philadelphia sessions - june 2010
DESCRIPTION
Philadelphia SessionsTRANSCRIPT
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting
June 2010
(L-R) President Catherine Brown Executive Director Stephen Leshinski PA Senator Mike Stack with the Friend of AFTRA Award Tim Lake and Local 1st VP Chuck Varesko
WMMR morning man and man of the hour Pierre Robert with his Bill Evans Award
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
(L-R) 1st VP Chuck Varesko Ed Sciakyrsquos wife Judy with the Edrsquos Hall of Fame Award Local Secretary Cyndy Drue
The AFTRA 2010 Annual Meeting took place on City Avenue on May 13 Local comic and AFTRA member Joe Conklin opened the evening with his Philadelphia based impersonations including a dead on impression of the dean of Philly
sportscasters Bill Campbell After the opening laughs died down Conklin handed the program to Local President Catherine Brown
The evening was filled with awards and honors Tom Brookshier and Ed Sciaky were posthumously inducted into the Local Hall of Fame Pennsylvania Senator Mike Stack was honored with the Friend of AFTRA Award for his help in introducing legislation aimed at banning non-compete clauses in broadcasters contracts
Pierre Robert was honored with The Bill Evans Award Local rocker Kenn Kwedder was enlisted to interrupt the presentation with a song parody lauding Robert
National President Roberta Reardon addressed the members and AFTRA National Organizer Phil Denniston spoke about the mobilization of the entire membership in the effort to bring more freelance work under union jurisdiction (Photos on pages 5 amp 6)
Special guest National SAG President Ken Howard and about 90 members of the Philadelphia Branch of Screen Actors Guild gathered in City Hall on May 24 to celebrate 40 years as a SAG
branch Mayor Nutter read a tribute to Ken Howard expressing the ldquopride that we hold in our city as a source of talent and a location worthy of the worldrsquos film screensrdquo
A citation on behalf of Councilman William Greenlee was read to retiring Branch President Tom McCarthy thanking him for his 30 years of service as president of the Philadelphia Branch SAG
Ken Howard at City Hall
(L-R) Local ED Stephen Leshinski SAG President Ken Howard Assoc ED Shelley Figures and Local AFTRA Board Member Sylvia Kauders at City Hall
Phot
o by
Rud
y C
Jon
es
of the PhiladelphiaAmerican Federation of Television amp Radio Artists
2157320507philadelphiaaftracom
wwwaftraphiladelphiacom
Cast amp CrewShelley FiguresmdashEditor
Contributing EditorsStephen Leshinski
LayoutmdashChuck Varesko
StaffStephen LeshinskiExecutive Director
Shelley FiguresAssociate Executive Director
Lynn KoenigsbergmdashFreelance ContractsSignatory Administrator
Michele DooleymdashBenefits ampMembership Administrator
AFTRA LocalBoard of Directors
Catherine BrownmdashPresidentChuck Vareskomdashst Vice President Dick Sheeranmdashnd Vice PresidentCyndy Drue mdashSecretaryEd FischermdashTreasurerRob Charry Sam Clover John De Domenico Paul Kurtz Sylvia Kaud-ers Tom McNutt Susan Moses MJ Myers Bill Shusta Christy Springfield
National Board MembersSusan Moses Bill Shusta
bullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbull
AFTRA PHILADELPHIA230 South Broad St Suite 500Philadelphia PA 19102-41212157320507
Official PublicationSESSIONS PRESIDENTrsquoS REPORT
By Catherine Brown
Read SESSIONS online athttpwwwaftraphiladelphia
comsessionsThe Online Talent Guide is at
httpwwwaftraphiladelphiacomNational AFTRA is athttpwwwaftracom
AFTRA PHILADELPHIA ON FACEBOOK
Your Local now has a page on Facebook Social networking sites like Facebook are great for getting important information to the members quickly Many of todayrsquos modern actors and broadcasters are hooked to Facebook and other networking
sites through their smart phones and can be reading something posted by the AFTRA leadership or staff within moments of posting While the the Philadelphia Localrsquos page on the National AFTRA site will always be there with needed information and links to things like the Holiday Party Slideshow we will use Facebook to post late breaking information on AFTRA related events as they happen Check our Facebook page often for ldquobreaking newsrdquo videos and more Stay connected to your AFTRA Local by visiting the AFTRA Philadelphia Facebook page If yoursquore already a member of Facebook search for AFTRA Philadelphia or go to httpwwwfacebookcompagesPhiladelphia-PAAFTRA-Philadelphia497396115614
Howrsquos YOUR Web VisibilityAre you a ldquoDigital Personrdquo or are you trapped in the 20th cen-tury The Online Talent Guide is open to Local members (and Local SAG) for free If yoursquore computer illiterate call the AFTRA office at 2157320507 and ask them to send you an enrollment form Send it back with your headshot and resume and wersquorsquoll add you to the Talent Guide If yoursquore a computer user visit httpwwwaftraphiladelphiacom to sign up online Promote yourself
Solmiddotimiddotdarmiddotimiddotty mdash Unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests objectives and standards
Whether itrsquos Philadelphia members standing together to resolve local TV and radio contracts or being part of the W and W process to prepare for the AFTRA Exhibit A and
SAG TVTheatrical contract solidarity is our strengthAFTRArsquos local and national focus continues to be on organizing Our Philadelphia leadership
training earlier this year was the most well-attended session among all AFTRA locals It was led by AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon and National Organizer Phil Denniston We took our first steps together to develop a structured internal organizing strategy
Internal organizing is the pathway to growing the union Thatrsquos how we position AFTRA to meet the challenges across all of our news and entertainment industries To help reach our goal AFTRA has now added five new staff members to our organizing team reporting to Phil Denniston You may remember that delegates to the AFTRA National Convention last summer in Chicago approved the plan to enhance our organizing infrastructure
Those attending our Philadelphia Local Annual Membership meeting heard a number of heartfelt stories of appreciation and pride for our union And again solidarity was the central theme as we honored the late Ed Sciaky and Tom Brookshier and awarded the Bill Evans ldquosilver cardrdquo to Pierre Robert
In April I was honored to deliver a message to AFTRA members (Ed Note The April AFTRA Flash) and I closed with this message about reaching our ultimate victory
So how do we get to that ultimate victory Itrsquos really quite simple we do it by standing together to organize more and better work opportunities and negotiate stronger and stronger contracts through an inclusive and progressive national union with a clear and hopeful vision for the futureThatrsquos me thatrsquos you itrsquos us itrsquos AFTRA
In SolidarityCatherine Brown
AFTRA NATIONAL ORGANIZER VISITS PHILLY
By Bill Shusta
AFTRA has developed a national organizing strategy addressing issues which must be in place to run a successful organizing campaign Since the first of November 2009
national staff has been presenting this approach to our locals across the country Philadelphiarsquos turn came on Saturday February 20th It was presented by AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon and National Organizing Director Phil Denniston with help from Philadelphia Executive Director Steve LeshinskiAbout 50 local AFTRA members were on hand for the day long
session to gain an insight into what it will take to organize more freelance and broadcast work in Philadelphia The plan includes forming freelance and broadcast organizing committees The chairs of those committees will participate in meetings with their counterparts around the country to compare notesThis is an important effort for all AFTRANS Members must be
involved You will be asked to help and if yoursquore already interested please contact the local office There is much to be accomplished in Philadelphia Your local staff already has been successful on several fronts However your help is needed and herersquos hoping we can count on you
Pho
tos
by B
ill S
hust
a
AFTRArsquos National Organizer Phil Deniston presented the organizing plan AFTRA President Roberta Reardon was also on hand
(L-R) Christy Springfield Chris Stevens Andie Summers Neil Rattigan Dick Sheeran chatted during a break
Roberta Reardon and Phil Denniston giving their presentation to the attendees Local Exec Stephen Leshinski expounds on a point
Broadcast Beat mdash News from our shop stewardsWIPBy Rob Charry
Congratulations to Rob Ellis who is now working fulltime at WIP on the evening shift Rob has
been part-time the last several years while working his day job at Comcast Sportsnet as senior producer for Daily News Live Rob had been at Comcast Sportsnet since their inception in 1997 and is a Monsignor Bonner and Temple grad
At press time everyone at WIP is anxiously awaiting the return of Big Daddy Graham who has been resting his vocal chords this spring as he gets treatment for throat cancer Prognosis is good and Big Daddyrsquos projected return to the WIP airwaves is the end of May We at WIP not to mention his audience have missed him greatly We should mention that he will be also returning to his standup gigs as well including his always outstanding shows with WIPrsquos Joe Conklin For info go to BigDaddyGrahamcom andor JoeConklincom
Kudos to WIPrsquos Marc Farzetta Eytan Shander Sue Shilling G Cobb and everyone else who filled in for Big Daddy during his absence
KYW 1060By Paul Kurtz
After nearly 8 months of contentious negotiations the shop at KYW Newsradio finally reached a contract
agreement with management in late April Most of the main issues including Internet jurisdiction were dealt with by December Pay raises and a radical proposal by management to impose restrictions on vacation time dragged things on into the Spring But after the shop let it be known that we were going to take our concerns public by leafletting a popular downtown office tower and shopping mall where we broadcast from live once a month the logjam was broken The deal is far from perfect in terms of money but we were steadfast in holding the line on concessions Reporters have gotten used to snapping photos for the website while covering stories and now it looks like some of them will be shooting video and perhaps even reporting for CBS 3 No details yet
Congratulations to the crack staff at Newsradio which earned a bushel of awards this spring for reporting and anchoring Nobody does it better Also a shout out goes to newly minted dayside sports anchor Matt Leon who became an author this spring with the publication of Under your Nose a collection of stories that focus on the remarkable achievements of local athletes teams and coaches
WPHTBy Clinton PettyThe WPHT producers successfully negotiated a two year contract with CBS Details include 2 raises each year plus accrued vacation and sick time for part-timers Almost every producer
signed a letter stating our desire to continue to effectively and efficiently bring great talk radio Phillies baseball Frank Sinatrarsquos timeless music and other wonderful programming to our audience in perpetuity In return all that we asked for was a mutual commitment and understanding of the key role we play Very early in the negotiations CBS Philadelphia understood the depth of our engagement to the cause and a deal came together immediately in time to enjoy spring turning into summer the common bond of people sharing time on Earth and the Flyers overcoming insurmountable odds to go to the Stanley Cup Finals
CBS 3By Neil Rattigan
