479 NEWS
2017 Health & Wellness Day Wrap-Up
IATSE Local 479 Benefits Coordinator Lauralyn Walsh reports that this year’s Health & Wellness Day saw an increase in attendance and looks forward to even more growth for next year’s event. In addition to the screenings mentioned in this year’s announcement, the event also included specialized hearing exams and testing for prostate cancer. The remote mammogram testing team was unable to be secured due to low pre-registration by our membership, which is largely due to our membership’s age skewing younger. (more…)
2nd Annual Family Health & Wellness Event
Local 479 will be hosting its 2nd annual health event on Saturday, March 11th, from 9am to 2pm. This event is designed to encourage our members to be proactive about their personal health and to educate them on how to use their medical insurance for preventative care. Refreshments will be (more…)
Welcome to Your New Member Dashboard
On Friday, December 16th, our new and improved Member Dashboard (www.iaentertainment-locals.org/479) website was finally released to the membership, following many long months of planning and development. Our primary mission has been to put as much control in our members’ hands, providing tools so that they may access information quickly and efficiently. The Member Dashboard has been an enormous effort on the front end (for members) and the back end (for administration by staff) and the site now provides access to the data considered proprietary to our members – from personal account balance and history of assessments paid, to call sheets, production lists, and rumors list, the information members need is now available and secure, and mobile-friendly. Keep reading for a visual walk-through of the new Member Dashboard website. (more…)
The Importance of Naming Beneficiaries
This morning Benefits Coordinator Lauralyn Walsh sent out an email to the membership to remind us all of how very important it is to name beneficiaries and contingent beneficiaries when we enroll in a retirement plan, annuity plan or insurance policy. Once you have selected your beneficiaries make sure that the forms are kept with all your important documents.
While beneficiary designations are not required, they are a very smart step to make for the future of your loved ones. Neglecting to name a specific person (or persons) or by entering “estate” as your beneficiary could result in your assets passing through a lengthy probate process upon your death, leaving your heirs without the ability to receive the funds when they may need them most. Furthermore, if no beneficiary is named, the estate may be forced to immediately pay income tax on the funds, often at an unfavorable tax rate.
Another common mistake people make is leaving unintended beneficiaries on retirement plans, annuities or life insurance policies. Any time you experience a life event, such as a marriage, death, divorce, birth or adoption, you should review both the primary and contingent beneficiaries on your policies and investments. Outdated beneficiary choices could result in unintended heirs and/or adverse tax consequences, especially on retirement funds.
Take the time this week to download the appropriate forms:
Health and Welfare Fund Beneficiary Designation (link to PDF)
Annuity Fund Beneficiary Designation (link to PDF)
Local 479 Basic Life Insurance Member Enrollment (link to PDF)
National Pension Fund Beneficiary Designation Form (linke to PDF)
Return your completed document(s) to: I.A.T.S.E. National Benefits Fund, 417 Fifth Avenue 3rd. Floor, New York, NY 10016
Please feel free to call the office to speak to Lauralyn if you have any questions!
2017 Dues Incentive Plan
The Local 479 Dues Incentive Plan was once again approved by a vote of the membership in the October General Membership Meeting. This means that members who meet the following criteria will have their quarterly membership dues paid for by the local:
- Have paid in at least $264 in 3% working dues between the dates of 11/1/2015 and 10/31/2016
- Have paid all charges and have a $0.00 balance on account as of 11/30/2016
DEADLINE: please note that the qualification deadline is November 30, 2016!
It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to check your account balance and to make sure that you meet these criteria. Members who do not meet these criteria as of December 1st WILL NOT receive the Incentive Plan for 2017, so please reach out to the office as soon as possible!
Note: the current member dashboard website is currently unavailable while our web developer finalizes a new and expanded member dashboard site. Until the new site launches we ask that you PLEASE give the office a call between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday, to get confirmation on your account status and to make payments, if necessary. The office number is (404) 361-5676.
Coming Soon: New Member Dashboard
At our most recent General Membership meeting our web development team provided a demonstration of two upcoming new websites for Local 479, the result of more than a year of planning. The first is a new public-facing website (a preview of which was posted yesterday), the second a members-only site, referred to as the Member Dashboard. [photograph in header to this note by (more…)
MetLife Insurance Now Available
If you have not checked your members-only email messages in the past few days let us share some good news with you now: Local 479 has enlisted the services of MetLife to afford our members in good standing the benefits of Short Term Disability (STD), Long Term Disability (LTD), and Basic Life Insurance coverage. Effective January 1, 2016, MetLife began underwriting the Local 479 STD, LTD and Basic Life Insurance plans. For plan overview and additional details on this program check your Breaking News email.
2016 Membership Dues are Free
Per the membership’s vote at the meeting on October, 25th, Local 479 will be rewarding the Quarterly Dues Incentive Plan for 2016 to members who (more…)
IATSE Launches Safety Hotline Program
In mid-June the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees launched its safety hotline program for members to report hazards on the job. The nature of IATSE members’ entertainment-industry jobs means working for many different employers. As the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) puts the responsibility of reporting hazards on the employers, the IATSE Safety Hotline is meant as a safety net for when the (more…)
The 2015 Member Account Dashboard
One of the most useful online tools available to our members is the Member Account Dashboard, a centralized, password-protected repository of information detailing your work history while a member with Local 479. The Account Dashboard contains useful tax-related information including the dates and amounts of your 3% assessments and dues fees, with records dating back as far as 2008.