news
Legal Content Sites
Aug 14th
While there are many websites where consumers can legally view streamed content, there are many illegal downloading/streaming sites. These illegal sites constitute theft of media content. Theft of this kind directly affects our brothers and sisters in the motion picture and television industries both within I.A.T.S.E. and in our sister unions representing actors, directors and others. Compensation and benefits for workers in these industries are often tied to residual income from secondary markets for their movies, TV shows and music such as DVD sales, rentals and internet downloads. Illegally downloading such content takes money out of the pockets of the people who helped create it.
The Motion Picture Association of America and the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association have provided a list of sites where you can legally download/stream movies, TV shows and music.
Please take a look at it here.
Upcoming Changes Backstage
Aug 10th
Last night at the August Membership meeting the Body voted to officially consolidate the Backstage with the Official website. Local 15 will pay the monthly fee that Ning is going to start charging. We may still keep an eye out for another provider to migrate the Backstage to in the future, but for the time being we are taking the path of least resistance and staying put with Ning.com.
What kinds of changes exactly?
This will bring about some changes to the site from how it is currently set up. We will be introducing some policies for usage of the site by the members and staff to address civility issues. Forums will become moderated (volunteers for moderators anyone?). Groups unrelated to work or IATSE will more than likely go away pending review. (Personal pages? Not sure.) Amendments to the site as suggested by the web survey results will be implemented.
When is this going to happen?
What this means is that sometime in the near future the Backstage will be closed for maintenance. Probably on August 20th, 2010, and probably for a couple of weeks, but that isn’t quite clear yet. So if there is any stuff you want to download off the site you might want to grab it soon, before it possibly goes away.
Just in case anyone is wondering, I did make a backup of all the data stored here as of July 28th, 2010. The files comprise 1.95 gigabytes of storage space. If you would like a dvd copy of these files please get in touch with me and we’ll see what we can do.
Thanks everyone for bearing with us as we make these changes!!!
respectfully submitted,
Brian Foley
on behalf of the Web Committee and Executive Board
Latest Cue Sheet
Jul 2nd
Backstage Web Survey
Jun 8th
Backstage Users – Help decide the fate of the Backstage! You should have recieved an email with a link to the survey. Please take the time to fill it out. If you didn’t get the email, check in on the Backstage to get the link. Thanks!
John Moore Memorial, Saturday, March 13, 2:30pm
Mar 10th
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is with great sadness that I pass along the news that our Brother John Moore has passed away. On Sunday, March 7th, 2010, while working on the set of a video shoot in Oregon he suffered a massive heart attack.
Undoubtedly Local 15′s best weapons smith and broad swordsman, John was a member in good standing with the Local since 1993. He was an excellent builder and graced many a scene shop with his fine woodworking and welding skills.
Among many other notable achievements, John started out life as a Local 15 stagehand working in the Seattle Opera shop in 1993 at the end of the build of Norma, then on a crash course of simultaneous builds of La Boheme for the LA Opera and Kentucky Cycle for the Washington, D.C. Opera. Many various and sundry gigs followed of course, at every theater and venue represented by the Local. Most recently, John split his time on the bounce with his work as a principal cast member in the Seattle Knights (as Angus McHeath) and as a founding member of Penumbra Fantasy Faire (as King Oberon), which had it’s inaugural event in October 2009.
John will be remembered with great fondness by all who worked with him in any capacity for the Local. His presence and jovial sense of humor will be greatly missed, especially when we’re about to lift something heavy.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, March 13, 2010, 2:30pm at Bonney-Watson in Seatac near the airport. All who knew John are invited to attend by the family.
Bonney-Watson
16445 International Blvd.
SeaTac, WA 98188
John Moore, 1965 - 2010
in honor, Brian Foley
Notice to City Card Holders
Feb 12th
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
As a result of the last labor-management meeting between the Coalition of City Unions and the City, there is information about two issues of importance for Local 15 members working for the City.
ORCA cards
Can intermittent employees get ORCA cards? Yes. The City has agreed to maintain the practice that has been in effect for intermittent employees.