Therersquos headway in contract talks between AFTRA and CBS 3 CBS is proposing an 0-0-2 raise for the
three-year contract retroactive to October 2009 Once again it also wants to eliminate producer fees and continues to push for restricting the use of vacation time AFTRA is pushing for job security and better staffing But itrsquos willing to have volunteers shoot stories as long as itrsquos not for same-day coverage and therersquos no liability for poor quality video
CBS 3 received three awards from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Outstanding Television Breaking News Report for its Snowstorm coverage Television Judgesrsquo Merit Award for the stationrsquos relief efforts on behalf of Haiti and Outstanding Television Public Service AnnouncementCampaign for its Black History Month campaign Reporter Walt Hunter also received an award on the radio side of the competition for his live reports on the funeral of Police Officer John Pawlowski for CBS 3rsquos sister station The Big Talker 1210AM WPHT ldquoOperation Brotherly Love mdash Help For Haitirdquo the station-wide effort led by Reporter Jim Donovan helped raise close to $1 million for the American Red Cross for Haitian relief efforts Contributions were made during a fourteen hour phone bank The station also aired the 20th Annual ldquoRace for the Curerdquo to battle breast cancer
Meteorologist Justin Drabick joins the Eyewitness News team part-time from WBOC-TV Salisbury MD Per Diem writer Pat Wenger is now full time He produces the 7 am news on Sundays and writes during the week Aaron Inver joins us as a writer-producer from sister station KDKA-TV Pittsburgh Shemeka Moore is now writing for various newscasts Veteran Journalist Margie Smith from WB17 and NJN spends a few mornings writing on Eyewitness News This Morning
A few notable departures from the Eyewitness Newsroom Morning Anchor Liz Keptner has decided to sleep in and spend more time with her family Weekend Sports Anchor Don Bell is now at ESPN leaving a on-air vacancy in the Sports Department Reporter Jamie Smith and Weekend Morning Anchor Lesley Van Arsdall have been taking turns filling in Maria LaRosa has left CBS 3 for The Weather Channel After her depature she became a mother for the third time a third boy Tyler And Writer Rye Jin Baek has given birth to a girl Alexis her second child
bull bull bull
Continued on page 7
Yo The cast of Itrsquos Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be shooting in town this month and while theyrsquore here there might be a thing that happens What kinda thing Just a thing where you could support the Local Scholarship Fund Irsquom just sayinrsquo If it were to possibly happen you might hear about it on the Local Facebook page Maybe it would be prudent for you to check it often (The Localrsquos Facebook page is httpwwwfacebookcompagesPhiladelphia-PAAFTRA-Philadelphia497396115614)
Broadcast Steering Committee Meeting
This was one of the most interesting meetings of the AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee and caused in part by the weather About five inches of snow fell on the Nationrsquos
Capital that first weekend in February and it was fascinating to watch West Coast members react to the snow on the ground around the National Labor College Photos were taken by the dozens and then e-mailed home Eventually it was down to work Two major issues dominated discussion on day one One Man Bands and employer attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction in contract negotiations across the country
Co-chair Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore pointed to the constant challenges brought by change in the media the industry in general and technology How do we participate in the growth this change is causing One such change is our employers desire to move to so-called Multi-Media Journalists New York AFTRAN David Browde asked us to call it what it really is One Man Bands A BSC subcommittee has been discussing the issue and will continue to do so bouyed by the weekendrsquos conversation and the synopsis provided by a number of locals on member
By Bill Shustaviews of OMBrsquos No need to divulge any possible future strategies here
There was a lengthy explanation of the various company attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction as related to seven contract
negotiations in markets as small as Wheeling West Virginia and as large as Chicago Following the BSC meeting members of national staff and local execs met that Sunday afternoon and again Monday in Washington to further discuss the issue
BSC membees were briefed on the AFTRA Heath and Retirement funds by Trustee Co-Chair Shelby Scott The trustees have met since then and are said to be looking at combining some aspects of the health plan to save money there No details as yet The health plan is in good shape with more than a year reserve
Experts say that should be at least eight months Believe it or not our plan is considered a Cadillac plan Should Congress agree to tax such plans as part of health care reformthe tax bite would be six to eight million dollars That would affect our
(L-R) National Organizing Director Phil Denniston Director of Broadcasting Deborah Osofsky BSC co-chairs Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore and Maria Leticia Gomez of San Francisco and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon
ANNUAL MEETING PIX
Award presenters Larry Kane (L) and Tim Lake
Happy Members mdash Meagan Hill and Shane Radford
1st VP Chuck Varesko with Member Traci Law
More Annual Meeting photos
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Annual Meeting Photos
Tom Brookshierrsquos daughter Linda (L) and wife Barbara Rob Charry and Barbara Brookshier
Local President Catherine Brown and Mary Cavallero Comic Joe Conklin kicked things off Local Exec Stephen Leshinski
Joe Conklin borrowed WMMR production man Steve Lushbaughrsquos hair
WMGKrsquos John Debella made faces at Pierre Robert
Local rocker Kenn Kwedder serenaded Pierre with a re-worded version of a Lady Gaga song
(To Bad Romance) Pa pa Pierre pa pa Pierre Robert
Video of the awards in posted on the Localrsquos Facebook page
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Notes From The Director By Stephen Leshinski
benefits and Scott urges all AFTRA members to call their federal lawmakers in opposition to such a tax AFTRArsquos Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Tom Carpenter calls it an attack on middle class benefits
Scott said the retirement fund is nearly 90 funded with a value of 16 billion dollars Before the crash it was 95 funded but she said the fund is beginning to recoup money lost last year as the recession hit
Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth presented an update of recent meetings in New York on the pending Comcast-NBC-Universal merger AFTRA has contracts with both entities and she said our union wants clarity on the language NBC has provided re those contracts should the merger be approved And she said there are significant
B S C Report From page 7
concerns about that at the FCC FTC and on Capitol Hill where several hearings may be held It will be awhile before everythingrsquos
settledConcerning AFTRArsquos interests
on Capitol Hill Tom Carpenter said there has been little movement on the Employee Free Choice Act He calls the time frame questionable right now As for the Performers Rights Act Congress has asked our coalition to work with the National Association of Broadcasters on legislation capable of passing on the Hill He said we are and that it remains to be seen how much progress can be made Also a national Shield Law for journalists has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee but
hersquos not sure when the full Senate will vote
Catherine Brown and Stephen Leshinski with Pittsburgh Executive Director John Haer
Our yearly General Membership Meeting was a great time to look back and reflect on the ups and down of the AFTRA world this year seemed to have higher ups and
lower downs than most A year ago the national economy had hit bottom which affected our industry dramatically Freelance work dried up voice work and on camera work dried up and no one was saying for sure when or if any of that would return
Things looked equally bleak for our broadcast members NBC was proposing a newsroom re-organization that could reduce the staff by as much as 30 CBS was proposing two week unpaid furloughs at its television and radio stations and Beasley Broadcast Group (XTU) and Westwood One (Shadow Traffic) were initiating dramatic wage reductions just to keep the doors open
Things were not looking goodIn AFTRA now would be the time to double our efforts because
itrsquos not so much in good times that people look to the power of the union mdash itrsquos in bad times when the union is so important to represent and protect the interests of the union members And thatrsquos exactly what we did
In February Phil Deniston and Roberta Reardon conducted the AFTRA national leadership training for 50 of our most active members mdash the largest national training in the country
At NBC we told them those were our jobs and we negotiated an agreement that brought back 37 of the 38 writers and producers in the shop plus added five additional positions that had been IBEW and negotiated average wage increases of $2-5000 a person Most recently at NBC we settled a Labor Board charge against the company over the NBC Internet and negotiated a settlement that those writers become part of AFTRA so that at both of our TV stations the Internet is AFTRA work New media is the future and so are we
At Westwood One we conducted national negotiations and in return for temporary wage concessions bargained new provisions on enhanced severance and health insurance relief that is now permanently included in each AFTRA contract And one word about national negotiations when yoursquore dealing with a national company you MUST have national negotiations mdash itrsquos the only thing that makes any sense
And just in the last six weeks wersquove reached agreements at KYW and WPHT radio that gets back to raises in the last two years of each contract with NO CONCESSIONS in the agreements
Our public outreach efforts continue with speaking engagements at Villanova Law School and the Recording Academy our educational workshops at Villanova and Temple our new membership into the Broadcast Pioneers and Jobs with Justice coalition and of course our participation with the AFL-CIO at the State Convention and Labor Day Parade This in addition to our grievance and arbitration settlements that unfortunately have us collecting an average of $30000 per quarter in claims for our members here in Philadelphia
Finally and this will never change the most important thing to remember you are AFTRA You are the ones who will carry the message to your colleagues in our industry to the schools at which you teach to the organizations of which you are a member that only by organizing can television radio and new media artists have the power and protection they need in an industry and a world that changes every day Thank you for spreading that message
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7
of the PhiladelphiaAmerican Federation of Television amp Radio Artists
2157320507philadelphiaaftracom
wwwaftraphiladelphiacom
Cast amp CrewShelley FiguresmdashEditor
Contributing EditorsStephen Leshinski
LayoutmdashChuck Varesko
StaffStephen LeshinskiExecutive Director
Shelley FiguresAssociate Executive Director
Lynn KoenigsbergmdashFreelance ContractsSignatory Administrator
Michele DooleymdashBenefits ampMembership Administrator
AFTRA LocalBoard of Directors
