www.iatselocal4.org THEATRICAL STAGE EMPLOYEES, LOCAL NO. 4, IATSE 2917 GLENWOOD ROAD BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11210 Issue 46 [Printed In House] Second Quarter 2010 Local No.4 Check-Off General Meeting Schedule It is very important that check-offs be filled out correctly MAY 3 2010, 6:30 pm for each place of employment, and given to the Shop Steward, who will then remit it to the office. LAST MEETING BEFORE SUMMER BREAK The information on the check-off is used by the Fund Office to upload information to your Annuity Account at CONGRATULATIONS Mass Mutual. LOCAL NO. 4 Information such as your Social Security Number, your address, and your date of birth is crucial to this proc- Local No.4 celebrates our 122 anniversary on ess. April 8th, 2010 From the Desk of the Business Manager Dear Sisters and Brothers: Spring has sprung and not a moment too soon. As the weather warmed, the snow turned to rain bringing damaging floods that affected so many. As we anxiously await the sunshine, we are springing forward with new and exciting happenings at Local No. 4. We are attempting to introduce a new method for reporting your work availability to the Local. As we do, you will be able to go online and indicate your availability for the coming week, thus enabling us at the Local, to forward this information to crew chiefs, heads of departments, and stewards so we can hire out of work members first. For those of you without computer access, you may still call the office with your availability. With this new process we are trying to have all non Local No. 4 over hires go through the Local in an attempt to ensure that members are hired first, as member employment is of paramount importance to me. A new process for membership is being implemented by the Local, whereby proposed candidates recom- mended by the Executive Board, are required to take seven classes and pass a proficiency stagehand test before being inducted into the local. This will increase our incredibly talented professional membership pool. This summer looks very promising with work slated for Citi Field (Dave Matthews), MCU Park (Further/Grateful Dead), and the McCarren Pool Concerts. Noting that the latter has moved and has been renamed “The Williamsburg Waterfront Concert Series” whose opening act will be “Faith No More”. As of this writing there is no news on J.C. Studios, as the rumors regarding the closing of the building still loom ominously. It seems that Brooklyn itself is undergoing a theatrical rebirth with the city putting $70 million into the revitali- zation of the Loew’s Kings, a 3200 seat house and with talks of designating the Loew’s Coney Island, which was re- named The Shore Theater in 1964, as a historical site. This designation will help the city pave the way, for the once glorious Shore Theatre to be restored to its original splendor. This restoration will culminate in the theatre becoming the Crown Jewel of Coney Island’s Revitalization Program. This 2300 + seat theatre will host a variety of perform- ances and community events. Unfortunately the shops still remain slow with only small jobs trickling into Showman Fabricators, and Satur- day Night Live being the only work at Stiegelbaur Associates for the present time. I am confident that as the weather heats up the work will increase as well. Looking for Work? E-Mail Address and Survey If you are available for work, you should call the Lo- Local No.4 requests that all our members notify the of- cal on each Friday for the upcoming week. Your avail- fice of their current email addresses, and return their ability will be added to the database and sent to depart- surveys. Your email address is as important as your ment heads who are looking for members to work in home address, and represents a fast and efficient way their venues. for the local to notify you of important information. Members should log on our website If you have not received a survey in the mail, you can fill (www.iatselocal4.org) for notices of basic job open- one out online by visiting the “Employment and Other ings. If you do not have access to the web site, you will Forms” tab on our website. still be notified by postcard. From the Desk of the President Dear Brothers and Sisters: Another Quarter has gone by and the summer is almost upon us. The BAM season is coming to an end, JC Stu- dios is taping its last show and Stiegelbauer and Showman Fabricators are down to skeleton crews. Work is sparse and benefit days are few. Yet I am confident that this is only a temporary situation, as I believe that this is due to the recent recession and that whatever money was earmarked for this season’s Productions, Shows, and Videos etc. is gone. According to the experts, the economy has begun to turn around and we hope that this will result in an infusion of new funds for BAM from the City of New York Cultural Affairs Department. Hopefully Producers will want to stay in New York and more specifically in our jurisdiction, so that next year will be profitable once again for us all. This does not by any means suggest that either I or Local 4 will abandon our efforts to secure work. On the contrary, we are committed to finding all potential employment for our members whenever, wherever and by whomever can keep us busy. As many of you know, this summer should be fairly busy with concerts at Citifield, MCU Park, and the new “Williamsburg Waterfront Concerts”, formerly the McCarren Park Pool. Also, Borough President Markowitz is com- mitted to another season of concerts. So there is work out there, but for how many of us? Business Manager Lew Resnick has done, and continues to do an outstanding job making connections with Producers at many venues, in an effort to secure much needed work for our members. He has successfully secured several projects for the Local. Lew has sent many people out on jobs and the feedback received was positive, citing the excellent work and professionalism demonstrated by our crews. Bravo to all! Sending the right people out is cru- cial. If you are asked to work on one of these One Offs, it is so important that you bring your A Game and represent Local 4 as a Class 1 Labor force. On a happier note, I would very much like to see all of us get together over the summer for a Golf Tournament (I can’t play either), a fishing trip, a ballgame, and even a huge Family Picnic with all the families. If any of these ideas interest any of you, I encourage you to contact the Hall now so we can make something happen before other plans preclude us from doing so. Enjoy your summer, be safe, and have fun. From the Desk of the Secretary Dear Brothers and Sisters: As you will read elsewhere in this newsletter, we are looking forward to a very busy summer. We will again cover the “Wingate Field”/”Seaside Park” series, and have contracted with the new “Williamsburg Waterfront Concert Series”, which promises more than 14 shows. In addition, both MCU Stadium and Citi Field, have announced performances by major artists over the summer. To ensure that members have every opportunity to work these events, it is imperative that we know your availability. As such, we have added to our weekly phone-in availability, a web based “Availability Calendar”. The calendar allows registered members to add and remove their day-to-day availability for up to three months. It will also allow registered members to view who is available on any given day. This will make it easier for department-heads, and crew-chiefs to fill their calls with members first. For those department heads, or crew-chiefs that do not have access to a computer, the local will fax the list generated by the calendar to them each Friday. I would like to offer a special thanks to Christina Gillespie-Donohue, who came up with the web- based calendar idea. Just as important as your availability, is your contact information. If you have recently moved, or changed your phone number, please contact the office so we can update your info. Apartment numbers have become an issue of late with the Postal Service. Many carries are returning mail addressed to an apartment building, without an apartment number. From the Desk of the Financial Secretary Dear Brothers and Sisters: Without question, the saddest aspect of my duties here is to handle the Hartford Life insurance claims of deceased members of Local No. 4. We were all very much aggrieved to learn of the passing of our brother Michael Sottosanti on February 25 of this year. Those of us who knew him and worked with him over the years will always remember him as a consummate stagehand and a true gentleman. Since our plan is self-administered, it is my obligation to ensure that claim forms are forwarded to the next of kin, filled out correctly and completely, and the final claim submitted to The Hartford for payment. Among the forms in this claim package is the Beneficiary Designation Form. This form is filled out by the member, naming his/her beneficiary (ies) for the policy which is currently at $5,000.00 for Retirees Life, and $10,000.00 for Members Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment. It is of paramount importance that all members have this Beneficiary Designation Form on file with this of- fice.