Where can I get the card? Intermittent employees need to go downtown to the Department of the Treasury (Seattle Municipal Tower 700 5th Avenue
,42nd floor) both to get the ORCA card and to have the $81 monthly subsidy put into the E-purse. Regular staff will have to go to the Department of the Treasury to get the ORCA card, but after that the subsidy will be automatically added each month. The City is considering re-instating a location at Seattle Center where employees would be able to pick up an ORCA card and to get money put into your E-purse
Is there a window of time to get the card or the addition to the E-purse? Yes. The window is fairly wide – but it’s quite a while in advance. The card or the addition to the E-purse has to be obtained in between the 25th of a month and the 13th of the following month – but that for the month after. So, for example, for the month of April, you’d have to go to the Department of the Treasury between February 25th and March 13th.
How do I show that I’m an active employee, eligible for the benefit? You don’t need to bring anything with you. When you give your name, they’ll check on the computer to verify that you’re an “active” employee.
What’s “S status”? If you haven’t worked or the City for a period of time (we’re still trying to verify how long), you go into “S” status, meaning that you’re suspended from active status until you work again. When you’re in “S” status, you can’t get a new ORCA card or the E-purse contribution. Since this isn’t the way things worked in the past, the Union is trying to see if we can get this policy changed, at least until we have an opportunity to negotiate with the City.
What happens if I don’t use the card right away? If you don’t use the card within 30 days of picking it up, it will automatically become invalid, and you will need to get a new card. Once you’ve used the card, it will remain effective.
Will the City be able to keep track of my use of the pass? The City assured the Unions that although it is theoretically possible to determine how an individual employee is using his or her ORCA card, they have not and do not intend to do that.
Please contact the Union if you have questions or concerns about the ORCA cards.
Paperless paychecks.
About 90% of City employees have chosen to have direct deposit of paychecks. The cost of distributing paper records of the paychecks, however, is almost as great as the cost of providing checks. So the City hopes to eliminate the paper “pay warrants,” as well. Any employee with access to a computer (either at work or elsewhere) can access records on his or her pay. In addition, the City has indicated that any employee who wants a paper record of the paycheck, but does not have access to a computer to print it out, would be able to request that the record be mailed to his or her home. “Phase one” of the plan would be to eliminate the paper warrants for employees with direct deposit; in “phase two,” paper checks would be completely eliminated. Employees who don’t want direct deposit could instead receive a “payroll card” usable at an ATM. The exact terms for the card need to be worked out, but the intention is that you would be able to withdraw the entire amount of your pay in one withdrawal; and that there would be no user fee for withdrawals from the payroll card.
Please contact the Union if you have questions or concerns about this proposal.
MEMORIAL SERVICE for John Morgan
Feb 11th
MEMORIAL SERVICE
JOHN MORGAN
Monday, February 15th, 2010
4:00 pm
McCaw Hall Rehearsal Studio
321 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109
John Morgan
Feb 8th
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I greet you with sad news, Brother John Morgan passed away suddenly early Sunday Morning in Spokane. John began working with us back in 1986 and became a member of Local 15 in Aug of 1994. John also worked for many years in Spokane with Local 93. John was a hard worker and worked at many of our venues: 5th Avenue, Ballet, City of Seattle and this summer he worked the run of the Ring as one of the Tiller Operators.
We will share information on a service for John when arrangements have been made. If you would like to get in contact with John’s family please email me at Pres@ia15.org and I will forward it on.
John touched many of our lives and will be missed. Please feel free to post stories or other things you remember about John below.
In sadness and unity, Andrew
E-mail Your Availability
Jan 29th
There’s a new way to call-in your Availability for work!
E-mail it to call-in@ia15.org.
This is just a test to see how this works, so you will still need to call in and leave your availability on the voicemail line. It will still be for one week at a time. Just email your information for the week of work on the outgoing message. If this works out, we may make it a permanent option in the future.
January 2010 Cue Sheet now available
Jan 29th
The latest Cue Sheet is available now and should be in your snail mailbox as of today. If your copy ends up in the Recycle Bin and then you realize that you need to remember the new Dispatch Availability phone number ( btw the new number is (206) 470-3800), then feel free to visit the Cue Sheet Archive or download it here: http://www.ia15.org/archive/CSJan10.pdf
