tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post529040902787289342..comments2024-03-26T22:42:06.412-07:00Comments on TAG Blog: Rough DraftSteve Huletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-4158378015197167922010-06-07T21:40:29.445-07:002010-06-07T21:40:29.445-07:00If you believe that potential TAG members have a w...If you believe that potential TAG members have a weaker understanding of how TAG works than they do of how SAG or the WGA work, then you don't run in the same circles I do. You seem to think that TAG should emulate SAG and the WGA in some way. As a long-time TAG member, I couldn't disagree more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-46547874814012563202010-06-07T21:25:21.988-07:002010-06-07T21:25:21.988-07:00well, ok. i followed all that bullshit, too, how ...well, ok. i followed all that bullshit, too, how can anyone working in this town not, and everyone got screwed down the line far worse than any writer or actor.<br /><br />but you also too easily forget that we heard a lot of how we are all supposed to 'support our brothers' and 'walk the line with them' and 'the gains they get for their issues only help support our own cause, as they set the template for residuals, new media,...' <br /><br />and most importantly, we all got the whole 'this is how pattern bargaining works, we're all part of the same game, it is all how the game is played' bullshit. and the only core issues that came out of IATSE/TAG was that Tom Short had a shit fit b/c WGA was hell bent on walking. that was the long and short of our core issues. <br /><br />the rest happened quietly and with little fanfare, in the margins when IATSE had whatever remaining surface to come up and breathe through. so no, it is not a surprise at all that tag core issues are not clear to potential future tag membership.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-84297058397127249232010-06-07T19:32:40.859-07:002010-06-07T19:32:40.859-07:00TAG struck in 1979 and 1983. I work with people w...TAG struck in 1979 and 1983. I work with people who walked the picket line (and some who didn't), and they remember it like it was yesterday.<br /><br />As for the supposed clarity of the WGA strike, it wasn't so clear at all. They claimed at one point it was about organizing reality TV, then tossed that issue. They claimed it was about representing animation, then backed down about that. They claimed it was about revisiting the dreaded DVD residuals formula, but then pretended it wasn't. They made a lot of noise about new media, and yet not a single writer I know can begin to explain to me what the WGA's position is on new media.<br /><br />And SAG, they were clear? Fact is, they are a deeply, bitterly divided union, with rabid partisans playing games behind the scenes to grab control of the union, while the industry ground to a halt. Maybe you think 'Unite for Strength' and 'Membership First' had clear agendas, and maybe you can even articulate what the two factions had as their 'core' issues, aside from contempt for their fellow union members. I followed it all pretty closely, and yet all I remember is the noise and drama.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I think it's pretty clear that TAG's core issues are maintaining/enhancing our pension and health benefits, expanding the number of studios that offer portable benefits, making sure the salary minimums keep up with inflation, and enforcing workplace laws. Doesn't seem that complicated or confusing to me, especially compared to some of our fellow entertainment unions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-91698042301798634702010-06-07T18:38:57.338-07:002010-06-07T18:38:57.338-07:00i think the confusion over tag's ability to st...i think the confusion over tag's ability to strike stems from the fact that they haven't done so since forever, for better or worse. <br /><br />i think that this also makes it confusing for people when they try to understand what tag's current core issues are, should a job action occur. that would clarify things. wga/sag actions last round made it clear what they are currently about. it did put the word out there in no uncertain terms - laying waste in the process, of course, as these things often do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-87219980630375000802010-06-07T10:37:10.879-07:002010-06-07T10:37:10.879-07:00Heeeey Abboooooot! Or Doofus, or anti-union shill ...<i>Heeeey Abboooooot!</i> Or Doofus, or anti-union shill or whoever you are commenting at 10:13--<br />It's really really OBVIOUS, DURRRR, that the guy who keeps coming back and talking about his ER visit is the SAME guy, unless there's another loon who is <i>pretending</i> to be the guy who went to an ER that wasn't covered, that was an emergency with "blood & everything", which from a cursory examination of the verbiage seems about as likely as the idea that you're <i>not</i> a dumbshit.