STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

As veteran Line Producers in the Television Commercial Production industry, we all know how fortunate and privileged we are to work in such a rewarding and challenging field. Our job is a highly demanding one on many levels and therefore requires a very unique skill set. We all put so much effort into what we do as we manage Directors, Clients, production logistics, tight budgets, and all of the labor and vendor relationships. We put ourselves on the line daily to maintain profitability and industry perceptions in the business and as such, are ultimately responsible for the overall success of each individual production while protecting the Production Company’s financial interests at all costs.

While we’re all incredibly grateful the AICP has provided us with a comprehensive health insurance plan (and now Disability), we felt it was time to establish a collective in an effort to reach out to our employers and ask that they extend to us same level of protection the other crew members get to rely on when they retire. Currently, there is no pension or retirement plan for us Producers to fall back on when we age out of this business. Conversely, the majority of the crew members listed on our Call Sheets have some sort of pension and/or retirement plan set up through their unions and/or guilds. They will ultimately retire in much more secure and comfortable circumstances than those of us who chose to align ourselves and our careers with the Production Companies.

Thanks to the Producer’s Health Benefit Plan (PHBP), the infrastructure already exists to implement this plan. The thought is take this entity and morph it into the Producer’s Pension and Health Benefit Plan. Research shows that current pensions plans for the IATSE, DGA, and SAG, are likely too challenging to implement, and therefore we believe a simpler 401K plan, or variation of, could be very manageable. Whilst not as all-encompassing as any of the union/guild plans, this would still go a very long way in helping to support Production in a more long term and thoughtful way. We’re hopeful that our Production Company families will want to support those who support them. After all, we expect it would be appealing to them to use this plan for their staff employees as well, much in the same way that they have availed themselves use of the current Producers Health and Benefit Plan.

It is important to understand this movement was born from the recent acknowledgement that local 871 has been working hard to recruit Production Supervisors and Assistant Production Supervisors (only) into their membership, therefore leaving Line Producers on the sidelines without any additional retirement benefits. While we are unsure of the full extent of the package Local 871 is offering, we do know that any Production personnel enrolled in that union would ultimately have to give up their benefits once they move up the ladder to become a Line Producer, which in a turn of events, puts that individual back into a position of not having any retirement plan. We, on the other hand, wish fairness and equality for ALL of our Production brethren and feel an allegiance with PHBP to be a more sound and impartial approach for EVERYONE.

In closing, it should be noted that we’re thrilled with the progress, changes, and additions to our PHBP plan, and we profusely thank those who helped put that into place. However, our work is not quite done yet and we need your continued support to gain any traction with this new endeavor by signing the attached petition. Remember...it takes each of us to make a difference for all of us...

A friendly reminder of what our ultimate goal is here and therefore we ask that all parties proceed with integrity and respect towards those with whom we are seeking compliance.

**This is a public petition and NOT affiliated with any other group or entity.