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[0:00] Unknown speaker: You've been successful for a few years now. Have you ever had a regular job?

[0:04] Unknown speaker: I worked at Starbucks and FedEx. Oh my God. Horrible.

[0:11] Unknown speaker: Was it really bad?

[0:13] Unknown speaker: Starbucks was cool because I stole cheese danishes every day.

[0:18] Unknown speaker: FedEx was so depressing. It was just...

[0:22] Unknown speaker: The spirit there was just older dudes, like, just pushing boxes, but okay with it.

[0:28] Unknown speaker: And it scared the living hell out of me, so I quit after a week and four days.

[0:33] Unknown speaker: How long did you work at Starbucks?

[0:35] Unknown speaker: Two and a half years, and this lady named Cindy, she was a new manager, she hated on me.

[0:41] Unknown speaker: And she fired me, and I hope she's watching because I still hate her.

[0:45] Unknown speaker: Thank you, Cindy. Cindy, huh?

[0:52] Unknown speaker: Thank you so much. I hate you, Cindy.

[0:58] Unknown speaker: Is Cindy aware of your success?

[1:00] Unknown speaker: I hope, and I hope her firing me was the greatest moment of my life.

[1:06] Unknown speaker: Was it really?

[1:07] Unknown speaker: Oh, my change was free.

[1:09] Unknown speaker: Wow. How did she do it? She sit you down and say it's time to go?

[1:12] Unknown speaker: Nah, dude. Somebody, one of the shift managers warned me like ten minutes before she fired me,

[1:17] Unknown speaker: so I had nine minutes to call my mom asking her what I should do.

[1:20] Unknown speaker: Oh.

[1:21] Unknown speaker: Yeah, it was tight. I didn't even, like, somebody was like, yo, you're getting fired in nine minutes, boy.

[1:27] Unknown speaker: And what did your mom tell you to do?

[1:30] Unknown speaker: First she was going to sue Starbucks.

[1:35] Unknown speaker: Then we figured out they did nothing wrong.

[1:42] Unknown speaker: That's no reason not to sue.

[1:46] Unknown speaker: So, okay, that was nine minutes. So I had about four minutes left to figure out what to do,

[1:52] Unknown speaker: so I manned up and said, all right, I'll get fired, and I ate, like, three cheese danishes.

[2:11] Unknown speaker: Dollar, dollar, dollar, that's what I need, hey, hey.

[2:15] Unknown speaker: Well, I need the dollar, dollar, dollar, that's what I need, hey, hey.

[2:20] Christine Shepard: Hey, there. Welcome back to Chris Chats With.

[2:23] Christine Shepard: If you're still tuning in to this monthly discussion, I thank you.

[2:27] Christine Shepard: I started out with this Tyler the Creator interview on Jimmy Kimmel because I don't know anything more relatable right now.

[2:34] Christine Shepard: Working or not working, a lot of us are doing something temporary, and that's okay.

[2:39] Christine Shepard: You heard Tyler. He was at Starbucks for two years, yo. We got this.

[2:45] Christine Shepard: All right, let's do this.

[2:48] Christine Shepard: This month's topic took me on a full quest, like full Harriet the Spy gathering information around here.

[2:56] Christine Shepard: Half this episode was honestly for me.

[2:59] Christine Shepard: I learned a lot about stuff I should have years ago, but luckily my learning experience can be somebody else's.

[3:05] Christine Shepard: Today we are going to talk about union membership, specifically AEA or Actors' Equity Association.

[3:12] Christine Shepard: I want to start by saying this is absolutely not a diss track about the union.

[3:18] Christine Shepard: AEA provides actors so much.

[3:22] Christine Shepard: Like, without a union, we would be even more screwed than we already are.

[3:27] Christine Shepard: Yes, there is work to be done.

[3:29] Christine Shepard: Choreographer acknowledgement, controlling producer greed, eight shows a week because why?

[3:34] Christine Shepard: But I'm not here to bash.

[3:36] Christine Shepard: I'm only here to explore.

[3:39] Christine Shepard: When trying to come up with this episode, all I could think was, where do I start?

[3:44] Christine Shepard: How about joining?

[3:46] Christine Shepard: So, like, how does someone join AEA, right?

[3:49] Christine Shepard: There are two main ways to join AEA, via the point system or joining a union-affiliated show.

[3:56] Christine Shepard: I joined AEA at the age of 20, and like many members, I signed the contract because I wanted the job.

[4:02] Christine Shepard: My contract was union-based, and so that was all she wrote.

[4:06] Christine Shepard: Plus, I did some other work that had gotten me some points, but to be honest, I was pretty new to the whole situation,

[4:11] Christine Shepard: so the point thing kind of confused me.

[4:14] Christine Shepard: When working at a regional theater, a friend of mine chose not to join the union at the moment.

[4:19] Christine Shepard: Though the theater she was at was part of equity, her contract was based on the point system.

[4:24] Christine Shepard: She decided to wait until she got an equity production contract.