Catherine BrownmdashPresidentChuck Vareskomdashst Vice President Dick Sheeranmdashnd Vice PresidentCyndy Drue mdashSecretaryEd FischermdashTreasurerRob Charry Sam Clover John De Domenico Paul Kurtz Sylvia Kaud-ers Tom McNutt Susan Moses MJ Myers Bill Shusta Christy Springfield
National Board MembersSusan Moses Bill Shusta
bullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbull
AFTRA PHILADELPHIA230 South Broad St Suite 500Philadelphia PA 19102-41212157320507
Official PublicationSESSIONS PRESIDENTrsquoS REPORT
By Catherine Brown
Read SESSIONS online athttpwwwaftraphiladelphia
comsessionsThe Online Talent Guide is at
httpwwwaftraphiladelphiacomNational AFTRA is athttpwwwaftracom
AFTRA PHILADELPHIA ON FACEBOOK
Your Local now has a page on Facebook Social networking sites like Facebook are great for getting important information to the members quickly Many of todayrsquos modern actors and broadcasters are hooked to Facebook and other networking
sites through their smart phones and can be reading something posted by the AFTRA leadership or staff within moments of posting While the the Philadelphia Localrsquos page on the National AFTRA site will always be there with needed information and links to things like the Holiday Party Slideshow we will use Facebook to post late breaking information on AFTRA related events as they happen Check our Facebook page often for ldquobreaking newsrdquo videos and more Stay connected to your AFTRA Local by visiting the AFTRA Philadelphia Facebook page If yoursquore already a member of Facebook search for AFTRA Philadelphia or go to httpwwwfacebookcompagesPhiladelphia-PAAFTRA-Philadelphia497396115614
Howrsquos YOUR Web VisibilityAre you a ldquoDigital Personrdquo or are you trapped in the 20th cen-tury The Online Talent Guide is open to Local members (and Local SAG) for free If yoursquore computer illiterate call the AFTRA office at 2157320507 and ask them to send you an enrollment form Send it back with your headshot and resume and wersquorsquoll add you to the Talent Guide If yoursquore a computer user visit httpwwwaftraphiladelphiacom to sign up online Promote yourself
Solmiddotimiddotdarmiddotimiddotty mdash Unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests objectives and standards
Whether itrsquos Philadelphia members standing together to resolve local TV and radio contracts or being part of the W and W process to prepare for the AFTRA Exhibit A and
SAG TVTheatrical contract solidarity is our strengthAFTRArsquos local and national focus continues to be on organizing Our Philadelphia leadership
training earlier this year was the most well-attended session among all AFTRA locals It was led by AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon and National Organizer Phil Denniston We took our first steps together to develop a structured internal organizing strategy
Internal organizing is the pathway to growing the union Thatrsquos how we position AFTRA to meet the challenges across all of our news and entertainment industries To help reach our goal AFTRA has now added five new staff members to our organizing team reporting to Phil Denniston You may remember that delegates to the AFTRA National Convention last summer in Chicago approved the plan to enhance our organizing infrastructure
Those attending our Philadelphia Local Annual Membership meeting heard a number of heartfelt stories of appreciation and pride for our union And again solidarity was the central theme as we honored the late Ed Sciaky and Tom Brookshier and awarded the Bill Evans ldquosilver cardrdquo to Pierre Robert
In April I was honored to deliver a message to AFTRA members (Ed Note The April AFTRA Flash) and I closed with this message about reaching our ultimate victory
So how do we get to that ultimate victory Itrsquos really quite simple we do it by standing together to organize more and better work opportunities and negotiate stronger and stronger contracts through an inclusive and progressive national union with a clear and hopeful vision for the futureThatrsquos me thatrsquos you itrsquos us itrsquos AFTRA
In SolidarityCatherine Brown
AFTRA NATIONAL ORGANIZER VISITS PHILLY
By Bill Shusta
AFTRA has developed a national organizing strategy addressing issues which must be in place to run a successful organizing campaign Since the first of November 2009
national staff has been presenting this approach to our locals across the country Philadelphiarsquos turn came on Saturday February 20th It was presented by AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon and National Organizing Director Phil Denniston with help from Philadelphia Executive Director Steve LeshinskiAbout 50 local AFTRA members were on hand for the day long
session to gain an insight into what it will take to organize more freelance and broadcast work in Philadelphia The plan includes forming freelance and broadcast organizing committees The chairs of those committees will participate in meetings with their counterparts around the country to compare notesThis is an important effort for all AFTRANS Members must be
involved You will be asked to help and if yoursquore already interested please contact the local office There is much to be accomplished in Philadelphia Your local staff already has been successful on several fronts However your help is needed and herersquos hoping we can count on you
Pho
tos
by B
ill S
hust
a
AFTRArsquos National Organizer Phil Deniston presented the organizing plan AFTRA President Roberta Reardon was also on hand
(L-R) Christy Springfield Chris Stevens Andie Summers Neil Rattigan Dick Sheeran chatted during a break
Roberta Reardon and Phil Denniston giving their presentation to the attendees Local Exec Stephen Leshinski expounds on a point
Broadcast Beat mdash News from our shop stewardsWIPBy Rob Charry
Congratulations to Rob Ellis who is now working fulltime at WIP on the evening shift Rob has
been part-time the last several years while working his day job at Comcast Sportsnet as senior producer for Daily News Live Rob had been at Comcast Sportsnet since their inception in 1997 and is a Monsignor Bonner and Temple grad
At press time everyone at WIP is anxiously awaiting the return of Big Daddy Graham who has been resting his vocal chords this spring as he gets treatment for throat cancer Prognosis is good and Big Daddyrsquos projected return to the WIP airwaves is the end of May We at WIP not to mention his audience have missed him greatly We should mention that he will be also returning to his standup gigs as well including his always outstanding shows with WIPrsquos Joe Conklin For info go to BigDaddyGrahamcom andor JoeConklincom
Kudos to WIPrsquos Marc Farzetta Eytan Shander Sue Shilling G Cobb and everyone else who filled in for Big Daddy during his absence
KYW 1060By Paul Kurtz
After nearly 8 months of contentious negotiations the shop at KYW Newsradio finally reached a contract
agreement with management in late April Most of the main issues including Internet jurisdiction were dealt with by December Pay raises and a radical proposal by management to impose restrictions on vacation time dragged things on into the Spring But after the shop let it be known that we were going to take our concerns public by leafletting a popular downtown office tower and shopping mall where we broadcast from live once a month the logjam was broken The deal is far from perfect in terms of money but we were steadfast in holding the line on concessions Reporters have gotten used to snapping photos for the website while covering stories and now it looks like some of them will be shooting video and perhaps even reporting for CBS 3 No details yet
Congratulations to the crack staff at Newsradio which earned a bushel of awards this spring for reporting and anchoring Nobody does it better Also a shout out goes to newly minted dayside sports anchor Matt Leon who became an author this spring with the publication of Under your Nose a collection of stories that focus on the remarkable achievements of local athletes teams and coaches
WPHTBy Clinton PettyThe WPHT producers successfully negotiated a two year contract with CBS Details include 2 raises each year plus accrued vacation and sick time for part-timers Almost every producer
signed a letter stating our desire to continue to effectively and efficiently bring great talk radio Phillies baseball Frank Sinatrarsquos timeless music and other wonderful programming to our audience in perpetuity In return all that we asked for was a mutual commitment and understanding of the key role we play Very early in the negotiations CBS Philadelphia understood the depth of our engagement to the cause and a deal came together immediately in time to enjoy spring turning into summer the common bond of people sharing time on Earth and the Flyers overcoming insurmountable odds to go to the Stanley Cup Finals
CBS 3By Neil Rattigan
Therersquos headway in contract talks between AFTRA and CBS 3 CBS is proposing an 0-0-2 raise for the
three-year contract retroactive to October 2009 Once again it also wants to eliminate producer fees and continues to push for restricting the use of vacation time AFTRA is pushing for job security and better staffing But itrsquos willing to have volunteers shoot stories as long as itrsquos not for same-day coverage and therersquos no liability for poor quality video
CBS 3 received three awards from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Outstanding Television Breaking News Report for its Snowstorm coverage Television Judgesrsquo Merit Award for the stationrsquos relief efforts on behalf of Haiti and Outstanding Television Public Service AnnouncementCampaign for its Black History Month campaign Reporter Walt Hunter also received an award on the radio side of the competition for his live reports on the funeral of Police Officer John Pawlowski for CBS 3rsquos sister station The Big Talker 1210AM WPHT ldquoOperation Brotherly Love mdash Help For Haitirdquo the station-wide effort led by Reporter Jim Donovan helped raise close to $1 million for the American Red Cross for Haitian relief efforts Contributions were made during a fourteen hour phone bank The station also aired the 20th Annual ldquoRace for the Curerdquo to battle breast cancer
Meteorologist Justin Drabick joins the Eyewitness News team part-time from WBOC-TV Salisbury MD Per Diem writer Pat Wenger is now full time He produces the 7 am news on Sundays and writes during the week Aaron Inver joins us as a writer-producer from sister station KDKA-TV Pittsburgh Shemeka Moore is now writing for various newscasts Veteran Journalist Margie Smith from WB17 and NJN spends a few mornings writing on Eyewitness News This Morning
A few notable departures from the Eyewitness Newsroom Morning Anchor Liz Keptner has decided to sleep in and spend more time with her family Weekend Sports Anchor Don Bell is now at ESPN leaving a on-air vacancy in the Sports Department Reporter Jamie Smith and Weekend Morning Anchor Lesley Van Arsdall have been taking turns filling in Maria LaRosa has left CBS 3 for The Weather Channel After her depature she became a mother for the third time a third boy Tyler And Writer Rye Jin Baek has given birth to a girl Alexis her second child
bull bull bull
Continued on page 7
Yo The cast of Itrsquos Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be shooting in town this month and while theyrsquore here there might be a thing that happens What kinda thing Just a thing where you could support the Local Scholarship Fund Irsquom just sayinrsquo If it were to possibly happen you might hear about it on the Local Facebook page Maybe it would be prudent for you to check it often (The Localrsquos Facebook page is httpwwwfacebookcompagesPhiladelphia-PAAFTRA-Philadelphia497396115614)
Broadcast Steering Committee Meeting
