[e-drive][EQUIFLASH: REQUEST FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY]

[Patricia Joyce]

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To all Equity members:

As per the following international appeal, Equity members should decline
employment with producer Kapow Pictures and the Canadian affiliate
Studio B. This appeal, in support of MEAA (Australian Equity), is at the
request of ACTRA; Equity members who are not ACTRA members must still
abide by this instruction and comply with our commitment as expressed in
our Reciprocal Agreement with ACTRA. If you are offered a contract on
this project, please contact any ACTRA office for further instructions. 

Thank you for your solidarity and support.

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Request for International Solidarity
Yakkety Yak-Animated Television Series
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Yakkety Yak-Animated Television Series is an official
Australian/Canadian co-production animated children's television series.

We have been in negotiation with the producer of the above production,
Kapow Pictures, for some weeks.

We understand that at the Canadian end an entity known as Studio B is
involved.

The producer has indicated that it will not execute the standard
Australian Equity (MEAA) agreements for television productions,
including animated television productions, or engage performers pursuant
to such agreement.

The producer has now indicated that it will seek Canadian performers to
voice the characters in the production.

The producer has also indicated that in Canada it will use neither the
ACTRA collective agreement or the Union of BC Performers collective
agreement.

Australian performers seek the solidarity of FIA with respect to this
production in the event that the producer or Studio B or any other
entity seeks to make this production in the jurisdiction of an other
performer union.  We request all other performer unions instruct their
members not to work on this production.

I would appreciate it if you could pass this on to affiliate unions and
other performer unions for whom we have current contact details.

Yours in solidarity,
Simon Whipp
National Director