[4:28] Christine Shepard: Now, I went to performing arts college for four years, and I was yesterday years old when I fully understood that.

[4:37] Christine Shepard: What the hell?

[4:40] Christine Shepard: Ugh.

[4:42] Christine Shepard: Like many good salesmen, equity promotes the benefits of joining.

[4:47] Christine Shepard: And there's a lot of benefits, let me tell you.

[4:50] Christine Shepard: Tax help, discounts for retail, media, fitness, resources to find work, a credit union you can join, and so on.

[4:58] Christine Shepard: It can seem excessive, but it's a paid membership, so it makes sense.

[5:04] Christine Shepard: Arguably, the most important benefit is technically not actors' equity.

[5:09] Christine Shepard: The Equity League Benefits Fund oversees pension, 401k, and health care plans for union members.

[5:17] Christine Shepard: As an employee, this is a vital part of joining a union.

[5:22] Christine Shepard: Pension?

[5:24] Christine Shepard: Not pension?

[5:26] Christine Shepard: That's that good good.

[5:28] Christine Shepard: I want that.

[5:30] Christine Shepard: I see myself in Vegas at age 76 with that.

[5:33] Christine Shepard: Well, maybe 86, the way things are going.

[5:35] Christine Shepard: But yeah, I planned ahead and signed up for that the first chance I got, okay?

[5:41] Christine Shepard: The key to starting to understand AEA was becoming active on the website.

[5:46] Christine Shepard: That's the place to go over phone calls or seeing somebody in person.

[5:51] Christine Shepard: It's user-friendly and packed with every resource you could think of.

[5:55] Christine Shepard: The daily newsletter is probably the most crucial part.

[5:58] Christine Shepard: It talks about all the current things AEA is doing.

[6:02] Christine Shepard: Before exploring the website, I really only read the handful of emails that I chose to read.

[6:07] Christine Shepard: They share a lot of information, but there's so much you can easily drown in it.

[6:13] Christine Shepard: These days, our attention spans are about the size of a raisin.

[6:17] Christine Shepard: AEA would benefit from some New Age vamp.

[6:20] Christine Shepard: Really important news has to catch the eye and get people to read.

[6:24] Christine Shepard: I only read it because I was curious, and that's the issue.

[6:28] Christine Shepard: This isn't just some, oh, if I like it, I'll read it type information.

[6:33] Christine Shepard: We as members have to take part in our own membership and stay informed.

[6:39] Christine Shepard: When shit hits the fan and the drama goes on, we inevitably are the last to know,

[6:44] Christine Shepard: even though ironically it'll probably affect us the most.

[6:48] Christine Shepard: The biggest part of change is doing something different.

[6:52] Christine Shepard: We as members want change, right?

[6:55] Christine Shepard: Well, we all gotta move different.

[6:58] Christine Shepard: Together.

[7:00] Christine Shepard: Otherwise, what's the point?

[7:02] Christine Shepard: So the website.

[7:04] Christine Shepard: A goldmine of information.

[7:06] Christine Shepard: Classic me.

[7:07] Christine Shepard: I found everything but what I was looking for.

[7:10] Christine Shepard: I wanted to know if there was a standard AEA membership contract.

[7:15] Christine Shepard: Not an AE contract from a specific show, but a welcome to equity contract.

[7:20] Christine Shepard: I tried to flash back to being 20.

[7:23] Christine Shepard: I remember signing some shit and being told I had a retirement fund now.

[7:29] Christine Shepard: I've kept every contract I've ever signed.

[7:32] Christine Shepard: If I was given a copy, of course.

[7:35] Christine Shepard: And that's where my memory stops.

[7:37] Christine Shepard: Did I sign a production contract and something else?

[7:42] Christine Shepard: I truly don't remember.

[7:44] Christine Shepard: I just know I signed my name a lot at my first Broadway rehearsal.

[7:49] Christine Shepard: In my manhunt through the website, I came across something that suggested such a contract might exist.

[7:56] Christine Shepard: Under the Resources tab, there is a Resource for Producers option.

[8:01] Christine Shepard: Clicked that.

[8:02] Christine Shepard: Then, I clicked on Agreements and Forms, and it read the following.

[8:07] Christine Shepard: If you would like to read a particular union agreement or have questions regarding a specific agreement,

[8:14] Christine Shepard: please contact your regional equity officer.

[8:18] Christine Shepard: Equity agreement?

[8:20] Christine Shepard: Huh?

[8:22] Christine Shepard: What's that?

[8:23] Christine Shepard: Because that doesn't sound like a production contract.

[8:28] Christine Shepard: In a tab labeled for producers?

[8:31] Christine Shepard: Huh?

[8:33] Christine Shepard: What's going on?

[8:37] Christine Shepard: No clue.

[8:40] Christine Shepard: At first, I felt mad dumb.

[8:43] Christine Shepard: Just, like, baffled, you know?

[8:46] Christine Shepard: Then I started asking around the block and found out we were all clueless.