This was one of the most interesting meetings of the AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee and caused in part by the weather About five inches of snow fell on the Nationrsquos
Capital that first weekend in February and it was fascinating to watch West Coast members react to the snow on the ground around the National Labor College Photos were taken by the dozens and then e-mailed home Eventually it was down to work Two major issues dominated discussion on day one One Man Bands and employer attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction in contract negotiations across the country
Co-chair Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore pointed to the constant challenges brought by change in the media the industry in general and technology How do we participate in the growth this change is causing One such change is our employers desire to move to so-called Multi-Media Journalists New York AFTRAN David Browde asked us to call it what it really is One Man Bands A BSC subcommittee has been discussing the issue and will continue to do so bouyed by the weekendrsquos conversation and the synopsis provided by a number of locals on member
By Bill Shustaviews of OMBrsquos No need to divulge any possible future strategies here
There was a lengthy explanation of the various company attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction as related to seven contract
negotiations in markets as small as Wheeling West Virginia and as large as Chicago Following the BSC meeting members of national staff and local execs met that Sunday afternoon and again Monday in Washington to further discuss the issue
BSC membees were briefed on the AFTRA Heath and Retirement funds by Trustee Co-Chair Shelby Scott The trustees have met since then and are said to be looking at combining some aspects of the health plan to save money there No details as yet The health plan is in good shape with more than a year reserve
Experts say that should be at least eight months Believe it or not our plan is considered a Cadillac plan Should Congress agree to tax such plans as part of health care reformthe tax bite would be six to eight million dollars That would affect our
(L-R) National Organizing Director Phil Denniston Director of Broadcasting Deborah Osofsky BSC co-chairs Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore and Maria Leticia Gomez of San Francisco and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon
ANNUAL MEETING PIX
Award presenters Larry Kane (L) and Tim Lake
Happy Members mdash Meagan Hill and Shane Radford
1st VP Chuck Varesko with Member Traci Law
More Annual Meeting photos
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Annual Meeting Photos
Tom Brookshierrsquos daughter Linda (L) and wife Barbara Rob Charry and Barbara Brookshier
Local President Catherine Brown and Mary Cavallero Comic Joe Conklin kicked things off Local Exec Stephen Leshinski
Joe Conklin borrowed WMMR production man Steve Lushbaughrsquos hair
WMGKrsquos John Debella made faces at Pierre Robert
Local rocker Kenn Kwedder serenaded Pierre with a re-worded version of a Lady Gaga song
(To Bad Romance) Pa pa Pierre pa pa Pierre Robert
Video of the awards in posted on the Localrsquos Facebook page
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Notes From The Director By Stephen Leshinski
benefits and Scott urges all AFTRA members to call their federal lawmakers in opposition to such a tax AFTRArsquos Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Tom Carpenter calls it an attack on middle class benefits
Scott said the retirement fund is nearly 90 funded with a value of 16 billion dollars Before the crash it was 95 funded but she said the fund is beginning to recoup money lost last year as the recession hit
Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth presented an update of recent meetings in New York on the pending Comcast-NBC-Universal merger AFTRA has contracts with both entities and she said our union wants clarity on the language NBC has provided re those contracts should the merger be approved And she said there are significant
B S C Report From page 7
concerns about that at the FCC FTC and on Capitol Hill where several hearings may be held It will be awhile before everythingrsquos
settledConcerning AFTRArsquos interests
on Capitol Hill Tom Carpenter said there has been little movement on the Employee Free Choice Act He calls the time frame questionable right now As for the Performers Rights Act Congress has asked our coalition to work with the National Association of Broadcasters on legislation capable of passing on the Hill He said we are and that it remains to be seen how much progress can be made Also a national Shield Law for journalists has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee but
hersquos not sure when the full Senate will vote
Catherine Brown and Stephen Leshinski with Pittsburgh Executive Director John Haer
Our yearly General Membership Meeting was a great time to look back and reflect on the ups and down of the AFTRA world this year seemed to have higher ups and
lower downs than most A year ago the national economy had hit bottom which affected our industry dramatically Freelance work dried up voice work and on camera work dried up and no one was saying for sure when or if any of that would return
Things looked equally bleak for our broadcast members NBC was proposing a newsroom re-organization that could reduce the staff by as much as 30 CBS was proposing two week unpaid furloughs at its television and radio stations and Beasley Broadcast Group (XTU) and Westwood One (Shadow Traffic) were initiating dramatic wage reductions just to keep the doors open
Things were not looking goodIn AFTRA now would be the time to double our efforts because
itrsquos not so much in good times that people look to the power of the union mdash itrsquos in bad times when the union is so important to represent and protect the interests of the union members And thatrsquos exactly what we did
In February Phil Deniston and Roberta Reardon conducted the AFTRA national leadership training for 50 of our most active members mdash the largest national training in the country
At NBC we told them those were our jobs and we negotiated an agreement that brought back 37 of the 38 writers and producers in the shop plus added five additional positions that had been IBEW and negotiated average wage increases of $2-5000 a person Most recently at NBC we settled a Labor Board charge against the company over the NBC Internet and negotiated a settlement that those writers become part of AFTRA so that at both of our TV stations the Internet is AFTRA work New media is the future and so are we
At Westwood One we conducted national negotiations and in return for temporary wage concessions bargained new provisions on enhanced severance and health insurance relief that is now permanently included in each AFTRA contract And one word about national negotiations when yoursquore dealing with a national company you MUST have national negotiations mdash itrsquos the only thing that makes any sense
And just in the last six weeks wersquove reached agreements at KYW and WPHT radio that gets back to raises in the last two years of each contract with NO CONCESSIONS in the agreements
Our public outreach efforts continue with speaking engagements at Villanova Law School and the Recording Academy our educational workshops at Villanova and Temple our new membership into the Broadcast Pioneers and Jobs with Justice coalition and of course our participation with the AFL-CIO at the State Convention and Labor Day Parade This in addition to our grievance and arbitration settlements that unfortunately have us collecting an average of $30000 per quarter in claims for our members here in Philadelphia
Finally and this will never change the most important thing to remember you are AFTRA You are the ones who will carry the message to your colleagues in our industry to the schools at which you teach to the organizations of which you are a member that only by organizing can television radio and new media artists have the power and protection they need in an industry and a world that changes every day Thank you for spreading that message
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7
AFTRA NATIONAL ORGANIZER VISITS PHILLY
By Bill Shusta
AFTRA has developed a national organizing strategy addressing issues which must be in place to run a successful organizing campaign Since the first of November 2009
national staff has been presenting this approach to our locals across the country Philadelphiarsquos turn came on Saturday February 20th It was presented by AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon and National Organizing Director Phil Denniston with help from Philadelphia Executive Director Steve LeshinskiAbout 50 local AFTRA members were on hand for the day long
session to gain an insight into what it will take to organize more freelance and broadcast work in Philadelphia The plan includes forming freelance and broadcast organizing committees The chairs of those committees will participate in meetings with their counterparts around the country to compare notesThis is an important effort for all AFTRANS Members must be
involved You will be asked to help and if yoursquore already interested please contact the local office There is much to be accomplished in Philadelphia Your local staff already has been successful on several fronts However your help is needed and herersquos hoping we can count on you
Pho
tos
by B
ill S
hust
a
AFTRArsquos National Organizer Phil Deniston presented the organizing plan AFTRA President Roberta Reardon was also on hand
(L-R) Christy Springfield Chris Stevens Andie Summers Neil Rattigan Dick Sheeran chatted during a break
Roberta Reardon and Phil Denniston giving their presentation to the attendees Local Exec Stephen Leshinski expounds on a point
Broadcast Beat mdash News from our shop stewardsWIPBy Rob Charry
Congratulations to Rob Ellis who is now working fulltime at WIP on the evening shift Rob has
been part-time the last several years while working his day job at Comcast Sportsnet as senior producer for Daily News Live Rob had been at Comcast Sportsnet since their inception in 1997 and is a Monsignor Bonner and Temple grad
At press time everyone at WIP is anxiously awaiting the return of Big Daddy Graham who has been resting his vocal chords this spring as he gets treatment for throat cancer Prognosis is good and Big Daddyrsquos projected return to the WIP airwaves is the end of May We at WIP not to mention his audience have missed him greatly We should mention that he will be also returning to his standup gigs as well including his always outstanding shows with WIPrsquos Joe Conklin For info go to BigDaddyGrahamcom andor JoeConklincom
Kudos to WIPrsquos Marc Farzetta Eytan Shander Sue Shilling G Cobb and everyone else who filled in for Big Daddy during his absence
KYW 1060By Paul Kurtz
After nearly 8 months of contentious negotiations the shop at KYW Newsradio finally reached a contract
agreement with management in late April Most of the main issues including Internet jurisdiction were dealt with by December Pay raises and a radical proposal by management to impose restrictions on vacation time dragged things on into the Spring But after the shop let it be known that we were going to take our concerns public by leafletting a popular downtown office tower and shopping mall where we broadcast from live once a month the logjam was broken The deal is far from perfect in terms of money but we were steadfast in holding the line on concessions Reporters have gotten used to snapping photos for the website while covering stories and now it looks like some of them will be shooting video and perhaps even reporting for CBS 3 No details yet
