Equity 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 foray into developing a detailed picture of the rich diversity of our membership, including information on family and dependants, details of heritage and ethnicity, and physical challenges. These are all areas of some sensitivity, and we were delighted with the generosity the membership showed in sharing their details. Members spoke freely to all these topics, and over 90% of respondents agreed to provide us with ethnic and heritage identity information, well beyond our most optimistic hopes.

So, why are we coming back to the membership on the same topics again? Well, two reasons. 

First, that information was a snapshot of the membership in 2007. Since then we have welcomed over 2000 new artists. Our membership is no longer the same membership it was then, and we want to keep our knowledge current.

The second is more forward-looking, and takes us well beyond the realm of snapshots. This new census research asks for your permission to securely store the identity information you provide, so that we can keep our knowledge current on a continuous basis. 

As Equity works to improve how it helps its members face their career challenges, we need to be able to assess, in real time, whether things are improving or not.

As well, every year we make submissions to a range of governmental and other bodies on how to help and encourage the live performance industry to promote full diversity on Canada’s stages. For this work to have its greatest effect, we need to be able to state with confidence how things are now, and how things have changed, and identify specific places where greater effort is needed. Just as importantly, we need to be able to recognise where best efforts aren’t working, and change tactics to suit.

In short, the whole industry needs to move beyond making choices and hoping they work.

Your contribution to the Equity Census will give us those real-time tools, and everybody’s response is needed to provide the fullest possible picture.

The Equity Census closes this Friday. If you haven’t already done so, please take 10 minutes of your time today, to help us help you for the next 10 years.

Visit caea.com for details on how to participate.

Every member counts.

Renewed 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 and tidies up some loose ends. More significantly, it also removes the reciprocal joining requirement, so that members of one association working in the jurisdiction of the other now have access to the full range of member or permit options that would ordinarily apply to whichever engagement they may be involved in.

Going forward, ACTRA members will be eligible for permit engagement under our joining programme when doing initial contracts in theatre. This change will offer ACTRA performers, new to the professional stage, the opportunity to build experience in live performance and familiarity with Equity engagements before committing to membership. The specific terms of engagement will depend on what is available for the contract in question, and not on ACTRA membership.

Note that some engagement policies, such as the Artists' Collective, do not require joining for non-members to participate. Equity has historically excluded these engagements from the Reciprocal Agreement joining requirement anyway, so the change only serves to formalise what has long been the case.

ACTRA members can get more information on their engagement options for a given contract by contacting either Equity office.

ACTRA and Equity have enjoyed a long and collaborative relationship, and this renewed commitment to reciprocal recognition and assistance is designed to serve our memberships well into the future. Both national Councils have also committed to ongoing discussions aimed at greater opportunities for connection and collaboration, including the upcoming review of our Strategic Alliance, which generally covers all matters of joint advocacy.

Council Elections - Looking for your input

Council 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 in that issue. Please give it a read, and get in touch if you have any ideas or concerns you'd like to share.

Nothing is decided yet, but we do need to get moving on any changes within the next few months. It's your association, so please take the time to help us make it better.

Working in an Educational Setting

At 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, a stage manager, SMing a show at a university, was quite clearly doing a job within Equity's jurisdiction, and expected to be hired under an Equity contract. The same member, however, serving as a coach to a student SM on a university show was quite clearly working in a teaching capacity, and could therefore be contracted under a suitable instructor's contract.

When the Directors, Choreographers and Fight Directors Committee brought the topic forward to Council for consideration, they pointed out that members working in those disciplines frequently had to manage both Equity and teaching responsibilities, e.g. directing a show and also doing a scene study class and grading students on their work.

In these dual-nature jobs, the contracting requirement was frequently a matter of some tension with the school. Existing unions within the educational institution, for instance, might prohibit the hiring of instructors on the contracts of another professional association. Or issues of bonding or prepayment might be administratively challenging for organisations that did not work that way for any other hires. In reviewing the matter, Council elected to open the discussion up to cover all disciplines, so that there would be consistent handling of post-secondary educational contracts for all members. 

Beginning this year, when working within the post-secondary educational sector primarily as educators, members may choose to be hired under either an Equity agreement or a teaching contract, letter of agreement or other document provided by the institution that provides at least the core workplace benefits and protections set out in our policies. We anticipate that this will relieve most of the issues. It will ensure that all members have basic workplace protections, and those members able to use Equity contracts will have access to those additional benefits as well.

