembers, and automation, along with the elimination of both luggage provisions and travel reimbursements. In addition, the principals are being offered contracts at a measurably lower rate. We are surprised that these cuts alone do not add up to the needed savings; however, we suggest that our contribution to this cost cutting should come from salary, not per diem. Our estimation of the producer's savings under the per diem concession is about $20 per person per day.
We feel that a flexible non-taxed per diem is of greater importance than a higher salary. By shifting the cuts to the individual¡¦s taxed salary, the producer will have the same net savings, while the member's net income potentially adds up to $10,000/yr. in the member's favor. Ultimately, this sort of approach will also help the producers retain a higher percentage of the current cast on tour saving the producers more money.
WE BRING OVER 300 YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN OVER 400 EQUITY CONTRACTS INCLUDING:
PRODUCTION (inc. tours) 76
LORT (all) 150+
CAT (Chicago Area) 50+
STOCK (inc. tours) 35+
COST 10
CORST 1
GUEST ARTIST 8
LOA 12
DINNER THEATER 34
OFF BWAY 14
RMTA 1
TYA 10
RUN OF PLAY 2
REGIONAL Numerous
(Does not include Stage Managers)
WE ARE MEMBERS OF:
AEA, AFTRA, SAG, AGMA. AGVA,
SSDC, SOCAN, UBCP, and CAEA.
Equity has collected over $60,000 from our company in the last 12 months.
AEA CONSTITUTION, PREAMBLE: We hereby constitute ourselves a voluntary Association to advance, promote, foster, and benefit all those connected with the art of the theatre and particularly the profession of acting and the conditions of persons engaged therein; to protect and secure the rights of actors; to inform them as to their legal rights and remedies; to advise and assist them in obtaining employment and proper compensation.
Our union has prided itself in "securing" jobs and increasing the number of work weeks for its members. Consequently, this action is eroding the quality of the secured work by agreeing to certain "special contracts" and "concessions." If we keep lowering our standard of living to keep our Union jobs, eventually there is no value in it being unionized.
THE CONCESSIONS THAT EQUITY MADE WITHOUT CONSULTING US
(As quoted from direct AEA business rep. e-mail)
1. The following layoff weeks will be granted with no per diem payment requirement:
-- August 31, 2004 to September 19, 2004 (3 weeks)
-- November 23, 2004 to December 26, 2004 (5 weeks)
For the layoff period commencing November 23, 2004, those Actors on term contracts will be permitted to give notice of termination (four weeks notice) to be effective at the beginning of this layoff. Any unscheduled layoffs that occur that would qualify as paid per diem layoffs under Rule 40(B)2 are to be paid at the applicable Production Contract full per diem rate (currently $777). Additionally, Rule 40(B)5 of the Production Contract will continue to apply to all layoff weeks for this tour.
It should be noted that this "out" for term contracts has been reneged. Three of the five weeks have since been booked. Now Equity claims that the out was "a caveat" to the layoff. The fact is, the layoff is only being reduced from 5 weeks to 2 weeks and AEA claims it negates the opportunity for an out, even though we still do not receive any benefits, per diem, or salary.
2. Housing will be provided by the Producer and each Actor will have the option of either a single room plus $40 (Forty Dollars) per diem or a double room plus $50 (Fifty Dollars) per diem.
We have many concerns with this concession but we must first ask why a professional should take a $3,620/yr. penalty for choosing to live alone on the road? How can Equity substantiate that $40 a day is a fair amount for food when the Government Standard Average for the cities that we are booked in is $45.97? That is a per diem loss of over $2,000/yr. and approximately $1,300 for the 217 days booked. It takes $4,000 of salary to replace even $2,000 of per diem.