Congratulations to the crack staff at Newsradio which earned a bushel of awards this spring for reporting and anchoring Nobody does it better Also a shout out goes to newly minted dayside sports anchor Matt Leon who became an author this spring with the publication of Under your Nose a collection of stories that focus on the remarkable achievements of local athletes teams and coaches
WPHTBy Clinton PettyThe WPHT producers successfully negotiated a two year contract with CBS Details include 2 raises each year plus accrued vacation and sick time for part-timers Almost every producer
signed a letter stating our desire to continue to effectively and efficiently bring great talk radio Phillies baseball Frank Sinatrarsquos timeless music and other wonderful programming to our audience in perpetuity In return all that we asked for was a mutual commitment and understanding of the key role we play Very early in the negotiations CBS Philadelphia understood the depth of our engagement to the cause and a deal came together immediately in time to enjoy spring turning into summer the common bond of people sharing time on Earth and the Flyers overcoming insurmountable odds to go to the Stanley Cup Finals
CBS 3By Neil Rattigan
Therersquos headway in contract talks between AFTRA and CBS 3 CBS is proposing an 0-0-2 raise for the
three-year contract retroactive to October 2009 Once again it also wants to eliminate producer fees and continues to push for restricting the use of vacation time AFTRA is pushing for job security and better staffing But itrsquos willing to have volunteers shoot stories as long as itrsquos not for same-day coverage and therersquos no liability for poor quality video
CBS 3 received three awards from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Outstanding Television Breaking News Report for its Snowstorm coverage Television Judgesrsquo Merit Award for the stationrsquos relief efforts on behalf of Haiti and Outstanding Television Public Service AnnouncementCampaign for its Black History Month campaign Reporter Walt Hunter also received an award on the radio side of the competition for his live reports on the funeral of Police Officer John Pawlowski for CBS 3rsquos sister station The Big Talker 1210AM WPHT ldquoOperation Brotherly Love mdash Help For Haitirdquo the station-wide effort led by Reporter Jim Donovan helped raise close to $1 million for the American Red Cross for Haitian relief efforts Contributions were made during a fourteen hour phone bank The station also aired the 20th Annual ldquoRace for the Curerdquo to battle breast cancer
Meteorologist Justin Drabick joins the Eyewitness News team part-time from WBOC-TV Salisbury MD Per Diem writer Pat Wenger is now full time He produces the 7 am news on Sundays and writes during the week Aaron Inver joins us as a writer-producer from sister station KDKA-TV Pittsburgh Shemeka Moore is now writing for various newscasts Veteran Journalist Margie Smith from WB17 and NJN spends a few mornings writing on Eyewitness News This Morning
A few notable departures from the Eyewitness Newsroom Morning Anchor Liz Keptner has decided to sleep in and spend more time with her family Weekend Sports Anchor Don Bell is now at ESPN leaving a on-air vacancy in the Sports Department Reporter Jamie Smith and Weekend Morning Anchor Lesley Van Arsdall have been taking turns filling in Maria LaRosa has left CBS 3 for The Weather Channel After her depature she became a mother for the third time a third boy Tyler And Writer Rye Jin Baek has given birth to a girl Alexis her second child
bull bull bull
Continued on page 7
Yo The cast of Itrsquos Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be shooting in town this month and while theyrsquore here there might be a thing that happens What kinda thing Just a thing where you could support the Local Scholarship Fund Irsquom just sayinrsquo If it were to possibly happen you might hear about it on the Local Facebook page Maybe it would be prudent for you to check it often (The Localrsquos Facebook page is httpwwwfacebookcompagesPhiladelphia-PAAFTRA-Philadelphia497396115614)
Broadcast Steering Committee Meeting
This was one of the most interesting meetings of the AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee and caused in part by the weather About five inches of snow fell on the Nationrsquos
Capital that first weekend in February and it was fascinating to watch West Coast members react to the snow on the ground around the National Labor College Photos were taken by the dozens and then e-mailed home Eventually it was down to work Two major issues dominated discussion on day one One Man Bands and employer attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction in contract negotiations across the country
Co-chair Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore pointed to the constant challenges brought by change in the media the industry in general and technology How do we participate in the growth this change is causing One such change is our employers desire to move to so-called Multi-Media Journalists New York AFTRAN David Browde asked us to call it what it really is One Man Bands A BSC subcommittee has been discussing the issue and will continue to do so bouyed by the weekendrsquos conversation and the synopsis provided by a number of locals on member
By Bill Shustaviews of OMBrsquos No need to divulge any possible future strategies here
There was a lengthy explanation of the various company attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction as related to seven contract
negotiations in markets as small as Wheeling West Virginia and as large as Chicago Following the BSC meeting members of national staff and local execs met that Sunday afternoon and again Monday in Washington to further discuss the issue
BSC membees were briefed on the AFTRA Heath and Retirement funds by Trustee Co-Chair Shelby Scott The trustees have met since then and are said to be looking at combining some aspects of the health plan to save money there No details as yet The health plan is in good shape with more than a year reserve
Experts say that should be at least eight months Believe it or not our plan is considered a Cadillac plan Should Congress agree to tax such plans as part of health care reformthe tax bite would be six to eight million dollars That would affect our
(L-R) National Organizing Director Phil Denniston Director of Broadcasting Deborah Osofsky BSC co-chairs Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore and Maria Leticia Gomez of San Francisco and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon
ANNUAL MEETING PIX
Award presenters Larry Kane (L) and Tim Lake
Happy Members mdash Meagan Hill and Shane Radford
1st VP Chuck Varesko with Member Traci Law
More Annual Meeting photos
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Annual Meeting Photos
Tom Brookshierrsquos daughter Linda (L) and wife Barbara Rob Charry and Barbara Brookshier
Local President Catherine Brown and Mary Cavallero Comic Joe Conklin kicked things off Local Exec Stephen Leshinski
Joe Conklin borrowed WMMR production man Steve Lushbaughrsquos hair
WMGKrsquos John Debella made faces at Pierre Robert
Local rocker Kenn Kwedder serenaded Pierre with a re-worded version of a Lady Gaga song
(To Bad Romance) Pa pa Pierre pa pa Pierre Robert
Video of the awards in posted on the Localrsquos Facebook page
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Notes From The Director By Stephen Leshinski
benefits and Scott urges all AFTRA members to call their federal lawmakers in opposition to such a tax AFTRArsquos Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Tom Carpenter calls it an attack on middle class benefits
Scott said the retirement fund is nearly 90 funded with a value of 16 billion dollars Before the crash it was 95 funded but she said the fund is beginning to recoup money lost last year as the recession hit
Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth presented an update of recent meetings in New York on the pending Comcast-NBC-Universal merger AFTRA has contracts with both entities and she said our union wants clarity on the language NBC has provided re those contracts should the merger be approved And she said there are significant
B S C Report From page 7
concerns about that at the FCC FTC and on Capitol Hill where several hearings may be held It will be awhile before everythingrsquos
settledConcerning AFTRArsquos interests
on Capitol Hill Tom Carpenter said there has been little movement on the Employee Free Choice Act He calls the time frame questionable right now As for the Performers Rights Act Congress has asked our coalition to work with the National Association of Broadcasters on legislation capable of passing on the Hill He said we are and that it remains to be seen how much progress can be made Also a national Shield Law for journalists has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee but
hersquos not sure when the full Senate will vote
Catherine Brown and Stephen Leshinski with Pittsburgh Executive Director John Haer
Our yearly General Membership Meeting was a great time to look back and reflect on the ups and down of the AFTRA world this year seemed to have higher ups and
lower downs than most A year ago the national economy had hit bottom which affected our industry dramatically Freelance work dried up voice work and on camera work dried up and no one was saying for sure when or if any of that would return
Things looked equally bleak for our broadcast members NBC was proposing a newsroom re-organization that could reduce the staff by as much as 30 CBS was proposing two week unpaid furloughs at its television and radio stations and Beasley Broadcast Group (XTU) and Westwood One (Shadow Traffic) were initiating dramatic wage reductions just to keep the doors open
Things were not looking goodIn AFTRA now would be the time to double our efforts because
itrsquos not so much in good times that people look to the power of the union mdash itrsquos in bad times when the union is so important to represent and protect the interests of the union members And thatrsquos exactly what we did
In February Phil Deniston and Roberta Reardon conducted the AFTRA national leadership training for 50 of our most active members mdash the largest national training in the country
At NBC we told them those were our jobs and we negotiated an agreement that brought back 37 of the 38 writers and producers in the shop plus added five additional positions that had been IBEW and negotiated average wage increases of $2-5000 a person Most recently at NBC we settled a Labor Board charge against the company over the NBC Internet and negotiated a settlement that those writers become part of AFTRA so that at both of our TV stations the Internet is AFTRA work New media is the future and so are we
At Westwood One we conducted national negotiations and in return for temporary wage concessions bargained new provisions on enhanced severance and health insurance relief that is now permanently included in each AFTRA contract And one word about national negotiations when yoursquore dealing with a national company you MUST have national negotiations mdash itrsquos the only thing that makes any sense
And just in the last six weeks wersquove reached agreements at KYW and WPHT radio that gets back to raises in the last two years of each contract with NO CONCESSIONS in the agreements