<br /><br />All of which is besides the point: the ER guy is WRONG, utterly wrong, about ER coverage. He's also wrong about what the hours worked under a union contract get you. <br /><br />There's no room for any debate there. He's <b>wrong</b> and all the whining and invective and name calling from you or him or me ain't going to change the facts of our health plan and pension one iota. <br /><br />Frankly, there's just no sensible reason whatsoever <i>not</i> to be union. If there were, the DGA and WGA and SAG wouldn't exist. And you'd better believe all the studios in town would love ALL of them to *poof*!-disappear. <br />But they aren't going to, thank goodness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-12953408632616093122010-06-07T10:13:44.227-07:002010-06-07T10:13:44.227-07:00Vfxsoldier says:
"An individual on this blog ...Vfxsoldier says:<br />"An individual on this blog claims that he went to the emergency room and it was not covered because of the hospital he went to.<br /><br />He then says it was the procedure and it was pretty drastic."<br /><br /><br />Hey dumbshit. In case you haven't noticed. Most everyone on here is commenting as Anonymous. Ever think these are two different people?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-5772737136712554202010-06-07T09:54:46.056-07:002010-06-07T09:54:46.056-07:00I have two questions for Rough Draft employees who...I have two questions for Rough Draft employees who chose Rough Draft health and retirement benefits over union health and retirement benefits.<br /><br />1) Does Rough Draft offer a plan with better coverage than an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-deductible_health_plan" rel="nofollow">HSA-compatible plan</a>? This thread makes it clear that RD offers HSA-compatible insurance, but it does not say if RD offers an HMO/PPO alternative to the HSA-compatible plan.<br /><br />2) The thread states that Rough Draft will match the first 2% of employee 401(k) contributions, but it does not clarify investment options. In the Rough Draft 401(k), do artists have access to no-load mutual funds with expense ratios lower than 0.50%? <a href="http://assetbuilder.com/blogs/scott_burns/archive/2007/03/10/The-Long-Term-Cost-of-High-Investment-Expenses.aspx" rel="nofollow">Cost matters</a>, and the union 401(k) offers mutual funds with expense ratios as low as <a href="http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/word-about-401k-fees.html" rel="nofollow">0.19</a>%.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-55222336636528395512010-06-07T09:09:55.146-07:002010-06-07T09:09:55.146-07:00Uh, you miss my point.
Since most everybody is an...Uh, you miss my point.<br /><br />Since most everybody is anonymous, to accuse union members of insulting people, union members of "threatening to blacklist" is an <b>assumption</b> based on nothing.<br /><br />There is no way for you to know who is saying what. There might be ringers in the mix. There might be snotty middle schoolers. Who is saying what is simply unknowable. <br /><br />No coyness to that at all. It's simply fact.Steve Huletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-70767251284819462982010-06-07T07:54:30.411-07:002010-06-07T07:54:30.411-07:00I love how the assumption is that I am Republican ...I love how the assumption is that I am Republican and against healthcare reform.<br /><br />To Steve Hulett, I never stated that you insulted anyone. However, in discussion over this topic, some have felt justified in insulting others just for stating opinion. If you actually read the comments here, you would know that. Don't be coy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-78820203810539064992010-06-06T22:43:19.768-07:002010-06-06T22:43:19.768-07:00I like how someone has a problem with a producer l...<b>I like how someone has a problem with a producer looking on this blog, but not with all the insults. </b><br /><br />Uh, I run the joint, and <b>I</b> don't have a problem.<br /><br />And please tell me who I've insulted, please show me where I've done it.<br /><br />The majority here are anonymous. Nobody knows for certain who anybody is. Some don't like that but it doesn't particularly bother me. I assume that people are who they rep themselves to be, but who knows? Maybe they're really some high school student in Newfoundland having themselves a good time.Steve Huletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-24643319480219204892010-06-06T22:33:58.864-07:002010-06-06T22:33:58.864-07:00Most people that I know have not vested or qualifi...<b>Most people that I know have not vested or qualified after years of work. </b><br /><br />Here are the facts: It's ten weeks to vest in the Individual Account Plan (400 hours).<br /><br />It's five qualified pension years (minimum of 400 hours in a calendar year; 2000 hours total) to vest in the Defined Benefit Plan.