TEAMSTERS LOCAL 399: Week In Review: Important Reminders, Updates & Events
April 11th, 2021
I hope you are doing well and staying safe. I certainly do not have to tell you all how busy the Industry has become over the past several months. I am grateful to see the majority of our Members back to consistent work again, while also being able to welcome so many new Members into our ranks! I would like to remind our Transportation Departments to consider hiring Retirees when we get into Permits. Our Retirees know this town, are still properly licensed and certified. I cannot think of a better way to give back to our Retirees. Please remember, Retirees don’t care if it’s a New Media production or not, they just want a chance to spend some time on set with their Brothers and Sisters. With the Industry picking up, the Business Agents and myself are very aware of the additional challenges of production. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any issues or concerns. We are here to support you every step of the way, and we will continue to do so as we try getting back to a sense of normalcy.
The Unions and Guilds have begun discussions again with the AMPTP around our ‘Return to Work’ Protocols. As many of you know, the current expiration date for our ‘Return to Work’ Agreement is April 30, 2021. We will be looking at all aspects of the Agreement, while also reviewing the City, County and State guidelines as we make determinations for how to best proceed over the course of the next several months. As more information becomes available, we will keep the Membership informed.
I am grateful to our 399 family as we work through the various challenges this COVID-19 pandemic has posed. We are in this together and we are made stronger by our Solidarity through the good and bad times. This will be another tough year, with many of our major Agreements up for negotiations, but I am confident if we continue to stand together – we will win.
SAVE THE DATE: 2ND QUARTER GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:
Please save the date for Sunday, April 25th at 9AM for our next Quarterly General Membership Meeting via Zoom. For the safety of all involved, we will again be hosting this meeting digitally via Zoom.
Join us from the comfort of your own home to hear updates regarding:
• Our Industry and the ‘Return to Work’ negotiations
• Ongoing efforts with our Sister Unions and Guilds and our City, County and State
• Business Agent reports from specific Studios and Union Barns
• Technology Updates at the Union Hall
• Upcoming Negotiations
• Upcoming Classes and ways to get involved in YOUR Union
• and more!
Link to register will be shared next week!
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS: LEO T. REED SCHOLARSHIP:
Teamsters Local 399 is excited to announce the 6th Annual Leo T. Reed Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications from 2020-2021 Graduating High School Seniors.
The Scholarship program is intended to assist Graduating High School Seniors planning to attend a four-year college or university and Training/Vocational program. We will be awarding $5,000 to (10) of the selected graduating High School Seniors. You must be a child of an active Teamsters Local 399 Member to apply.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION
To apply, please fill out this form completely and mail or drop off at the Union Hall.
Applications must arrive no later than: Friday, May 28th.
We are grateful to the Members of Local 399 for their continued support and investment in our Leo T. Reed Scholarship program. We wish all applicants the best of luck!
399 VACCINE UPDATE:
I am excited to share that over the past couple of weeks, we have been able to offer vaccine appointments to almost 800 of our Members by way of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor! We are extremely grateful to the LA County Fed., Labor Community Services and all of the participating vaccine clinics that have been vaccinating essential workers and Union Members throughout our City. I encourage all of our Members and Staff to get vaccinated. The vaccine roll out has helped to slow the spread and flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases and continues to return our County back to a sense of normalcy.
As vaccine eligibility is growing throughout our County, our best advice would be to stay updated on the Los Angeles County website for appointments and vaccine roll out plan: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine/index.htm
NEW LOCAL 399 CALL BOARD LAUNCH:
We are getting closer to launching our updated Call Board system through our Salesforce Software build. We will provide a more in-depth overview of functionality and scalability at our General Membership Meeting at the end of this month and in our Spring 2021 Newsreel.
For now, here are the two best ways for our Members to prepare:
1. Make sure the Front Office has the most up-to-date contact information on file for you. Click here to update your information online.
2. As of now, starting Friday, April 16th we will be turning off the Call Board login functionality for Members. This is in preparation of switching over to the new system while we finalize our new SMS technology piece which will allow members to simply text if they are AVAILABLE or UNAVAILABLE instead of having to remember a username and password to access the system.
If you have any immediate questions, please email businessagent@ht399.org.
DUES FOR THE 2ND QUARTER ARE NOW DUE!
Dues for the 2nd Quarter (April, May, June) are due in the month of April to avoid late fees. See the graphic above for ways to easily make remote payments to avoid visiting our Union Hall Office if you prefer. If you have any questions about your account, please reach out to our Union Hall Front Office: 818-985-7374.
If you are interested in having your dues paid automatically from your account, and you have yet to pay for the 2nd quarter, we encourage you to sign-up for a RECURRING PAYMENT PLAN here. Dues will be paid automatically from your account on January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st. Upon sign-up, you will be charged for a full quarter of dues.Thereafter, your account will follow the quarterly recurring schedule. This is a great way to avoid late fees!
FORKLIFT RECERTIFICATION:
CSATF is opening up for in person Forklift recertifications April 21. You will receive online registration by mail, there will be no walk ins permitted and it’s very limited at this time. CSATF is working on opening to full capacity but it will take time and these are the first steps in the process, please be patient.
PASS THE PRO ACT:
Thursday, April 8th was the Digital Day of Action to encourage Senators around the Nation to Pass the PRO Act. Thank you to our Members that took the time to make calls and share information on your own channels of communication.The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act passed the House of Representatives last month. Though getting the PRO Act through the House was a major victory, the path in the Senate is much more difficult. Due to the filibuster, we’ll need more than a party-line vote in the Senate. We expect a long campaign to apply pressure in support of the PRO Act.
MPI WELLNESS AT A GLANCE AT – UPCOMING FREE ZOOM CLASSES:
Did you know MPI offers a series of Zoom Wellness classes? They have been scaling up their programming and offer a wide range of interesting, educational and fun classes you can take from the comfort of your own home.
MPI Health and Wellness are Priceless. Explore MPI’s classes here to help you invest in your health and wellness. You’re worth it. CLICK HERE TO VIEW APRIL CALENDAR
CONNECT WITH TEAMSTERS LOCAL 399:
Get connected with Teamsters Local 399 on our official social media pages.
You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. An engaged and educated Membership is a strong Membership. Don’t just belong to your Union, be an Active Member.
_______________________________
Thank you for your continued support. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