Our public outreach efforts continue with speaking engagements at Villanova Law School and the Recording Academy our educational workshops at Villanova and Temple our new membership into the Broadcast Pioneers and Jobs with Justice coalition and of course our participation with the AFL-CIO at the State Convention and Labor Day Parade This in addition to our grievance and arbitration settlements that unfortunately have us collecting an average of $30000 per quarter in claims for our members here in Philadelphia
Finally and this will never change the most important thing to remember you are AFTRA You are the ones who will carry the message to your colleagues in our industry to the schools at which you teach to the organizations of which you are a member that only by organizing can television radio and new media artists have the power and protection they need in an industry and a world that changes every day Thank you for spreading that message
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7
Broadcast Beat mdash News from our shop stewardsWIPBy Rob Charry
Congratulations to Rob Ellis who is now working fulltime at WIP on the evening shift Rob has
been part-time the last several years while working his day job at Comcast Sportsnet as senior producer for Daily News Live Rob had been at Comcast Sportsnet since their inception in 1997 and is a Monsignor Bonner and Temple grad
At press time everyone at WIP is anxiously awaiting the return of Big Daddy Graham who has been resting his vocal chords this spring as he gets treatment for throat cancer Prognosis is good and Big Daddyrsquos projected return to the WIP airwaves is the end of May We at WIP not to mention his audience have missed him greatly We should mention that he will be also returning to his standup gigs as well including his always outstanding shows with WIPrsquos Joe Conklin For info go to BigDaddyGrahamcom andor JoeConklincom
Kudos to WIPrsquos Marc Farzetta Eytan Shander Sue Shilling G Cobb and everyone else who filled in for Big Daddy during his absence
KYW 1060By Paul Kurtz
After nearly 8 months of contentious negotiations the shop at KYW Newsradio finally reached a contract
agreement with management in late April Most of the main issues including Internet jurisdiction were dealt with by December Pay raises and a radical proposal by management to impose restrictions on vacation time dragged things on into the Spring But after the shop let it be known that we were going to take our concerns public by leafletting a popular downtown office tower and shopping mall where we broadcast from live once a month the logjam was broken The deal is far from perfect in terms of money but we were steadfast in holding the line on concessions Reporters have gotten used to snapping photos for the website while covering stories and now it looks like some of them will be shooting video and perhaps even reporting for CBS 3 No details yet
Congratulations to the crack staff at Newsradio which earned a bushel of awards this spring for reporting and anchoring Nobody does it better Also a shout out goes to newly minted dayside sports anchor Matt Leon who became an author this spring with the publication of Under your Nose a collection of stories that focus on the remarkable achievements of local athletes teams and coaches
WPHTBy Clinton PettyThe WPHT producers successfully negotiated a two year contract with CBS Details include 2 raises each year plus accrued vacation and sick time for part-timers Almost every producer
signed a letter stating our desire to continue to effectively and efficiently bring great talk radio Phillies baseball Frank Sinatrarsquos timeless music and other wonderful programming to our audience in perpetuity In return all that we asked for was a mutual commitment and understanding of the key role we play Very early in the negotiations CBS Philadelphia understood the depth of our engagement to the cause and a deal came together immediately in time to enjoy spring turning into summer the common bond of people sharing time on Earth and the Flyers overcoming insurmountable odds to go to the Stanley Cup Finals
CBS 3By Neil Rattigan
Therersquos headway in contract talks between AFTRA and CBS 3 CBS is proposing an 0-0-2 raise for the
three-year contract retroactive to October 2009 Once again it also wants to eliminate producer fees and continues to push for restricting the use of vacation time AFTRA is pushing for job security and better staffing But itrsquos willing to have volunteers shoot stories as long as itrsquos not for same-day coverage and therersquos no liability for poor quality video
CBS 3 received three awards from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Outstanding Television Breaking News Report for its Snowstorm coverage Television Judgesrsquo Merit Award for the stationrsquos relief efforts on behalf of Haiti and Outstanding Television Public Service AnnouncementCampaign for its Black History Month campaign Reporter Walt Hunter also received an award on the radio side of the competition for his live reports on the funeral of Police Officer John Pawlowski for CBS 3rsquos sister station The Big Talker 1210AM WPHT ldquoOperation Brotherly Love mdash Help For Haitirdquo the station-wide effort led by Reporter Jim Donovan helped raise close to $1 million for the American Red Cross for Haitian relief efforts Contributions were made during a fourteen hour phone bank The station also aired the 20th Annual ldquoRace for the Curerdquo to battle breast cancer
Meteorologist Justin Drabick joins the Eyewitness News team part-time from WBOC-TV Salisbury MD Per Diem writer Pat Wenger is now full time He produces the 7 am news on Sundays and writes during the week Aaron Inver joins us as a writer-producer from sister station KDKA-TV Pittsburgh Shemeka Moore is now writing for various newscasts Veteran Journalist Margie Smith from WB17 and NJN spends a few mornings writing on Eyewitness News This Morning
A few notable departures from the Eyewitness Newsroom Morning Anchor Liz Keptner has decided to sleep in and spend more time with her family Weekend Sports Anchor Don Bell is now at ESPN leaving a on-air vacancy in the Sports Department Reporter Jamie Smith and Weekend Morning Anchor Lesley Van Arsdall have been taking turns filling in Maria LaRosa has left CBS 3 for The Weather Channel After her depature she became a mother for the third time a third boy Tyler And Writer Rye Jin Baek has given birth to a girl Alexis her second child
bull bull bull
Continued on page 7
Yo The cast of Itrsquos Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be shooting in town this month and while theyrsquore here there might be a thing that happens What kinda thing Just a thing where you could support the Local Scholarship Fund Irsquom just sayinrsquo If it were to possibly happen you might hear about it on the Local Facebook page Maybe it would be prudent for you to check it often (The Localrsquos Facebook page is httpwwwfacebookcompagesPhiladelphia-PAAFTRA-Philadelphia497396115614)
Broadcast Steering Committee Meeting
This was one of the most interesting meetings of the AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee and caused in part by the weather About five inches of snow fell on the Nationrsquos
Capital that first weekend in February and it was fascinating to watch West Coast members react to the snow on the ground around the National Labor College Photos were taken by the dozens and then e-mailed home Eventually it was down to work Two major issues dominated discussion on day one One Man Bands and employer attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction in contract negotiations across the country
Co-chair Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore pointed to the constant challenges brought by change in the media the industry in general and technology How do we participate in the growth this change is causing One such change is our employers desire to move to so-called Multi-Media Journalists New York AFTRAN David Browde asked us to call it what it really is One Man Bands A BSC subcommittee has been discussing the issue and will continue to do so bouyed by the weekendrsquos conversation and the synopsis provided by a number of locals on member
By Bill Shustaviews of OMBrsquos No need to divulge any possible future strategies here
There was a lengthy explanation of the various company attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction as related to seven contract
negotiations in markets as small as Wheeling West Virginia and as large as Chicago Following the BSC meeting members of national staff and local execs met that Sunday afternoon and again Monday in Washington to further discuss the issue
BSC membees were briefed on the AFTRA Heath and Retirement funds by Trustee Co-Chair Shelby Scott The trustees have met since then and are said to be looking at combining some aspects of the health plan to save money there No details as yet The health plan is in good shape with more than a year reserve
Experts say that should be at least eight months Believe it or not our plan is considered a Cadillac plan Should Congress agree to tax such plans as part of health care reformthe tax bite would be six to eight million dollars That would affect our
(L-R) National Organizing Director Phil Denniston Director of Broadcasting Deborah Osofsky BSC co-chairs Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore and Maria Leticia Gomez of San Francisco and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon
ANNUAL MEETING PIX
Award presenters Larry Kane (L) and Tim Lake
Happy Members mdash Meagan Hill and Shane Radford
1st VP Chuck Varesko with Member Traci Law
More Annual Meeting photos
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Annual Meeting Photos
Tom Brookshierrsquos daughter Linda (L) and wife Barbara Rob Charry and Barbara Brookshier
Local President Catherine Brown and Mary Cavallero Comic Joe Conklin kicked things off Local Exec Stephen Leshinski
Joe Conklin borrowed WMMR production man Steve Lushbaughrsquos hair
WMGKrsquos John Debella made faces at Pierre Robert
Local rocker Kenn Kwedder serenaded Pierre with a re-worded version of a Lady Gaga song
(To Bad Romance) Pa pa Pierre pa pa Pierre Robert
Video of the awards in posted on the Localrsquos Facebook page
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Notes From The Director By Stephen Leshinski
benefits and Scott urges all AFTRA members to call their federal lawmakers in opposition to such a tax AFTRArsquos Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Tom Carpenter calls it an attack on middle class benefits
Scott said the retirement fund is nearly 90 funded with a value of 16 billion dollars Before the crash it was 95 funded but she said the fund is beginning to recoup money lost last year as the recession hit
Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth presented an update of recent meetings in New York on the pending Comcast-NBC-Universal merger AFTRA has contracts with both entities and she said our union wants clarity on the language NBC has provided re those contracts should the merger be approved And she said there are significant
B S C Report From page 7
concerns about that at the FCC FTC and on Capitol Hill where several hearings may be held It will be awhile before everythingrsquos
settledConcerning AFTRArsquos interests
on Capitol Hill Tom Carpenter said there has been little movement on the Employee Free Choice Act He calls the time frame questionable right now As for the Performers Rights Act Congress has asked our coalition to work with the National Association of Broadcasters on legislation capable of passing on the Hill He said we are and that it remains to be seen how much progress can be made Also a national Shield Law for journalists has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee but