<br /><br />Of the people that have come through the office, and there have been thousands, I know of <b>nobody</b> who worked years and yet didn't get vested.Steve Huletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-19062939508491820292010-06-06T22:29:05.971-07:002010-06-06T22:29:05.971-07:00When I worked 12 years ago I assumed that since ev...<b>When I worked 12 years ago I assumed that since everything has to go through the union, including I imagine a notice of my layoff, that they would be aware of how long I was employed for, that being nine months. </b><br /><br />We often don't get notices of layoff. We have staff calling studios several days a week to get layoff notices. Studios are often three to six months late with layoff notices, also -- less frequently -- hiring notices.<br /><br />All these things are contractual requirements, and (technically) we could file grievances when they're not done. But there are only so many hours in the day. The reason we say to members "save your check stubs, read and review your statements" over and over is so that people will be aware and catch these things.<br /><br />Sorry that you didn't, but we do what we can do. And like I said, if you have those old stubs somewhere, like in a shoe box, I'm happy to follow up.Steve Huletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-34837742920608746192010-06-06T22:18:13.382-07:002010-06-06T22:18:13.382-07:00If someone (or a group of people) has a problem th...<b>If someone (or a group of people) has a problem that is not personal, but studio wide, can they come forth and give their names to the Union, but have an impartial party confirm to the Union studio that the grievance is filed by people who are indeed working at a that union studio? -ie without the studio seeing names, but by a third party confirming names supplied by the studio? </b><br /><br />TAG has, on occasion, done group grievances where I've made it clear that I'm filing a grievance on my own for contract violations. Did it at Disney TVA (we won). Did a huge grievance at Disney Feature (we lost.)<br /><br />But mostly, I don't file anonymous grievances. The studio needs to know who the grievant is. <br /><br />(Years ago, a freelance board artist hadn't been paid by the Mouse House. I told her I would call the studio -- i.e. do a Step One grievance -- she said "Great! But ... uh ... don't use my name." I told her that would be tough, because the company wouldn't know who to send the check to.)<br /><br />Long story short: Grievances mostly have to have names attached to them. Is there political blowback? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I usually try and game-plan different solutions with the aggrieved person.Steve Huletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537689111433326847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-91599413125586460862010-06-06T21:22:51.725-07:002010-06-06T21:22:51.725-07:00Most people that I know have not vested or qualifi...<b>Most people that I know have not vested or qualified after years of work.</b><br /><br />Are you really trying to make this claim? Really? If you're a typical animation person, you know dozens and dozens of fellow professionals. So are you claiming that the majority of those fellow animation professionals have worked enough years to qualify for a union pension and for health benefits, but through some kind of incompetency or conspiracy most of those people are not vested and have had their union hours not counted? Am I clear on that? I don't want to misrepresent what you wrote, but that's how I read it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-3435592659671201422010-06-06T20:38:05.031-07:002010-06-06T20:38:05.031-07:004:51 Anon: The Oil Spill reference was directed at...4:51 Anon: The Oil Spill reference was directed at the insurance and health care industry, who shall give you a rate that is exponentially beyond your comprehension when you are shoved off onto COBRA after your thirty day termination from RD. Then when you've exhausted a good portion of your hard earned "above-Union-Scale" savings that you derived from mom and pop RD, you'll get hoisted off COBRA and into an INDIVIDUAL plan, which will cost you a good twice as much as COBRA. Then in several months or so of paying premiums, and being oh-so-very-carefully not to trigger your deductable of $1500 up-front a year or so, you have no more savings. THen you'll be out of the health care system. But oh-wait! There's the Obama healthcare fallback plan that you did'nt want to begin with, because you believe in capitalism and shun socialism (such as what Unionizing is about).