3. Limitations on Actor's luggage will be reduced to no less than the current Airline regulations as follows:
-- Two checked bags weighing no more than 50 pounds each
-- One carry-on bag weighing no more than 40 pounds
-- One carry-on personal item (such as a laptop or purse)
Should the current airline regulations be restricted further after August 31, 2004, the Actors permitted luggage as stated above will remain in effect. If the luggage amount is increased per the airline regulations then the Actors permitted luggage will increase by the like amount. Additionally, each Actor will be permitted an additional shipping of items home during the week of August 23, 2004, should they so choose.
We understand that the government has new standards for luggage and that this concession is based on a concession that was made for the Chicago Tour. What wasn't taken into consideration was the fact that the cast on the Chicago Tour has been given trunks that travel from city to city on the trucks. In the case of the Millie Tour, the cast has not been offered this luxury. Seeing that duffel bags are not a viable long-term option, the average durable travel suitcase weighs between 18-22 pounds leaving 28 - 32 pounds for clothes, shoes, coats, receipts, documents, scripts, rehearsal and gym clothes, toiletries, books, music and whatever else a professional on tour finds necessary to travel. It should be noted that the crew is allowed to transport personal belongings in their "road boxes" which takes care of many of their heavy items and much of their clothes. The Equity Company has nothing like this.
All other terms of the 2000-2004 Agreement and Rules Governing Employment Under the Production Contract will remain in effect, except as modified herein, and upon expiration of that contract in June 2004, all new terms of the Agreement and Rules Governing Employment Under the Production Contract will apply.
The Actor's Concessions Bottom Line:
-- Reduce the weight of our luggage allotment by 50%.
-- Take away our Per Diem and replace it with a meal allowance that is on average 12% less than the government standard.
-- Allow for additional layoffs without per diem, benefits, or assistance in lodging arrangements.
-- Do not protect Equity member's choice of hotel based on cleanliness, smoking preference, or proximity and availability of food.
-- Discriminate against Equity members with spouses, partners or children who are not company members by "penalizing" them $10 a day in meal allowance because they are not sharing a hotel room with another member of the company.
-- Elimination of the possibility of budgeting up to $10,000/year more by reducing per diem by over 60% (single occupancy).
The Union's Bottom Line:
-- $0. Not one of the concessions affects the member's contributions to the union.
OUR TAKE ON IT
EQUITY WAS INITIALLY CONTACTED BY OUR PRODUCERS IN NOVEMBER TO DISCUSS CONCESSIONS.
EQUITY WAITED UNTIL MARCH TO BEGIN TALKS WITH OUR PRODUCERS.
WHEN EQUITY FINALLY BEGAN NEGOTIATIONS WITH OUR PRODUCERS, WE WERE CONTACTED BY OUR UNION TO INFORM US THAT NEGOTIATIONS HAD STARTED AND THAT TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT, LUGGAGE RESTRICTIONS, AND LAYOFF CONCESSIONS WERE BEING DISCUSSED. NOTHING WAS MENTIONED REGARDING PER DIEM OR HOTEL CONCESSIONS.
SEVERAL MEMBERS SENT EMAILS AND MADE PHONE CALLS TO EQUITY (SOME WENT UNRETURNED) EXPRESSING OUR INTEREST IN TAKING A PROACTIVE STANCE REGARDING THESE TALKS.
WE DID NOT HEAR FROM OUR UNION AGAIN UNTIL AFTER THE CONCESSIONS WERE MADE.
THE OTHER UNIONS ON OUR TOUR SENT REPRESENTATIVES OUT TO CONSULT THEIR MEMBERS AND GET THEIR OPINIONS ON ANY CONCESSIONS
DIRECTLY AFFECTING THEM BEFORE THEY WERE MADE.
ON APRIL 19, 2004, THE CONCESSIONS AEA MADE BECAME OFFICIAL AND MANAGEMENT THEN APPROACHED THE OTHER UNIONS ON APRIL 22, 2004 ASKING FOR "SIMILAR ASSISTANCE."
Stop worrying about what I'm doing -- focus instead on what you're eating.
Updated On: 6/2/04 at 02:08 PM
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
