tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35366080905507853502024-03-05T05:34:32.153-05:00Council ConnectionA journal of the doings and decisions of the board of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association (up to 2016).Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-43264051819554910382016-06-03T00:23:00.003-04:002016-06-03T20:27:26.587-04:00Did you know - contracting deadlinesAs of the recently renewed CTA and ITA agreements, new provisions have been added to ensure contracts go out to the artists in a timely manner. These join a number of existing rules for executing and signing contracts. Here are the terms currently in effect:
35:08 Execution of Engagement Contracts
(A) Issuing Of
When the Theatre confirms to Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-27733366619917221682016-01-27T19:01:00.004-05:002016-01-28T08:01:44.151-05:00Update on the Council Focus SurveyThank you to all the members who filled our Council Focus Survey back in October and November of last year. Your input is very valuable to us and is the basis for our strategic planning.
Council has begun the work of winnowing through the various submissions and assigning them for action. We tackled the first nine topics at our most recent meeting, and would like you to know what's up.
First upAllan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-47784831002078911332015-12-14T14:56:00.000-05:002015-12-14T15:18:32.265-05:00And so we begin!It was like the first day of school. Equity's new Council met for the first time in Toronto. We had our binder, lots of paper, our hopes, our fears, our areas of utter confusion. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'd hope to make a new friend or two and that there would be snacks. Both goals were achieved!
The first two days were spent with our lively and very well informed instructor, Susan Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-55797903614539772222015-12-04T21:00:00.001-05:002016-01-13T16:11:24.384-05:00Council Focus Survey SummaryIn prep for the inaugural meeting, Council got its first look at the detailed Council Focus survey results. We still have to work our way through them, but we wanted to share the overall picture with you right away.
304 submissions were received from a total of 213 members, which is almost an identical participation rate from the last time we did this. Up to three suggestions were solicited per Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-55270827271287224522015-10-17T12:06:00.000-04:002015-10-17T12:06:14.449-04:00Equity Council Elections and Focus SurveyOnce you've finished casting your ballot in the Federal election, don't forget to cast your ballot in Equity elections! Voting closes October 30.
And, while you're at it, don't forget to contribute to our Council Focus survey. How do we know what's important to the membership? You tell us.
Finally, just in case you might be thinking "Council, what??", here is a link to some useful topics on Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-82079799506505480072015-06-12T11:55:00.003-04:002015-10-17T11:43:46.719-04:00Equity work patterns over time - 2015 updateEvery year, staff prepares a report on work weeks from the previous year, and a condensed version appears in the EQ from time to time. There are certainly lots of numbers to sift through, but statistics are nothing without context – a comparison of those numbers over time. Are they climbing, declining, or staying steady?
In an effort to provide some of that context, I started charting the Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-70617193019242939892015-05-21T12:54:00.000-04:002015-05-22T10:57:20.372-04:00Equity Census - Every Member Counts
Council is currently conducting a Census of the membership, and it’s important that you participate.
Back in 2007, Council initiated the most comprehensive survey of our membership that we have ever done. Response was excellent, and Council has been relying on those results to shape our work for close to a decade now.
One of the most critical elements of that research was Equity’s first Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-39173006111963310852015-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:002015-01-26T10:00:00.478-05:00Renewed Reciprocal Agreement signed with ACTRA
Equity Council is pleased to announce an update to the longstanding Reciprocal Agreement with the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA). A joint committee of ACTRA and Equity Councillors met to sign the updated document on December 8, exactly forty-three years to the day after the original agreement went into effect.
The new version generally simplifies the language Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-37051445190881919532015-01-19T10:00:00.000-05:002015-01-19T10:00:01.427-05:00Council Elections - Looking for your inputCouncil is
currently in planning mode for the next round of elections this fall, and we have an idea
on which we'd like your input. In short, we're considering a return to rotating elections, where we would renew Council over the course of several years, instead of all at once.
The winter EQ should be arriving in your mailbox or inbox any day now, and there is more information provided inAllan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-3349703487444230842015-01-12T10:00:00.000-05:002015-01-12T10:00:03.432-05:00Working in an Educational SettingAt its November meeting, Council concluded work on changes to how members may be contracted while working as educators at post-secondary institutions.
Equity has long excluded members working as educators from the requirement of being signed to an Equity contract, since teaching, even by an Equity member, is not within our jurisdiction. In most cases the division was quite clear. For example, Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-63805455567524450142014-12-01T10:00:00.000-05:002014-12-01T10:00:06.894-05:00RRSPs - Part 2If you have read my previous post on Equity's RRSPs, you will know that returns on our funds are right up there with others available in our industry. We offer eight options that run the gamut from the very conservative to the very aggressive. Invested in several of them, members would have doubled their money within ten years, and that's including a period that spans the last recession. Not too Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-87672595488909971732014-11-24T10:00:00.000-05:002014-11-25T21:35:58.957-05:00RRSP Comparison - 2014 editionLast year I decided to do a comparison chart of RRSP returns after a friend asked how ours stacked up against others available to the industry. Time for an update (results below). I'm pleased to report that our funds continue to perform well.
These results (annualised returns) are from the most recent month end, as provided in member reports. Equity offers eight funds, Association 1 offersAllan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-77847592619804913042014-10-06T10:00:00.000-04:002014-10-06T10:29:35.256-04:00Did you know? - Dues remissionSince 1990, Equity has offered dues remission to senior artists within each of its disciplines. Upon application, eligible members may be granted relief from payment of basic (annual) dues. Further details and application instructions can be found here.
