News

January 30, 2012	AFTRA Members Ratify Sound Recordings Contract AFTRA members who work in Sound Recordings have ratified a successor agreement to the AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Sound Recordings.
January 28, 2012	Board Approves Merger Agreement The AFTRA National Board on Saturday voted overwhelmingly to approve and send to membership a plan to merge with SAG.
January 25, 2012	Whoopi Goldberg to Present at 2012 AMEE Awards Presenting awards at the AMEES benefit gala will be comedian Robert Klein, actress and host Whoopi Goldberg and MTV executive Bill Flanagan.
January 20, 2012	Joint Statement Regarding SOPA and PIPA "Our commitment to the First Amendment is decades old and long established – it is a matter of public record from long before the word ‘Internet’ was part of anyone’s vocabulary."
January 16, 2012	G1 Reaches Agreement on Merger Package Nine days of productive discussions and reaching consensus lead to a Merger Package approved by the G1 to send to the respective boards of AFTRA and SAG for approval.
January 12, 2012	Performers, Industry Executives Talk I AM PWD I AM PWD, a tri-union partnership to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the media, marked the end of its three-year campaign Wednesday, January 11 with a bi-coastal industry summit held via videoconference.
January 11, 2012	LAST CHANCE! Buy your tickets to the AMEES today! Tickets are available until Jan. 31 for the 2012 AFTRA Foundation AMEE Awards on Feb. 6 at The Plaza, New York.
January 6, 2012	Music Video Performers Rally Across Country Music video dancers and performers turned out in New York, Miami and Beverly Hills to tell the major music labels "It's About Time" they get a fair contract.
January 5, 2012	Have You Voted? Ballots are due back Jan. 30 for voting on the tentative agreement for the AFTRA Sound Recordings Code.
December 15, 2011	We Remember Dobie Gray Dobie Gray was a 50-year AFTRA member, joining in 1961. Born Leonard Victor Ainsworth, he was an equally well-versed vocalist in Pop, R&B and Country, and is best known for his 1973 worldwide hit “Drift Away.” Born in Texas, Gray moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s. It was there that he met...
December 15, 2011	We Remember Rich Holter Twin Cities AFTRA member Rich Holter died Nov. 30 at the age of 72. Holter had an impressive career in broadcast that spanned more than three decades in the upper Midwest. He was an award-winning broadcast journalist at AFTRA-station WCCO-AM where he served as the AFTRA shop steward and chief negotiator....
December 15, 2011	Tentative Agreement on Sound Recordings Contract AFTRA members achieved an increase in base rates, as well as the key objective of increasing employer contributions to the AFTRA Health and Retirement Funds.
December 11, 2011	Tentative Agreement for NetCode Contract AFTRA members achieved their primary objective in this negotiation: increases in employer contributions to the AFTRA Health & Retirement Funds. Upon ratification, the three-year agreement will run from Nov. 16, 2011 through Nov. 15, 2014.
December 7, 2011	Protect Your Money, Ensure Your Future Actor and AFTRA National Board member Jason Priestley and producer/songwriter Michele Vice-Maslin will be featured panelists.
November 21, 2011	AFTRA Members Featured at "GRAMMY Icons" Panel featured award-winning pop, R&B and gospel vocalists, songwriters, arrangers and producers Della Reese, Thelma Houston, Ray Parker Jr., Joyce Vincent, and Pam Vincent all of whom are AFTRA members and GRAMMY Award winners or nominees.
November 18, 2011	We Salute AFTRA Member Regis Philbin After 28 years of hosting "Live with Regis and Kelley," the people who entertain and inform America proudly congratulate and wish AFTRA member Regis Philbin farewell.
November 17, 2011	The 2012 AMEE Awards Rosanne Cash, Phylicia Rashad and Pete Fornatale will be honored in New York at the AFTRA Foundation's 2012 AMEE Awards.
November 11, 2011	Martinez Honored with AFTRA Diversity Award The Iraq war vet and current "Dancing with the Stars" contender also received special honors from the U.S. Army.
