I recently applied for a scenic design job that said it was a paying gig and boastfully talked about how this position will change your lives by opening doors….. When I interviewed, I found that they only had $500.00. That’s $200.00 for salary and $300.00 for materials. Sound familiar? The city is full of producers who attempt to take advantage of Artists.
This is what can be done about it. EDD (Employment Development Department) ,a government org. has hotlines to report such criminal acts. Why is it criminal? Well…..the law says that you should be paid at least the minimum wage, which is $8.00 per hr. When you calculate the 12 hour days we put in, divided that by the days worked, you’ll find that most of these companies pay well below.
If you want to know the salaries paid during 2007 for your job position visit this site. www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/cg...asp
Copied and pasted form the site “If you think someone is committing fraud against one of EDD's programs, it is important that you let us know about it. All allegations of fraud are taken seriously, and you can remain anonymous. Please include as much information as possible. All information will be maintained in a fully secure environment.”
The EDD offers several options for you to report fraud:
To report Unemployment Insurance, Disability Insurance, or Paid Family Leave fraud:
• Submit a Fraud Reporting Form on-line
• Call: 1-800-229-6297
To report Payroll Tax fraud:
• Submit a Fraud Reporting Form on-line
• Call: 1-800-528-1783
• E-mail: ueo@edd.ca.gov
Fax: 916-227-2772
We need to stand together to make a difference. If you’re tired of not being paid a day’s wage for a day’s work, do something about it. Report these companies. As long as you work for free, they will continue to leave you out of their budgets.
For more info on EDD www.edd.ca.gov/eddhome.htm
This is what can be done about it. EDD (Employment Development Department) ,a government org. has hotlines to report such criminal acts. Why is it criminal? Well…..the law says that you should be paid at least the minimum wage, which is $8.00 per hr. When you calculate the 12 hour days we put in, divided that by the days worked, you’ll find that most of these companies pay well below.
If you want to know the salaries paid during 2007 for your job position visit this site. www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/cg...asp
Copied and pasted form the site “If you think someone is committing fraud against one of EDD's programs, it is important that you let us know about it. All allegations of fraud are taken seriously, and you can remain anonymous. Please include as much information as possible. All information will be maintained in a fully secure environment.”
The EDD offers several options for you to report fraud:
To report Unemployment Insurance, Disability Insurance, or Paid Family Leave fraud:
• Submit a Fraud Reporting Form on-line
• Call: 1-800-229-6297
To report Payroll Tax fraud:
• Submit a Fraud Reporting Form on-line
• Call: 1-800-528-1783
• E-mail: ueo@edd.ca.gov
Fax: 916-227-2772
We need to stand together to make a difference. If you’re tired of not being paid a day’s wage for a day’s work, do something about it. Report these companies. As long as you work for free, they will continue to leave you out of their budgets.
For more info on EDD www.edd.ca.gov/eddhome.htm
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Los Angeles
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Re: To report fraud
Wed, January 9, 2008 - 3:39 AMI think this only applies to employees and not independent contractors. As an independent contractor you are responsible for you time management and if the job isn't worth it to you, you need to walk away or not take it on.
I'm not commenting on the sentiment, just mentioning what I believe to be the case.
Also note that on the flip side, many individuals try to take advantage of producers by trying to get to illegally or forcibly access their worker's comp policies and such. It's a two way street and the people who play unfair give a bad reputation to everyone.
I think both producer and artist are better off if no one takes a job the artist doesn't think is worth it. Also - I do think if a producer is going to ask for a very low rate, they really should make that clear up front. It gives producers a really bad reputation when they trick people into coming in to a session thinking they'll so love the project that they'll be compelled to do it... or even if they're delusional about the opportunity they're offering.
I live on both sides of this fence, I am the producer and for my company I'm often the contractor. As a producer I never use lines like "this will be good for your reel," and "we'll use you on all the next ones" because I hate that as a contractor. In fact, I'm usually cautioning people if I feel I'm going under "rate." As a contractor (for my company) I simply walk away from anything where I do not see the personal or professional gain for the company on my own and I would encourage everyone to do the same. Don't be afraid of asking what the rate is before the interview. If they get squirmy - it's probably a sign it's low. If they ask you for your rate, they're probably going to evaluate that against your portolio (as they will with the other candidates) and determine where the most bang for the buck is.