[8:52] Christine Shepard: I compiled some answers together, you know.

[8:55] Christine Shepard: Let's laugh together, friend, shall we?

[8:57] Unknown speaker: I had no idea.

[8:59] Unknown speaker: I actually don't think I know.

[9:01] Unknown speaker: I have absolutely no idea.

[9:04] Unknown speaker: If we're guessing, it would be on my equity portal.

[9:08] Unknown speaker: Uh, I have no idea.

[9:11] Unknown speaker: I didn't know we had a contract with Actors' Equity.

[9:15] Unknown speaker: The AEA membership contract?

[9:17] Unknown speaker: Um, I honestly couldn't tell you.

[9:20] Unknown speaker: I can totally be making this up, but I want to say my contract would be in, um, a Manila folder in my office where I keep all of my...

[9:30] Unknown speaker: Oh, no idea.

[9:32] Unknown speaker: Um, to be honest, I have no idea.

[9:37] Unknown speaker: ...my head if I weren't to cheat.

[9:39] Unknown speaker: Literally no idea.

[9:41] Unknown speaker: Oh, God, I have no idea.

[9:44] Unknown speaker: I, nope, no clue.

[9:46] Unknown speaker: Membership contract?

[9:48] Unknown speaker: Uh, I'm guessing member ed, new members, equities, rules, and important tips for members?

[9:53] Unknown speaker: Contract in my email archives?

[9:58] Unknown speaker: Crazy.

[10:00] Christine Shepard: Did I, or did I not, sign an AEA membership contract?

[10:05] Christine Shepard: And what equity agreement can producers request access to?

[10:09] Christine Shepard: Sheesh.

[10:11] Christine Shepard: Crazier thing is I'm not leaving AEA anytime soon.

[10:16] Christine Shepard: Coronavirus caused the dues payment to become super mellow, and they're still trying to put an influence and make change into the community.

[10:24] Christine Shepard: However, I can't help but notice how it feels like they might be getting the short end of the stick.

[10:30] Christine Shepard: For example, one email I actually read was about the Open Culture Project coming to the city.

[10:37] Christine Shepard: Apparently, the project didn't meet the minimum pay wages or COVID protocols.

[10:42] Christine Shepard: In my head, I'm like, cool, thanks for the heads up, won't be doing that project.

[10:47] Christine Shepard: But there's also, why weren't you guys a part of the meeting that created the project?

[10:52] Christine Shepard: Seems like everyone else was in on it except for the people who have to make it happen.

[10:58] Christine Shepard: And clearly, no representative of AEA attended those meetings, right?

[11:04] Christine Shepard: Right?

[11:06] Christine Shepard: I'm done. No, Harriet is done sleuthing over and out.

[11:11] Christine Shepard: For real, what do we do now?

[11:13] Christine Shepard: We move different.

[11:15] Christine Shepard: See, in the past, I would be like, whoop, there it is, more proof that the man is keeping me down, blah blah blah, same excuses, blah.

[11:23] Christine Shepard: I've known reform was needed long before it was trending on social media.

[11:28] Christine Shepard: With the information I've found, I hope to stay in the light and not move back into the dark.

[11:34] Christine Shepard: I will slowly but surely start becoming an active member.

[11:38] Christine Shepard: At least a cognizant one.

[11:41] Christine Shepard: Read shit I should be reading.

[11:44] Christine Shepard: Ask questions that people don't want me to ask.

[11:48] Christine Shepard: Have to start participating.

[11:50] Christine Shepard: I think we all should.

[11:52] Christine Shepard: We see it happening in all aspects of our culture right now.

[11:56] Christine Shepard: We are in the exposure phase.

[11:58] Christine Shepard: The only way this phase won't repeat, like it has in the past, is a transition into an action phase.

[12:05] Christine Shepard: If we have any hope of change, we gotta become doers, not Instagram posters.

[12:10] Christine Shepard: And tch, I'm dragging myself.

[12:12] Christine Shepard: Okay, don't worry.

[12:14] Christine Shepard: Like I said, exposure phase.

[12:16] Christine Shepard: Let's start doing.

[12:18] Christine Shepard: Okay, Harriet is done.

[12:20] Christine Shepard: Special thanks to the various ensemble members for sharing with us this week.

[12:26] Christine Shepard: The Ensemblist was produced today by Mo Brady, Jackson Klein, and me, Christine Shepard.

[12:32] Christine Shepard: There are two great ways you can be helping The Ensemblist right now.

[12:37] Christine Shepard: One is by leaving us a rate and review on Apple Podcasts,

[12:41] Christine Shepard: and the second is by becoming a Patreon member at patreon.com slash The Ensemblist.

[12:47] Christine Shepard: Please follow The Ensemblist wherever you listen to podcasts,

[12:51] Christine Shepard: whether that be on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, or at our home on Broadway Podcast Network at bpn.fm.

[12:59] Christine Shepard: You can also follow us on Instagram.

[13:02] Christine Shepard: Thanks for listening. Until next time.