November 10, 2011	Expert: Act Protects Speech Creators In a letter to the House Judiciary Chair and Ranking Member, leading First Amendment expert Floyd Abrams wrote the "Stop Online Piracy Act "currently under consideration in the House would protect creators of speech.
November 4, 2011	AFTRA and WEEK/WHOI Back at the Table "I am very proud of the reporters, anchors, producers and photographers at WEEK/WHOI. They have stood up for themselves and their profession. AFTRA is also grateful to the community for the support shown to us" said AFTRA Local President Gary Moore
November 3, 2011	Net Code Negotiations Start Negotiations with the four major television broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) and other producers will commence on Nov. 7.
October 27, 2011	AFTRA, SAG Condemn IMDB Age Descrimination IMDb publishes the actual dates of birth of thousands of actors without their consent, most of them not celebrities but rank-and-file actors whose names are unknown to the general public.
October 27, 2011	Are Your Royalties at Risk? In an anti-artist and anti-musician move, SiriusXM is seeking to sign up independent labels to a “direct license” deal that reduces the money it pays for music and gives the artist share directly to the indie label, not the performer.
October 26, 2011	SoundExchange delivers $88 million in Q3 Non-profit SoundExchange announced it distributed nearly $88 million to more than 18,300 recording artists and labels during the third quarter of 2011.
October 26, 2011	Unions Issue Statement on STOP Online Piracy Act AFTRA, AFM, DGA, IATSE, IBT and SAG applaud lawmakers for introduction HR 3261, the STOP Online Piracy Act.
October 26, 2011	Martinez among Tri-Union Ivy Award honorees Current "Dancing with the Stars" leader and AFTRA member J.R. Martinez will receive the Union's diversity award at the 9th Annual Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Awards on Nov. 7.
October 24, 2011	Go Union with Halloween Candy! Looking for the union label on Halloween candy? We have the list!
October 20, 2011	It's About Time! More than 160 dancers and choreographers gathered Monday night in Los Angeles to discuss plans for escalating the campaign to win a fair and first industry-wide agreement covering dancers and other performers who work in music videos.
October 19, 2011	One Union Talks Continue AFTRA and SAG convened for the third formal face-to-face discussions of the Group for One Union. G1 members including actors, performers, recording artists and broadcast professionals are working to facilitate the creation of a merged successor union.
October 18, 2011	United Against Content Theft The creative community is coming together in a national effort to protect jobs and American creativity by fighting back against the online theft of TV shows and movies.
October 14, 2011	Take the Survey! AFTRA wants to learn more about non-union commercial casting calls in order to best serve our membership. This brief survey will take about five minutes to complete.
October 12, 2011	Entertainment Unions Support Joining Forces The Inter-Guild Joining Forces Task Force today released new public service announcements (PSAs) featuring Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey.
October 7, 2011	AFTRA Statement Regarding Sound Recordings Code Negotiations LOS ANGELES (Oct. 7, 2011) --- Today, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO – a national union of more than 70,000 recording artists, broadcasters and actors – released the following statement regarding the status of its Sound Recordings Code negotiations: “Despite more than...
October 6, 2011	Jewell of AFTRA Actor Geri Jewell was honored Thursday with the AFTRA Disability Awareness Award at the 2011 Media Access Awards breakfast at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
October 1, 2011	National Board Readies for Action The National Board met in Los Angeles and New York and took action on a variety of union issues including the Sound Recordings Code negotiations and the upcoming Net Code negotiations.
September 28, 2011	TV Lacks Disabled Characters A report on television minority representation shows that scripted characters with disabilities will represent less than 1 percent of all scripted series regular characters.
September 15, 2011	Artists: Claim Your Digital Royalties AFTRA and SoundExchange have teamed up to identify and register 6,126 AFTRA members who haven’t claimed their SoundExchange royalties.
September 5, 2011	Labor Day: A celebration of the American worker. AFTRA National Vice President Denny Delk talks about the importance of union solidarity.
September 1, 2011	Music Video Contracts: It's About Time AFTRA dancers stepped up their campaign for a fair contract covering dancers and other performers in music videos with the launch of "It's About Time" - a social media and video campaign.