<br />And you'll find by that time, that the healthcare industry and the insurance industry have been hard at work throwing a monkey wrench into that! Remember Prop 103 back in 1988? The mandate on Auto Insurance? Well they are back with their monkey-wrench next week, and I believe its Prop 17, where you can take your insurance rate discounts from one insurer to another. Who is behind it? The INSURANCE COMPANIES. THAT'S what I meant about who should experience a calamity as the oil industry has now exposed itself to. And dont worry, despite BP's promise that they will cover all costs, you can bet you and I are gonna pay for it. If only something can knock the healthcare system into line. But youll have no idea until you are out there without it. Then you're gonna really be mad. <br /><br />Dont think for a minute I wish the worse on my fellow co-workers. The management that pets and coos the ones they choose to are the ones who passed on the message to vote NO, when something good could have been done for yet another crop of artists.<br />And I think I was correct in that RD, being a setup for Fox's discharge, reaps the benefits of coat-tailing on Fox's Insurance-Package-Deal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-50645160373837136502010-06-06T20:37:56.413-07:002010-06-06T20:37:56.413-07:00An individual on this blog claims that he went to ...An individual on this blog claims that he went to the emergency room and it was not covered because of the hospital he went to.<br /><br />He then says it was the procedure and it was pretty drastic.<br /><br />If I was someone in that situation and on this blog anonymously, I would be compelled to explain what happened and what the procedure was to discourage people from joining the guild.<br /><br />I find is peculiar that just from asking simple questions about it that this individual shoots back at me calling me a douchebag.<br /><br />Ok fine. Here's the thing though. You know people are reading this blog. You see that people are now really skeptical as you back peddle from your claim.<br /><br />It's a fact that all er visits are covered by the union health insurance.<br /><br />There are certain elective procedures (such as breast implants, dermabrasion, etc) that are clearly listed as non-covered procedures.<br /><br />You can go ahead and shoot off wild claims but the people reading this blog will find the facts out whether you like it or not.<br /><br />I'm not for black-listing and I think its wrong. We advocates of the guild don't accomplish anything by resorting to the same tactics the opposition resorts to.<br /><br />You are entitled to your opinions.<br />You are NOT entitled to your own set of facts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-84937149019313234172010-06-06T20:30:54.397-07:002010-06-06T20:30:54.397-07:00Maybe, but it seems to have worked for you to conv...Maybe, but it seems to have worked for you to convince your 'fellow' employees not to vote union. Did they pay you extra for that or just promise you you'll be their favorite?<br /><br />But it seems your big reasons for not voting union, so you claim, at least, are that you were stupid and made mistakes (like not saving your paystubs and investigating if you were credited for the time you worked) and decided to blame the union for these problems -oh, and someone was mean to you on the phone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-11167224113372377252010-06-06T19:30:57.313-07:002010-06-06T19:30:57.313-07:00It's nice that you explain it to me slow.
It&...It's nice that you explain it to me slow.<br /><br />It's unfortunate that this was not explained to me when I called 12 years ago for whatever reason. As I said, I was young and new. <br /><br />I'm sure that many of those I have worked with over the years also have not saved their paystubs. So I don't think that I am alone on this one. Most people that I know have not vested or qualified after years of work.<br /><br />This is not my only reason for not voting union, as I have mentioned. Considering how many voted no, I imagine there are many others with their own reasons. <br /><br />Repeatedly telling people that they are foolish, using a threatening tone and calling them liars is no way to win hearts and minds.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-18035681972297692592010-06-06T19:15:21.249-07:002010-06-06T19:15:21.249-07:00The union does not monitor your health or pension ...The union does not monitor your health or pension benefits. That is through the Motion Picture Industry Health and Pension Plan. The MPIHPP is supposed to get the information directly from the studio. Studios screw up regularly, hence the union's constant refrain to 'Save Your Paystubs' and 'Check Your Hours,' which I've heard/read regularly since I came into the industry 15 years ago. The union can help you sort it out, but only if they're notified that there seems to be a problem.<br /><br />It takes 400 hours of work to have a 'qualified year.' Did you not do 400 hours of work? When you called the union, did you inquire how many hours were required to have a qualified year? It doesn't sound to me like you even want to find out what happened. If the union has records of your work (and I know those records are kept pretty much forever), there may still be a chance to intervene.<br /><br />Light a candle, or curse the darkness. Your choice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-1626987277504943142010-06-06T18:15:09.088-07:002010-06-06T18:15:09.088-07:00oh and just for the sake of being clear:
Yes I go...oh and just for the sake of being clear:<br /><br />Yes I got a union card and paperwork.<br /><br />Yes I got severance pay. <br /><br />When I worked 12 years ago I assumed that since everything has to go through the union, including I imagine a notice of my layoff, that they would be aware of how long I was employed for, that being nine months.<br /><br />I fuzzily recall having a conversation with someone from the union when I called after getting a statement that I had no time vested. The jist was that I did not have enough hours to qualify. Being relatively new to the industry, I took them at their word.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-40750362139242060762010-06-06T17:54:50.576-07:002010-06-06T17:54:50.576-07:00I recently had 16 weeks work at a union studio. I...I recently had 16 weeks work at a union studio. I averaged 60-65 hours a week, all of which were credited. The result was that, with just 4 months work, I had one more vested year in my pension plans, and I had 18 months of first-rate medical care, without cost to me, before I had to go back on Cobra.<br /><br />Following that, I got a job at a nonunion place. They promised medical benefits after three months, but at the three month mark they changed me to 1099 status. Ten months of work, and no medical or pension benefits at all. But they were a sweet Mom and Pop studio, and were really nice to me, so I sucked it up. Now I realize I was just a chump.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-87671243558257529782010-06-06T17:52:32.465-07:002010-06-06T17:52:32.465-07:00Please tell me what procedure I had done.
I am sl...Please tell me what procedure I had done.<br /><br />I am slow to pick up on your cleverness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-79126043050424397022010-06-06T17:48:07.784-07:002010-06-06T17:48:07.784-07:00I cannot understand someone whining "My union...I cannot understand someone whining "My union hours never counted, therefore the union sucks," but apparently that person never raised a finger to do anything about it. If your studio isn't reporting your hours, there are plenty of ways you'll know about it. I get regular statements about how many hours I've earned, and I always check those summaries against my paystubs. Steve and the Peg-Board constantly remind us to save our paystubs, and to check our hours yearly. <br /><br />If a studio isn't reporting your hours, the union won't know about it, and so cannot correct it. Did that occur to you? Did it occur to you to investigate the situation? In that first 9-month stint that supposedly wasn't counted, did you ever get paperwork from the union to join? Did you get your membership card? Did you get your severance pay? I mean, seriously, there aren't mind-readers working at the union. Steve has offered to try to rectify the situation, but I get the feeling you like playing the victim, with the union as the bad guy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-88976593768357359112010-06-06T17:40:50.651-07:002010-06-06T17:40:50.651-07:00Anonymous 5:25
How do you know who you are talkin...Anonymous 5:25<br /><br />How do you know who you are talking to? You say you will keep your eyes open for their resume, but we are all anonymous here. <br /><br />I don't like that our Union would start spouting black-list-ish stuff against anyone. We should be trying to help people and convince them why the Union is good.. not threatening people. That if they appear to be anti-union they're gonna 'get it' if they ever come crawling to you for work. We are only going to drive more people away if we sink to that level. <br /><br />Better to just hope that the time comes when anti-union people DO see the benefit of the union and turn to us for help saying "wow, I guess you were right"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22906998.post-84058453629714994842010-06-06T17:34:59.227-07:002010-06-06T17:34:59.227-07:00I have a question:
When people filed rep cards th...I have a question:<br /><br />When people filed rep cards they were seen by the union, but RDS never saw the cards. <br />I am to understand that RDS would have put forth a list of employees to the labor board and an impartial individual would confirm that the rep cards were indeed signed by RDS employees. Thus keeping anonymity. <br /><br />Is this how grievances are handled? If someone (or a group of people) has a problem that is not personal, but studio wide, can they come forth and give their names to the Union, but have an impartial party confirm to the Union studio that the grievance is filed by people who are indeed working at a that union studio? -ie without the studio seeing names, but by a third party confirming names supplied by the studio?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com