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Union dues


Earbuds

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Hi all,

    I would like to get my fellow brothers input, dealing with being a member of 695. 

    During these dismal economic times how many of you are fully paid up on dues?  What other ways are you working to pay your monthly bills and keep current on dues?

     

    The work has been slow for most of us. (Anyone disagree?) 

    I believe many of us would like to hear about issues you've had and how you resolved them.

 

        Bud

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@Zack - I will pass along the advice given when I asked one of my mentors whether it was time to join the union. He said, "You'll just know." My grandmom had the same response when I asked her about love.

@Bud: Don't know about 695, but were I in your shoes, I'd be on the phone to my favorite Local 52 business rep, and explain my situation asking for his advice/help. Local 52 dues are withheld as a percentage from our paychecks along with an annual $245 contribution. We are able to pay quarterly if we wish. My guess is that if I was really hurting financially, they would be willing to cut me a break so long as I communicated with them. Hear tell of 52 member(s) barred from work for not having paid dues and not communicated with the hall.

-- Jan

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" makes me think I'm better off not submitting to join the union. "

joining, or not joining the IA (or any of the unions) has been discussed before, and the bottom line remains the same.

The IATSE locals 695, 600, 700, 52, and to my knowledge most all of the others are not hiring halls; they do not get you work.  and in Hollywood there is the Industry Experience Roster  situation as well.  In LA, you need to get on the roster to be eligible to work on union shows, although you may be able to join the IA without being on the toster.  the IATSE initiation fees  are a major factor (although installments can usually be arranged) and might be considered a steep investment, just to join the club, if you aren't assured you'll get the gigs to pay it back...

I suggest waiting until you need to join...

Also a union member should check with their specific locals for assistance with "financial hardship" circumstances...depending on each situation, specific assistance can usually be worked out, including reduced rates and temporary withdrawals.

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I think Bud is saying he is ALREADY a member of 695 and is wondering about reducing his dues.

You are able to reduce your dues to the "core" non-voting status, if I remember correctly.  My full dues are currently about $80/month.  Not sure what the reduced status will afford you.

My experience has also been that if you happen to "miss a payment", our local has been very tolerant.

If you are not earning benefits and are not getting union work, you can honorably withdraw and the join back up when things improve.

Good luck.  These are tough times indeed.

Robert

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  • 2 weeks later...

                Studiomprd wrote;

 

  "Also a union member should check with their specific locals for  assistance with "financial hardship" circumstances...depending on each  situation, specific assistance can usually be worked out, including  reduced rates and temporary withdrawals."

 

    I want to say to my fellow sound engineers,  Thank you for your  replies.  Been a member since 1996.  I spoke with a higher up woman at  695 (who I will not name).  She insisted we have to pay our full dues,  $240 per quarter in my case.  No matter what. 

 

    If you have not done a union shoot in six months?  Too bad, Pay us  in  full.    On unemployment?  Too bad, Pay us in full. 

 

    She told me 695 no longer has "hardship".  Hardship stopped back in  the late 1990's.  There are no reduced rates either.  They will not  work out anything.  695 wants full dues every quarter.  Period.

 

      Has anyone else experienced this problem?  Heck man, is it just me?

 

 

 

                Bud

 

 

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                Studiomprd wrote;

 

  "Also a union member should check with their specific locals for  assistance with "financial hardship" circumstances...depending on each  situation, specific assistance can usually be worked out, including  reduced rates and temporary withdrawals."

 

    I want to say to my fellow sound engineers,  Thank you for your  replies.  Been a member since 1996.  I spoke with a higher up woman at  695 (who I will not name).  She insisted we have to pay our full dues,  $240 per quarter in my case.  No matter what. 

 

    If you have not done a union shoot in six months?  Too bad, Pay us  in  full.    On unemployment?  Too bad, Pay us in full. 

 

    She told me 695 no longer has "hardship".  Hardship stopped back in  the late 1990's.  There are no reduced rates either.  They will not  work out anything.  695 wants full dues every quarter.  Period.

 

      Has anyone else experienced this problem?  Heck man, is it just me?

 

 

 

                Bud

 

Yes, you are pretty much correct about "hardship" dues not existing  anymore.  The only way you get a dues reduction is if you are collecting  disability.  If you are legally disabled, which includes your doctor  signing a form, supplied by Local 695, in which he certifies you are  disabled, you only have to pay the International "per capita" stamp fee,  which is somewhere in the $70.00 range, as I recall.  Also, it is a  formality, but the local's Executive Board  has to vote on and approve  your application for the disability dues reduction.  I know this from  personal experience, as I did get this dues reduction while I was  battling throat cancer, not too long ago.  And, as already stated, as  long as your dues are paid up, you can take an honorable withdrawal from  the local.  And when you do get a job, you pay your back dues and get  reinstated in the local.  The ONLY union that I have personal experience  with where you don't have to pay your back dues when you are reinstated is IBEW.    With IBEW, you can take on honorable withdrawal until you work another  IBEW job.  When you get the new job, you just have to pay your monthly  dues again, but DO NOT have to pay the back dues.  Too bad the IATSE  isn't that way.  But then again, my MPI Health and Pension Plan benefits  are much better than the Flexplan that IBEW (and NABET) have for their  health and pension benefits! 

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