The thresholds for eligibility are:
age 65 for performers,
stage managers, directors, fight directors and choreographers
Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-46611821297080105602014-09-15T10:10:00.000-04:002014-09-17T12:28:50.433-04:00Did you know? - Member insuranceWhat is my insurance coverage?
Such a simple question: five words. Would that it could be answered in as few. Since it can’t, here is the answer condensed into as few words as I could manage…
For all members in good standing, year-round, off-contract coverage looks like this:
Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage
50% of eligible medical expenses incurred as a result of an accident
$100 Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-54969039074653737332014-07-28T10:58:00.000-04:002014-09-10T10:11:19.350-04:00Did you know? - Equity's service standards
Every year, members call and write to the office a few thousand times, for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's just an information request. Other times, it has to do with an imminent or active contract, where the member needs specific details on engagement terms. Every so often, members contact the office because there is a problem that needs solving. And on top of all these service Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-28770186407516829772014-07-07T11:07:00.000-04:002014-08-02T10:10:40.974-04:00Did you know? - Health and Safety Training for Theatre Artists in OntarioUnder an expanded initiative by the Ministry of Labour in Ontario, all workers must take basic health and safety training. Including theatre artists of all stripes. Including employees and independent contractors. In short: including you.
Perhaps the easiest way to take the training is online, where it consists of roughly 45 minutes of videos, information pages, and short quizzes. There is also Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-41880829591202048562014-06-02T10:00:00.000-04:002014-07-06T11:04:15.502-04:00Did you know? - WithdrawalMost professional associations and unions offer some form of honorable withdrawal from membership, and Equity is no different.
A member may choose to go on hiatus from active membership in the Association by
applying in writing to the Executive
Director. Full details can be found here. Really, it's pretty much as simple as dropping us a note.
Withdrawal allows youAllan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-84044637673089302282014-05-16T10:00:00.000-04:002014-05-16T13:51:41.622-04:00Did you know? - Equity's BylawsEvery so often, Council sends out notice of changes to the Association bylaws. We realise that these updates may be generally yawn-inducing, but bylaws govern the structure of our entire organisation, and it's important that you are aware of them, and any changes to them.
So, for those of you for whom Equity's bylaws are not riveting reading – and that would include pretty Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-32070517659635022512014-05-02T15:00:00.000-04:002014-05-03T21:24:39.950-04:00Council statement regarding "Helen Lawrence"At its April meeting, Council reviewed the recent events surrounding the cancellation of Canadian Stage's presentation of Helen Lawrence at the Festival TransAmériques (FTA).
One of Equity’s chief responsibilities is to act on behalf of its members when the going gets tough. In almost all cases, that means taking the personal concerns and decisions of individual members and putting them forwardAllan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-31974111560114863102014-04-21T10:00:00.000-04:002014-04-26T15:16:53.218-04:00Equity's Health and Insurance PlanInteresting timing. I had just finished doing up a list of extraordinary risk riders for my current show a couple of weeks ago, when a friend forwarded the following link from The Stage to me:
www.thestage.co.uk/news/2014/02/performer-injured-falling-set-fears-future
Long story short: actor, in the business 20 years; never joined Equity (UK); injured on the job; no disability (income Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-78604852399178722552014-04-09T10:00:00.000-04:002014-04-10T10:43:18.467-04:00Talk to Council! We're listening.
Council is your board, and for us to do our work well, we need to hear from you. We've recently upgraded the website to make that even easier.
Take a moment, and stop by EQUITYONLINE. (Go ahead: click it!) On the front page, top right, are a few new links. Talk to Council will take you to a page where all the Councillors are listed. Clicking on the photo of any of them will open a new email Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-67143306382653143792014-03-27T10:00:00.000-04:002014-03-27T10:00:02.093-04:00New rules for CTA ratification votesDuring the 2012 ratification vote for the CTA, there was considerable member discussion on the eligibility criteria for voting. A bit of background: the voting pool for all agreements has historically been defined as members who have been engaged under the expiring agreement (typically the previous three years).
As mentioned at the time, the rationale for this approach was threefold: equal Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-67611923232898743952014-03-07T00:10:00.001-05:002014-03-07T09:02:48.938-05:002014 Honours EveningAfter a year of hiatus, while we moved to a biennial schedule to reduce expenses, it was truly wonderful to attend the honours evening once again. This year's awards ceremony was held Monday, February 24 at the Daniels Spectrum in downtown Toronto, immediately following the National AGM. Councillors, past honorees and members from the area all came together to celebrate the 2014 slate Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-86453644743694511982014-02-27T09:51:00.001-05:002014-02-27T10:09:44.906-05:00Dues Referendum 2014 - Thank youThank you.
Thank you for engaging and voting, however you voted.
Thank you for approving the due increase. It will allow Council and staff to plan and implement changes for improvement, instead of diminishment.
Thank you for your vote of confidence in the future of your association.
A day or so after the voting closed, a friend wrote me and said "I bet you're glad that that's all done, Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536608090550785350.post-12726576734006173172014-02-20T09:00:00.000-05:002014-02-20T09:00:01.735-05:00Dues Referendum 2014 - Vote!If you haven't voted yet, what are you waiting for? As a member, you have a say in how this association operates, and your vote is your voice. Please don't waste this opportunity to weigh in on this important decision. Voting takes mere minutes, and is about as easy as easy gets.(I'm on a mission to see if we can't crack a 50% return rate, and you, my friend, are a key part of that plan!)
Allan Teichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649593764606744560noreply@blogger.com0