Councillors and staff will be preparing an information bulletin on this later in year, but we wanted to give everyone a heads up on the change.

RRSPs - Part 2

If 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 shabby.

However, it doesn't matter in the least how good the returns are, if:

• We can't deposit your RRSP contributions into your fund; and 
• You don't leave them there.

Every month, we publish a list of members for whom we are holding RRSP funds, but who have not opened an RRSP account. You've seen it, I'm sure. If you are on this list, we are holding onto your money, but cannot deposit it into your account until you fill out the really simple paperwork.

If we cannot deposit your money in your account, it will eventually get donated to the Actors' Fund of Canada. A very worthwhile cause, to be sure, but not the same thing as contributing to your RRSP. If you haven't already opened an RRSP account, please follow these instructions, and fill in this form, and keep what you've been giving away.

Then, leave the money in there and let it grow!

Each year, a truly astonishing amount of the contributions made are withdrawn. I'm not talking about members who transfer their money into some other registered investment. Nor am I talking about members who withdraw some of their money for one of the reasons that RRSPs allow for – lifelong learning, or putting a downpayment on a house, for instance – or to deal with a sudden financial crisis.

I'm talking about members who withdraw their RRSPs in cash, all of it, and regularly.

This is a tough business, and money is frequently/always tight. Even at the best of times, it's difficult to save for tomorrow. So why not make use of the opportunities that exist? The amount of money diverted from your paycheque is small, but the opportunities for its growth are very good. It makes no difference to Equity whether you withdraw money from your RRSP or not, but it sure could make a huge difference to your future. 

And then the next time I post a comparison of RRSP returns, it won't just be some bit of abstract trivia. You'll be able to say to yourself: "Excellent, and I've got a piece of it!"

RRSP Comparison - 2014 edition

Last 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 offers two, and Association 2 offers five. Note that some Association 2 funds are relatively new, so they do not show up in all the clusters.

Looking at our slate of conservative, moderate, balanced, advanced and aggressive funds, they continue to perform exactly as one might expect. Conservative and moderate (medium red, green) have some variation over time, but pretty much chug along year after year with fairly consistent results: low volatility, with decent (if modest) returns.

The balanced fund (purple) has a little bit more swing to it over time, but comes out well in the long term. This is our default fund, and accounts for over 80% of all retirement assets, with 75% of participants holding this fund.

The advanced, aggressive and global equity funds (light blue, orange, medium blue) certainly do very well when they do well, but they are also higher risk investments and have much more volatility. The chart above doesn't show annual data, but the down years for these funds tend to be just as pronounced as their up years. As a result, they still end up in the same ballpark as all the others on a ten year horizon. Depending on when you buy in, a member could do quite nicely. Or the opposite. If only one could know in advance when these were going to skyrocket and dip…

The ethics fund (deep red), being comprised entirely of stocks, is also subject to the ups and downs of the market, but has performed very well over time. The lowly money market fund (short, dark blue) is not really an investment fund as such, and is only included here for completeness. It can be useful in circumstances when stability of capital is more critical than growth.

All told, we have 8 different funds so that members at various ages and stages of their career can put together the investment mix best suited to them. Members contribute from every pay cheque, and have the ability to make additional contributions as well.

RRSP season is all year round for Equity members, so if you have questions about where your money is being held, and whether it is the right mix for you, your "retirement" horizon (I use the word loosely) and your risk tolerance, give Great West Life a call and talk to an investment advisor. They can, well, advise you. If you already did that some years ago, don't forget to do it periodically to keep up to date. Maybe do it now before the February RRSP crunch hits.

And of course, the all-important disclaimer: past performance is no guarantee of future results, etc.

Did you know? - Dues remission

Since 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
• age 55 for opera singers
• age 45 for ballet dancers 

We've recently completed some bylaw changes to increase member awareness of the option. Commencing later this year, all members newly eligible will receive notice and application information no later than the first dues billing period for which remission would be available. Of course, members who decide not to apply at that point, and quite a few do, can still apply at a later time.

There are a few important things to know about dues remission.

• Dues remission is not automatic - you must apply for it.
• You must be a regular member in good standing at the time of application, and have at least ten prior years of regular membership in good standing.
• Dues remission affects basic (annual dues) only - working dues are still payable.
• Dues remission is not mandatory – many members have elected to continue to pay basic dues in support of their Association.
• Dues remission does not affect membership rights or obligations, nor RRSP or insurance coverage.

If you need to know more about dues remission, please contact either office, and staff will be glad to assist.