Author Archives: President Magee

Volunteer Opportunities

The following is from a communication from the office of Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett:

So many of our neighbors have sought ways to help others as we work together to reach the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. Being a light for others is certainly a meaningful way to get through these difficult times. Understanding the challenges facing the many with lost jobs or weakened businesses, I include below some ways you can help that do not require contributing money.

Working with so many nonprofits, myself, I know a number, which continue doing so much good, have been forced to cancel fundraising events and suffer reduced donations.  For those still fortunate enough to be able to offer financial support, I have collected some seeking your help here. 

Food Banks
You have seen the lines of cars waiting for help. With so much demand, more volunteers are needed.

Central Texas Food Bank
Central Texas Food Bank is seeking volunteers. Visit the website here. Volunteer shifts have been adjusted to include fewer people and maximize social distancing and have even implemented a touch-free volunteer check-in system. Additional precautionary hygiene measures are in place to maintain the health and wellness of volunteer workforce as well as those that receive our food. Learn more about their safety measures here.

Hays County Food Bank
Hays County Food Bank has opportunities for people with cars. In order to determine if you can volunteer, you must first answer a few screening questions. Learn more here. 

Senior Access and Drive a Senior Central Texas
Both programs seek volunteers for their Senior Buddy programs, in an effort to get essential goods and services to senior citizens who are at greater risk from the virus. Senior Access can be reached at its website here. Drive a Senior can be reached at its website here. 

Aspire to Age
Aspire to Age is in need of volunteers for 20-minute virtual phone check-ins with seniors. Their volunteer form can be found here. You can learn more about Aspire to Age and their services by visiting their website here.

We Are Blood
A blood donation group with ongoing donor centers.

  • The North Lamar Location is located at 4300 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin.
  • The Round Rock Location is located at 2132 N. Mays, Suite 900.
  • The South Austin Location is located at 3100 W. Slaughter Lane.

They can all be reached at (512) 206-1266.

Additionally, they are collecting convalescent plasma donations from fully recovered COVID-19 individuals. This plasma is being used to treat patients currently fighting COVID-19. If you are a fully recovered COVID-19 patient and want to be considered as a convalescent plasma donor, learn more here.

Face Shield Project
This Austin based volunteer organization is building improvised face shields by the thousands in partnership with the City of Austin, UT Dell Medical School and local companies. They provide all the tools, materials, training and a safe, physically distanced and hygienically supervised production space. Learn more about how to volunteer here.

Translators without Borders
If you are fluent in at least one language other than your native language and would like to translate medical texts or translate for crisis response, complete the Translator Application Form here.

Generation Serve 
They have put a list of kid-simple activities for volunteering at home. See more here.

  1. Make birthday cards for Pop-Up Birthday for children and teens in foster care – The cards can be simple or embellished. Write a small message inside and when you’re finished, mail them to Pop-Up Birthday at 101 Westlake Dr. Ste. 210, Austin, TX 78746.
  2. Marbridge Foundation offers safe residential care for adults with cognitive disabilities. The residents typically have very active day-to-day lives and frequent visitors, but they have had to shelter in place without visitors recently. Please write up-lifting cards, filled with jokes and pictures, and send them to the residents of Marbridge, c/o Becca McPherson, PO Box 2250, Manchaca, TX 78652. 

Nextdoor
To help one’s nearby neighbors, an app I have seen recommended is Nextdoor. It has added a feature to help people coordinate offers of help. The Help Map, lets people say where they are and whether they need or can offer help, such as picking up groceries or taking a dog for a walk for an elderly neighbor. Sign up, address verification for Nextdoor’s community security. You can learn more here.

Let me know if you see a local resource missing about which I should be aware.  Also, I continue to update my website coronavirus page website with helpful links, which you can view here.

We will get to the other side of this crisis, together.

Sincerely, 
Lloyd Doggett

COVID-19 Public Testing in Austin!

Brothers and Sisters, 

Austin Public Health has launched an online Enrollment Form for COVID-19 testing. The new public testing form will allow people to take an assessment to determine eligibility and schedule testing without a referral from a healthcare provider. The enrollment form is available at AustinTexas.gov/COVID19.  

To access the form, click on the “Take Self-Assessment” button to create an account and complete a questionnaire listing your symptoms. If you meet the criteria you will be referred to testing. Completion of the online assessment will not guarantee referral to testing. Austin Public Health will continue to prioritize healthcare workers, first responders and people at higher risk for developing severe symptoms. Testing continues to be by appointment-only and tests at the APH testing sites are FREE. At first, the enrollment form will be available in English and Spanish with additional languages coming later.

How the Online Form Works:

  • Individuals must create an account at AustinTexas.gov/COVID19.
  • The form asks several questions to determine the patient’s eligibility for a test. A person can fill out the form for someone who cannot do it themselves. This information is HIPAA-protected.
  • If an individual is approved for a test, the portal will allow them to schedule the location, date and time for their drive-through testing appointment. Patients will only be seen in a vehicle.
  • The patient will receive a confirmation via phone, email or text with a QR code and instructions for the testing site within the same day. They will need to present an ID or the confirmation at testing.
  • If the patient does not meet testing criteria, they will be able to complete the form at any time to try again (e.g. if their symptoms change the following days).
  • Results will be available online in 3-4 days.

Those Who Have Difficulty Accessing or Completing the Form:

  • Have another trusted person fill out the form.
  • Those who do not have computer or internet access can call the nursing hotline at 512-972-5560 for assistance.

