Posts by Pat Hackett
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Actually, just from those letters on the MEAA website, it rather looks to me like the boycott was instituted well BEFORE those first letters requesting a meeting were even sent...
Yes you are right. When you read the first letter, they had already passed a resolution for the boycott.
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These were the original letters - from:
http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/100922_hobbit_factsheet.pdf
On 17 August the General Secretary and President of FIA wrote the production company which will produce the film asking that they make contact with the Alliance. A copy of that letter is available here
http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/letter1.pdfOn 20 August the English speaking unions in FIA wrote a joint letter to the producers of the film advising that they were adhering to the FIA position set out in the 17 August letter. A copy of that letter is
available here
http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/letter2.pdfOn 31 August the Alliance wrote to the studios behind the film, MGM and New Line. A copy of that letter is available here http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/letter3.pdf
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New York times today:
Mr. Whipp said his repeated offers to talk with Warner executives and those producing the films had been ignored. “I would have thought, as a simpleton, that if you have a problem, talking would be one way to solve it.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/business/media/26hobbit.html
Of course he is rewriting history here (and being a prick about it). The copies of the letters sent in August and afterwards to 3 Foot 7 were not an invite to have a chat. They were threatening a global boycott if a collective MEAA contract was not put in place. They were an ultimatum that was followed through with.
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In other news, John Minto has finally found a protest rally he was ashamed of.
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And here's a reminder of how it all started - the official boycott notice:
http://www.caea.com/EquityWeb/NewsAndEvents/News/2010/FIAHobbit.pdf
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This is what Simon Whipp wrote in 2004, regarding a merger of NZ and Aust actors unions:
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From the 2008-2009 Annual Report:
ABOUT EQUITY TRUST
Residuals
Equity Trust is responsible for distributing residual fees
(residuals), which are fees paid by distributors or
producers to the performers concerned. They are
sometimes referred to as “royalties”, “repeats” or
“second usage fees”. These fees are negotiated by the
Alliance and paid to qualifying performers who work on
film or TV productions, after the initial use or exploitation
of these productions.
We collect these fees on behalf of the performers and
then calculate the residuals for each of them.
These calculations are audited by the Alliance’s external
auditors, prior to the issue of cheques to performers
each quarter. On occasion, there are discrepancies
relating to performers’ entitlements to residuals or the
attributed portions and these need to be resolved before
payments are made.
Equity Trust monitors exploitation or sales which may
trigger residuals and contacts the producer and
distributor when money is due from them. Producers and
distributors are required to provide regular reports on all
income they have received and residuals owing.
In the last seven years, Equity Trust has received over
$49 million on behalf of performers. The Trust aims to
pay out all residuals received, but some performers are
difficult to trace.
Superannuation contributions
Equity Trust also negotiates, monitors and collects
superannuation contributions on behalf of Australian
performers working overseas and forwards their
entitlement to the appropriate superannuation fund.
Bonds
To safeguard the wages of performers and crew working
on productions, Equity Trust may require a bond to be
lodged by the producer. In such cases, Equity Trust
releases the bond after the production has provided a
certificate from its accountants, certifying that all
performers’ and crews’ wages, including superannuation
and annual leave, have been paid. -
Speaking of "union as business" - is it common for unions to own commercial buildings, as MEAA does?
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Simon Whipp is due for re-election for his MEAA position, I see...
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nzlemming asked for this some threads back: From the 2009 MEAA Annual Report:
In 2009 New Zealand Equity has continued
to grow in numbers and in strength. Eighty
five performers have joined their union.
Our regular Green Room events have been
well supported by members and nonmembers
alike – our most recent seeing 90
performers turn out to hear an industrial
report from NZ Equity organiser Frances
Walsh and to be galvanised by president
Jennifer Ward-Lealand.http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/MEAA_2008-09_annual_report.pdf