September 1, 2011	Boston Gets New Exec AFTRA Boston Local Assistant Executive Director Tom Higgins has been promoted to Executive Director of the Boston Local, effective Aug. 29.
August 29, 2011	One Union Talks Continue AFTRA and SAG continued formal discussions this weekend between the AFTRA New Union Committee and the SAG Merger Task Force to facilitate the creation of one union to represent all members of Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA.
August 26, 2011	Members Save with Union Plus! Are you taking advantage of the most popular Union Plus benefits that thousands of other union members are enjoying? Don’t miss out on your benefits!
August 16, 2011	Sound Recordings Talks Begin The opening round of bargaining was held in New York City where the AFTRA National Sound Recordings Code Negotiating Committee and staff met with representatives from Sony, UMG, Warner, EMI, Disney and most of their subsidiary labels.
August 3, 2011	AFTRA Supports BBC Broadcasters Represented By NUJ AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon released the following statement of support to BBC journalists - members of the National Union of Journalists – who are at odds with their employer over various job issues, including layoffs of more than 300 employees. On Monday, they staged a 24-hour strike: ...
July 27, 2011	AFTRA Magazine Wins Award AFTRA Magazine has won a General Excellence Award from the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) in the International and National Publications category.
July 27, 2011	ADA 21st Anniversary “AFTRA has a proud history of challenging discrimination against people with disabilities and supporting the efforts of performers and broadcasters with disabilities who continue to break new ground in arts, entertainment and all media.”
July 25, 2011	Convention Update: Day 3 & Video Member Delegates re-elect Roberta Reardon AFTRA National President. Union collects $24 million in claims for members
July 24, 2011	Reardon Re-Elected to Third Term Delegates wrapped up three days of convention with national officer elections.
July 23, 2011	Convention Update: Day 2 of the AFTRA National Convention Continues in Seattle AFTRA delegates convened in Seattle for Day 2 of the AFTRA National Convention following a night of music, fun and sea otters at the opening night social at the Seattle Aquarium.
July 22, 2011	AFTRA Rallies with UNITE HERE Attendees at the 63rd AFTRA National Convention in Seattle paused their National Convention at 5:00 p.m. Friday to join with members of UNITE HERE Local 8 at their Day of Action! Better Jobs rally outside of the Westin Seattle.
July 21, 2011	Convention Update: Day 1 More than 200 AFTRA Member Delegates gathered today at the Seattle Westin to convene the 63rd AFTRA National Convention. NAACP Vice President Edwards and Washington and Oregon State Labor Council Presidents Among Guest Speakers
July 20, 2011	Pre-Convention Plenary Convenes in Seattle AFTRA National Board approves proposals for Sound Recordings and Network Television Contracts, explores schedule adjustment to prioritize Sound Code negotiations and New Union discussions.
July 18, 2011	Members to Convene 63rd National Convention More than 300 AFTRA member Delegates representing the Union’s membership in 32 Locals and Chapters throughout the country will be in Seattle for the three-day biennial National Convention.
July 15, 2011	AFTRA Videogame Contract Ratified AFTRA members approved the new agreement by a vote of 85% in favor. The new pact includes a groundbreaking provision: the industry’s first-ever streaming payment paid to performers in the form of a new cloud gaming fee.
July 15, 2011	Tweet Your Support for Local News Members of AFTRA Peoria launch a Twitter campaign in conjunction with the “Day of Reckoning” rally for WEEK/WHOI-TV member employees.
July 12, 2011	Day of Reckoning’ for WEEK/WHOI-TV Members of the Peoria Local have announced that on Friday, July 15 they will hold a 'Day of Reckoning' rally for WEEK/WHOI-TV. They are inviting community and business allies, including local labor, civic and religious leaders to join them for the rally.
July 7, 2011	Praise for Copyright Alerts AFTRA National Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth said, “The new Copyright Alerts system and the Center for Copyright Information will play an important role in AFTRA’s mission to fight against digital theft"
July 6, 2011	Announcing Creative America The new initiative will build grassroots support for the fight against content theft and to protect our country’s vibrant arts and culture as well as serve as the unified voice of the more than 2 million Americans whose jobs are supported by film and TV.

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