Q) What do you get for your Dues?

A) First and foremost, a contract which does not allow the employer to arbitrarily lower wages throughout its duration. If the employer fails to follow the contract, we are allowed to grieve over any contractual subject, if the grievance fails to remedy the problem, we are entitled to go to arbitration. The legal costs for our preparation, attorneys, the arbitrator, as well as the court reporter are all paid for by your dues.

Your dues pay the salaries of our full-time Local 41 President, Ray Taylor and the office administrative/secretarial staff. The Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Stewards & alternates, receive a monthly stipend. Also, the website you are looking at is paid for by your dues.

The contract offers Daily Hires the Entertainment Industry Flex Plan (insurance program) which gives you medical, dental, vision and life insurance at group rates. The Flex Plan also provides a disability program that will keep your family above water if you are seriously ill or injured. Your dues helped pay for the negotiations and arbitration that got the Flex Plan into the contract.

Your dues helped us achieve a 12.5% wage increase at NBC over four years for all members. Also, Daily Hires will, if they work on a sixth day and on a holiday on a different day in the same work week, get paid time and half for each such day and will also receive double time for all overtime hours worked on a holiday.

The $50.00 per day in lieu of benefits at NBC will, in January 2003 be raised to $55.00 and this raise will also be given to all NBC Daily Hires who have a day off, out of town.

NBC Daily Hires who work 200 or more days in a year will receive, in the subsequent year, a payment of 4% of their straight-time hours for personal leave days.

All of these gains in the contract were achieved through the dues payments.

These are just some of the things that are paid for thru your dues contributions. Your dues dollars support improved contracts and proper representation for all of our members.

Q) What is the Initiation Fee structure and how does it work?

A) 1. For staff, temporary, daily hire, or vacation relief employees whose gross five-day top scale is $450.00 or less, the initiation fee shall be $750.00.

2. For staff, temporary, daily hire, or vacation relief employees whose gross five-day top scale is more than $450.00, the initiation fee shall be $1500.00.

3. The initiation fee for an NBC courier shall be $750.00.

4. The initiation fee for WYIN employees shall be as stipulated in the NABET/WYIN contract.

All applicants shall pay the applicable initiation fee in twelve (12) equal monthly installments, or sooner if they desire.

The Executive Board shall have the authority to modify the payment schedule, but not the amount, on a case-by-case basis, by majority vote.

Q) What is the Dues structure?

A) Membership dues shall be 1.67% of total income earned, payable as stipulated in Article 12.2 of the NABET-CWA Sector By- Laws:

1. 1-1/3% of total income (with a minimum of $60.00 per year due March 31st of the following year) which shall include, but shall not be limited to, base pay, overtime and penalties. Severance pay shall not be included in the computation of of total income. This amount shall be paid to NABET-CWA either by check-off or on a monthly basis.

2. Daily hires working for the ABC and/or NBC Networks shall pay minimum NABET-CWA dues of $50.00 per quarter, except if on dues check-off, Section "A" above will apply.

Q) When do I join the Union?

A) If you are hired as a staff employee, thirty days after your hire date, you must join the Union, although you may join at any time prior to that.

If you are a Daily hire employee, after twenty days of employment (i.e., days paid under a NABET contract) in a calendar year, or thirty days of employment in two consecutive calendar years, you must join the Union.

Q) What is the Entertainment Industry Flex Plan - Insurance Coverage for NABET Daily Hire Employees?

A) NABET-CWA, Local 41 has successfully negotiated insurance coverage for our Daily Hire members with the Entertainment Industry Flex Plan.

The Entertainment Industry Flex Plan is an employee benefit plan which combines both Employer Contributions and Employee Contributions to fund a full array of benefits, such as medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life insurance and dependent care assistance (child care).

The Plan offers a "cafeteria style" benefit option list in which you design your individual plan according to your needs. Since you are under no obligation to participate in a "one size fits all" benefit arrangement, you will find that you can custom tailor benefit selections that are right for you

You become eligible to participate in the Flex Plan once $100.00 (equivalent to 10 days worked with a contribution of $10.00/day) in Employer Contributions are in your "account" with the Plan. At that time, you will be sent enrollment materials and information by the Plan.

One of the major advantages to using benefits through the Flex Plan is that the benefits received are not subject to income tax. In simple terms, $100 of contributions can buy about $125 in benefits (subject to your individual tax level).

The Flex Plan covers each employee who is employed by an Employer who has entered into a Labor Agreement with a Union providing benefits through the Flex Plan.

Also, The Plan is "portable" which means a Daily Hire employee working for different participating employers, will have employer paid contributions sent to the same employee account.