hersquos not sure when the full Senate will vote
Catherine Brown and Stephen Leshinski with Pittsburgh Executive Director John Haer
Our yearly General Membership Meeting was a great time to look back and reflect on the ups and down of the AFTRA world this year seemed to have higher ups and
lower downs than most A year ago the national economy had hit bottom which affected our industry dramatically Freelance work dried up voice work and on camera work dried up and no one was saying for sure when or if any of that would return
Things looked equally bleak for our broadcast members NBC was proposing a newsroom re-organization that could reduce the staff by as much as 30 CBS was proposing two week unpaid furloughs at its television and radio stations and Beasley Broadcast Group (XTU) and Westwood One (Shadow Traffic) were initiating dramatic wage reductions just to keep the doors open
Things were not looking goodIn AFTRA now would be the time to double our efforts because
itrsquos not so much in good times that people look to the power of the union mdash itrsquos in bad times when the union is so important to represent and protect the interests of the union members And thatrsquos exactly what we did
In February Phil Deniston and Roberta Reardon conducted the AFTRA national leadership training for 50 of our most active members mdash the largest national training in the country
At NBC we told them those were our jobs and we negotiated an agreement that brought back 37 of the 38 writers and producers in the shop plus added five additional positions that had been IBEW and negotiated average wage increases of $2-5000 a person Most recently at NBC we settled a Labor Board charge against the company over the NBC Internet and negotiated a settlement that those writers become part of AFTRA so that at both of our TV stations the Internet is AFTRA work New media is the future and so are we
At Westwood One we conducted national negotiations and in return for temporary wage concessions bargained new provisions on enhanced severance and health insurance relief that is now permanently included in each AFTRA contract And one word about national negotiations when yoursquore dealing with a national company you MUST have national negotiations mdash itrsquos the only thing that makes any sense
And just in the last six weeks wersquove reached agreements at KYW and WPHT radio that gets back to raises in the last two years of each contract with NO CONCESSIONS in the agreements
Our public outreach efforts continue with speaking engagements at Villanova Law School and the Recording Academy our educational workshops at Villanova and Temple our new membership into the Broadcast Pioneers and Jobs with Justice coalition and of course our participation with the AFL-CIO at the State Convention and Labor Day Parade This in addition to our grievance and arbitration settlements that unfortunately have us collecting an average of $30000 per quarter in claims for our members here in Philadelphia
Finally and this will never change the most important thing to remember you are AFTRA You are the ones who will carry the message to your colleagues in our industry to the schools at which you teach to the organizations of which you are a member that only by organizing can television radio and new media artists have the power and protection they need in an industry and a world that changes every day Thank you for spreading that message
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7
Continued on page 7
Yo The cast of Itrsquos Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be shooting in town this month and while theyrsquore here there might be a thing that happens What kinda thing Just a thing where you could support the Local Scholarship Fund Irsquom just sayinrsquo If it were to possibly happen you might hear about it on the Local Facebook page Maybe it would be prudent for you to check it often (The Localrsquos Facebook page is httpwwwfacebookcompagesPhiladelphia-PAAFTRA-Philadelphia497396115614)
Broadcast Steering Committee Meeting
This was one of the most interesting meetings of the AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee and caused in part by the weather About five inches of snow fell on the Nationrsquos
Capital that first weekend in February and it was fascinating to watch West Coast members react to the snow on the ground around the National Labor College Photos were taken by the dozens and then e-mailed home Eventually it was down to work Two major issues dominated discussion on day one One Man Bands and employer attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction in contract negotiations across the country
Co-chair Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore pointed to the constant challenges brought by change in the media the industry in general and technology How do we participate in the growth this change is causing One such change is our employers desire to move to so-called Multi-Media Journalists New York AFTRAN David Browde asked us to call it what it really is One Man Bands A BSC subcommittee has been discussing the issue and will continue to do so bouyed by the weekendrsquos conversation and the synopsis provided by a number of locals on member
By Bill Shustaviews of OMBrsquos No need to divulge any possible future strategies here
There was a lengthy explanation of the various company attacks on AFTRA jurisdiction as related to seven contract
negotiations in markets as small as Wheeling West Virginia and as large as Chicago Following the BSC meeting members of national staff and local execs met that Sunday afternoon and again Monday in Washington to further discuss the issue
BSC membees were briefed on the AFTRA Heath and Retirement funds by Trustee Co-Chair Shelby Scott The trustees have met since then and are said to be looking at combining some aspects of the health plan to save money there No details as yet The health plan is in good shape with more than a year reserve
Experts say that should be at least eight months Believe it or not our plan is considered a Cadillac plan Should Congress agree to tax such plans as part of health care reformthe tax bite would be six to eight million dollars That would affect our
(L-R) National Organizing Director Phil Denniston Director of Broadcasting Deborah Osofsky BSC co-chairs Joe Krebs of Washington-Baltimore and Maria Leticia Gomez of San Francisco and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon
ANNUAL MEETING PIX
Award presenters Larry Kane (L) and Tim Lake
Happy Members mdash Meagan Hill and Shane Radford
1st VP Chuck Varesko with Member Traci Law
More Annual Meeting photos
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Annual Meeting Photos
Tom Brookshierrsquos daughter Linda (L) and wife Barbara Rob Charry and Barbara Brookshier
Local President Catherine Brown and Mary Cavallero Comic Joe Conklin kicked things off Local Exec Stephen Leshinski
Joe Conklin borrowed WMMR production man Steve Lushbaughrsquos hair
WMGKrsquos John Debella made faces at Pierre Robert
Local rocker Kenn Kwedder serenaded Pierre with a re-worded version of a Lady Gaga song
(To Bad Romance) Pa pa Pierre pa pa Pierre Robert
Video of the awards in posted on the Localrsquos Facebook page
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Notes From The Director By Stephen Leshinski
benefits and Scott urges all AFTRA members to call their federal lawmakers in opposition to such a tax AFTRArsquos Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Tom Carpenter calls it an attack on middle class benefits
Scott said the retirement fund is nearly 90 funded with a value of 16 billion dollars Before the crash it was 95 funded but she said the fund is beginning to recoup money lost last year as the recession hit
Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth presented an update of recent meetings in New York on the pending Comcast-NBC-Universal merger AFTRA has contracts with both entities and she said our union wants clarity on the language NBC has provided re those contracts should the merger be approved And she said there are significant
B S C Report From page 7
concerns about that at the FCC FTC and on Capitol Hill where several hearings may be held It will be awhile before everythingrsquos
settledConcerning AFTRArsquos interests
on Capitol Hill Tom Carpenter said there has been little movement on the Employee Free Choice Act He calls the time frame questionable right now As for the Performers Rights Act Congress has asked our coalition to work with the National Association of Broadcasters on legislation capable of passing on the Hill He said we are and that it remains to be seen how much progress can be made Also a national Shield Law for journalists has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee but
hersquos not sure when the full Senate will vote
Catherine Brown and Stephen Leshinski with Pittsburgh Executive Director John Haer
Our yearly General Membership Meeting was a great time to look back and reflect on the ups and down of the AFTRA world this year seemed to have higher ups and
lower downs than most A year ago the national economy had hit bottom which affected our industry dramatically Freelance work dried up voice work and on camera work dried up and no one was saying for sure when or if any of that would return
Things looked equally bleak for our broadcast members NBC was proposing a newsroom re-organization that could reduce the staff by as much as 30 CBS was proposing two week unpaid furloughs at its television and radio stations and Beasley Broadcast Group (XTU) and Westwood One (Shadow Traffic) were initiating dramatic wage reductions just to keep the doors open
Things were not looking goodIn AFTRA now would be the time to double our efforts because
itrsquos not so much in good times that people look to the power of the union mdash itrsquos in bad times when the union is so important to represent and protect the interests of the union members And thatrsquos exactly what we did
In February Phil Deniston and Roberta Reardon conducted the AFTRA national leadership training for 50 of our most active members mdash the largest national training in the country
At NBC we told them those were our jobs and we negotiated an agreement that brought back 37 of the 38 writers and producers in the shop plus added five additional positions that had been IBEW and negotiated average wage increases of $2-5000 a person Most recently at NBC we settled a Labor Board charge against the company over the NBC Internet and negotiated a settlement that those writers become part of AFTRA so that at both of our TV stations the Internet is AFTRA work New media is the future and so are we
At Westwood One we conducted national negotiations and in return for temporary wage concessions bargained new provisions on enhanced severance and health insurance relief that is now permanently included in each AFTRA contract And one word about national negotiations when yoursquore dealing with a national company you MUST have national negotiations mdash itrsquos the only thing that makes any sense
And just in the last six weeks wersquove reached agreements at KYW and WPHT radio that gets back to raises in the last two years of each contract with NO CONCESSIONS in the agreements
Our public outreach efforts continue with speaking engagements at Villanova Law School and the Recording Academy our educational workshops at Villanova and Temple our new membership into the Broadcast Pioneers and Jobs with Justice coalition and of course our participation with the AFL-CIO at the State Convention and Labor Day Parade This in addition to our grievance and arbitration settlements that unfortunately have us collecting an average of $30000 per quarter in claims for our members here in Philadelphia