Those Who Don’t Have Transportation:

  • The public testing sites are set up for drive-through only. People without access to personal transportation should contact the nursing hotline at 512-972-5560 for assistance.

Additional Resources for Testing from Community Partners:

  • CommUnityCare has additional testing resources in eastern Travis County. You can call their hotline at 512-978-8775.

Please share with others. All flyers and information to share in Spanish are attached. Thank you for your support and cooperation.  

Drive-up COVID-19 Testing in Eastern Travis County

-Austin Public Health 

Rachel Magee, 
President.

April Membership Meeting via Zoom the 27th

Brothers and Sisters,

To allow us to conduct business safely during the Covid-19 pandemic, International President Loeb has granted Local 205 permission to conduct membership meetings by video conference while social distancing mandates remain in effect.

Therefore, please join me for our first ever virtual membership meeting,
WHAT: APRIL REGULAR MEETING
WHEN: MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 AT 7:30 PM
WHERE: YOUR COUCH

This meeting will be conducted via Zoom. Please familiarize yourself with this platform. You may have received an invitation from Zoom to sign up for a user account. This is optional; you do not need a user account to participate in a meeting you are invited to, you can simply click the links provided to you. 

Note only a phone is required to join the meeting. Computer, zoom app and webcam etc are all optional. If you do dial into the meeting, Zoom also has two over-the-phone codes:
*6 to mute or un-mute
*9 to raise your hand.

To ensure security, you will need to register in advance for this meeting, check your email for an announce message containing the registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. When you join the meeting, expect to be held in a virtual waiting room to be admitted, so join a few minutes before 7:30 PM. Also, the meeting will be recorded for the purpose of obtaining accurate minutes. Once the minutes of the meeting are drafted, the recording will be disposed of.

As this will be our first virtual meeting, please be patient and expect challenges. I will post a meeting agenda in due course. I intend to keep it light, but if you have a particular item of business you wish to discuss, please email Secretary Twenter or myself ASAP to have it added to the agenda.

We will not hold the election for Vice-President or nominations for Treasurer at this meeting. These items are on hold until I have received advice from International. I suspect that we will be able to hold nominations virtually with proper notice, but that elections will have to wait until we can meet in person.

In Solidarity,
Rachel Magee, 
President.

Tutorial for joining a meeting:

Tutorial for joining and configuring your audio/video sources:

Texas AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Labor Day Fish Fry

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The annual TX AFL-CIO Labor Day Fish Fry celebration will occur on:

Friday, September 2, 2016 starting at 5PM  at NALC 181 Union Hall (National Assoc. of Letter Carriers),  601 Williams Street, Austin, TX. 78752.

Freshly fried fish, side dishes and beverages (beer and soft drinks) are available to you upon the purchase of a $10 ticket. All proceeds go towards raising funds for the Central Labor Council who help push labor friendly legislation at the local level and support labor friendly legislation at the state level.

I have tickets available so that you may purchase your ticket now. Either contact me in person, or purchase your ticket from me at the August regular meeting.

This is a fun way to welcome in the Labor Day weekend. I hope you will attend.

In Solidarity,
President Magee.

Stage Alliance Pay It Right!

Union vs. Stage Alliance Wage Dispute Arbitration RESULT!

Dear Stage Alliance Employees:

I am pleased to announce that IATSE Local 205 won it’s grievance against Stage Alliance in regard to the dispute over Long Center wages. Additionally, the arbitrator granted the remedies we were seeking. The details are as follows:

Although the arbitrator ruled that Stage Alliance did not fail to bargain with the Union and dismissed our unfair labor practice charge, the arbitrator also ruled that Stage Alliance did violate the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) when it unilaterally altered the show classification system at the Long Center. Furthermore, the arbitrator has ordered Stage Alliance to reinstate the show classification system for the life of the CBA as it was prior to the change made in September 2015. In addition, Stage Alliance shall “make whole” (pay the missing wages and health and annuity benefits) all of the stagehands who were not paid the appropriate Class A wage rate for shows that they worked at the Long Center since September 10, 2015.

Per the arbitrator’s ruling, the Union will prepare a list of affected shows, as already detailed in Stage Alliance’s arbitration announcement. 

This positive result for Stage Alliance employees is the result of the hard work that Local 205 puts in to negotiating and enforcing our agreements. We could have gone to mediation or taken the compromise that was offered by Stage Alliance, but we listened when employees told us that they did not want to give up the wages that they were entitled to.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who showed solidarity on this issue. This win is great news for our Local and for Stage Alliance employees alike. We are here to serve Austin’s stage employees by negotiating agreements with fair wages and conditions, and then by protecting those agreements. This is why IATSE Local 205 exists!

In Solidarity,
President Magee

Jerry Paramount Marquee

Brother Gerald B. Reed

Brothers and Sisters,

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that yesterday morning, our much loved brother, Jerry Reed, was tragically killed in a car accident in Lago Vista. The accident was a head on collision. The other driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his two sons, Reno and Micah, and his granddaughter.

Regrettably,
President Magee

Here are some photos in memory that have trickled in since the news…

Jerry Symphony Show Blacks

Jerry Symphony Show Blacks

Presidential Jerry Reed

Presidential Jerry Reed

Jerry Dell World 2015

Jerry Dell World 2015

Jerry Fixin Shit

Jerry Fixin Shit

If you have any of the exceedingly rare Jerry Reed photos, please message them to the IATSE 205 Facebook Page (or email them to ), where we are displaying them in the “In Loving Memory” album.