Finally and this will never change the most important thing to remember you are AFTRA You are the ones who will carry the message to your colleagues in our industry to the schools at which you teach to the organizations of which you are a member that only by organizing can television radio and new media artists have the power and protection they need in an industry and a world that changes every day Thank you for spreading that message
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7
Annual Meeting Photos
Tom Brookshierrsquos daughter Linda (L) and wife Barbara Rob Charry and Barbara Brookshier
Local President Catherine Brown and Mary Cavallero Comic Joe Conklin kicked things off Local Exec Stephen Leshinski
Joe Conklin borrowed WMMR production man Steve Lushbaughrsquos hair
WMGKrsquos John Debella made faces at Pierre Robert
Local rocker Kenn Kwedder serenaded Pierre with a re-worded version of a Lady Gaga song
(To Bad Romance) Pa pa Pierre pa pa Pierre Robert
Video of the awards in posted on the Localrsquos Facebook page
Pho
tos
by R
osal
ind
Fis
chel
Notes From The Director By Stephen Leshinski
benefits and Scott urges all AFTRA members to call their federal lawmakers in opposition to such a tax AFTRArsquos Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Tom Carpenter calls it an attack on middle class benefits
Scott said the retirement fund is nearly 90 funded with a value of 16 billion dollars Before the crash it was 95 funded but she said the fund is beginning to recoup money lost last year as the recession hit
Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth presented an update of recent meetings in New York on the pending Comcast-NBC-Universal merger AFTRA has contracts with both entities and she said our union wants clarity on the language NBC has provided re those contracts should the merger be approved And she said there are significant
B S C Report From page 7
concerns about that at the FCC FTC and on Capitol Hill where several hearings may be held It will be awhile before everythingrsquos
settledConcerning AFTRArsquos interests
on Capitol Hill Tom Carpenter said there has been little movement on the Employee Free Choice Act He calls the time frame questionable right now As for the Performers Rights Act Congress has asked our coalition to work with the National Association of Broadcasters on legislation capable of passing on the Hill He said we are and that it remains to be seen how much progress can be made Also a national Shield Law for journalists has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee but
hersquos not sure when the full Senate will vote
Catherine Brown and Stephen Leshinski with Pittsburgh Executive Director John Haer
Our yearly General Membership Meeting was a great time to look back and reflect on the ups and down of the AFTRA world this year seemed to have higher ups and
lower downs than most A year ago the national economy had hit bottom which affected our industry dramatically Freelance work dried up voice work and on camera work dried up and no one was saying for sure when or if any of that would return
Things looked equally bleak for our broadcast members NBC was proposing a newsroom re-organization that could reduce the staff by as much as 30 CBS was proposing two week unpaid furloughs at its television and radio stations and Beasley Broadcast Group (XTU) and Westwood One (Shadow Traffic) were initiating dramatic wage reductions just to keep the doors open
Things were not looking goodIn AFTRA now would be the time to double our efforts because
itrsquos not so much in good times that people look to the power of the union mdash itrsquos in bad times when the union is so important to represent and protect the interests of the union members And thatrsquos exactly what we did
In February Phil Deniston and Roberta Reardon conducted the AFTRA national leadership training for 50 of our most active members mdash the largest national training in the country
At NBC we told them those were our jobs and we negotiated an agreement that brought back 37 of the 38 writers and producers in the shop plus added five additional positions that had been IBEW and negotiated average wage increases of $2-5000 a person Most recently at NBC we settled a Labor Board charge against the company over the NBC Internet and negotiated a settlement that those writers become part of AFTRA so that at both of our TV stations the Internet is AFTRA work New media is the future and so are we
At Westwood One we conducted national negotiations and in return for temporary wage concessions bargained new provisions on enhanced severance and health insurance relief that is now permanently included in each AFTRA contract And one word about national negotiations when yoursquore dealing with a national company you MUST have national negotiations mdash itrsquos the only thing that makes any sense
And just in the last six weeks wersquove reached agreements at KYW and WPHT radio that gets back to raises in the last two years of each contract with NO CONCESSIONS in the agreements
Our public outreach efforts continue with speaking engagements at Villanova Law School and the Recording Academy our educational workshops at Villanova and Temple our new membership into the Broadcast Pioneers and Jobs with Justice coalition and of course our participation with the AFL-CIO at the State Convention and Labor Day Parade This in addition to our grievance and arbitration settlements that unfortunately have us collecting an average of $30000 per quarter in claims for our members here in Philadelphia
Finally and this will never change the most important thing to remember you are AFTRA You are the ones who will carry the message to your colleagues in our industry to the schools at which you teach to the organizations of which you are a member that only by organizing can television radio and new media artists have the power and protection they need in an industry and a world that changes every day Thank you for spreading that message
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7
Notes From The Director By Stephen Leshinski
benefits and Scott urges all AFTRA members to call their federal lawmakers in opposition to such a tax AFTRArsquos Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Tom Carpenter calls it an attack on middle class benefits
Scott said the retirement fund is nearly 90 funded with a value of 16 billion dollars Before the crash it was 95 funded but she said the fund is beginning to recoup money lost last year as the recession hit
Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth presented an update of recent meetings in New York on the pending Comcast-NBC-Universal merger AFTRA has contracts with both entities and she said our union wants clarity on the language NBC has provided re those contracts should the merger be approved And she said there are significant
B S C Report From page 7
concerns about that at the FCC FTC and on Capitol Hill where several hearings may be held It will be awhile before everythingrsquos
settledConcerning AFTRArsquos interests
on Capitol Hill Tom Carpenter said there has been little movement on the Employee Free Choice Act He calls the time frame questionable right now As for the Performers Rights Act Congress has asked our coalition to work with the National Association of Broadcasters on legislation capable of passing on the Hill He said we are and that it remains to be seen how much progress can be made Also a national Shield Law for journalists has passed the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee but
hersquos not sure when the full Senate will vote
Catherine Brown and Stephen Leshinski with Pittsburgh Executive Director John Haer
Our yearly General Membership Meeting was a great time to look back and reflect on the ups and down of the AFTRA world this year seemed to have higher ups and
lower downs than most A year ago the national economy had hit bottom which affected our industry dramatically Freelance work dried up voice work and on camera work dried up and no one was saying for sure when or if any of that would return
Things looked equally bleak for our broadcast members NBC was proposing a newsroom re-organization that could reduce the staff by as much as 30 CBS was proposing two week unpaid furloughs at its television and radio stations and Beasley Broadcast Group (XTU) and Westwood One (Shadow Traffic) were initiating dramatic wage reductions just to keep the doors open
Things were not looking goodIn AFTRA now would be the time to double our efforts because
itrsquos not so much in good times that people look to the power of the union mdash itrsquos in bad times when the union is so important to represent and protect the interests of the union members And thatrsquos exactly what we did
In February Phil Deniston and Roberta Reardon conducted the AFTRA national leadership training for 50 of our most active members mdash the largest national training in the country
At NBC we told them those were our jobs and we negotiated an agreement that brought back 37 of the 38 writers and producers in the shop plus added five additional positions that had been IBEW and negotiated average wage increases of $2-5000 a person Most recently at NBC we settled a Labor Board charge against the company over the NBC Internet and negotiated a settlement that those writers become part of AFTRA so that at both of our TV stations the Internet is AFTRA work New media is the future and so are we
At Westwood One we conducted national negotiations and in return for temporary wage concessions bargained new provisions on enhanced severance and health insurance relief that is now permanently included in each AFTRA contract And one word about national negotiations when yoursquore dealing with a national company you MUST have national negotiations mdash itrsquos the only thing that makes any sense
And just in the last six weeks wersquove reached agreements at KYW and WPHT radio that gets back to raises in the last two years of each contract with NO CONCESSIONS in the agreements
Our public outreach efforts continue with speaking engagements at Villanova Law School and the Recording Academy our educational workshops at Villanova and Temple our new membership into the Broadcast Pioneers and Jobs with Justice coalition and of course our participation with the AFL-CIO at the State Convention and Labor Day Parade This in addition to our grievance and arbitration settlements that unfortunately have us collecting an average of $30000 per quarter in claims for our members here in Philadelphia
Finally and this will never change the most important thing to remember you are AFTRA You are the ones who will carry the message to your colleagues in our industry to the schools at which you teach to the organizations of which you are a member that only by organizing can television radio and new media artists have the power and protection they need in an industry and a world that changes every day Thank you for spreading that message
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7
SESSIONS is also online atwwwaftraphiladelpiacomsessionsRead Nat Wrightrsquos History of The Philadelphia Local at wwwaftraphiladelphiacomconventionhistoryhtmlCatherine Brownrsquos April Flash httpwwwaftracom62B3BCBA13A345D3B8C49D20F7133A9Chtm
In This Issue
ldquoWhy have they lured me hererdquo muses Pierre Robert Find out by reading the story on page one
Awards Presented At Annual Meeting 1
SAG President Visits Philadelphia 1
Presidentrsquos Report 2
AFTRA Philadelphia on Facebook 2
Broadcast Beat 4
Broadcast Steering Committee Report 5
Annual Meeting Photos 56
Notes From The Director 7