Payroll contributions & deductions

How do I join the union?

1. Complete the Initiation to Community Life course, if you have not already done so
2. To register for this course:
   a.    If you don't already have one, create an account: https://aqtis514iatse.com/en/account-creation/
   b.    Contact the Professional Training team at 514-844-2113 #3 in the telephone menu, or at formations@aqtis514iatse.com.
3. Fill out all the membership forms* after you've followed the course
4. Once the forms are filled, send them by email to membres@aqtis514iatse.com or by mail to our offices located at 1001 de Maisonneuve Blvd East, Suite 900, Montreal (QC) H2L 4P9
5. After we've received and reviewed them, you will receive a confirmation e-mail
6. It takes about 15 minutes (on the phone or in person). We will need your personal information and contact information (mailing address, email, phone number, date of birth and SIN).
7. For payment over the phone, only credit cards are accepted. For payment in person, the following methods are accepted: credit card, debit card, cheque, cash (exact amount) 

To become a member of the organization, you must pay:

•     $250 one-time fee to open a file with AQTIS 514 IATSE
•     $100 one-time fee to open a file with IATSE International
•     $250 annual union dues which must be paid every year (always covers the period of January 1 to December 31, regardless of when it is paid during the year)

A member who has not paid their annual dues by January 1 becomes a member not in good standing. A member not in good standing must pay the amount due to become a member in good standing again.

A member not in good standing

    Is not listed in the directory

    Does not have access to SET job postings

The annual dues are $250 even if they are paid late.

If the member does not regularize their status within the specified time, they will be expelled and treated as a non-member until all amounts due are paid.

There are no restrictions on Quebec productions once you are a member.

On U.S. productions, members who are recognized in the position must be given priority. The hiring of members not recognized in the position is subject to the union's approval.

A permittee is a technician who occupies a position covered by an AQTIS 514 IATSE collective agreement and has not yet become a member.

Pending the granting of membership, the permittee is issued an AQTIS 514 IATSE permit allowing him or her to work on productions under the union's jurisdiction and under the terms of an AQTIS 514 IATSE collective agreement.

You must complete the Initiation to Community Life course then pay your annual dues to complete the process of becoming a member and not have to pay for permits anymore. The permits are not refundable. It is therefore important to contact AQTIS 514 IATSE and pay your annual dues as soon as you have accumulated the necessary credits and taken the required training.

A permittee

    Is not listed in the member directory

    Receives SET job postings sent to permittees (3rd notification)

    Has access to some secure pages on the website

    Does not have access to group insurance

    Pays 2.5% union dues on AQTIS/AQPM/APP productions

    Pays for a work permit:

        On AQTIS/AQPM/APP contracts: 7.5%

        On U.S. productions: 12.5% (but does not contribute to insurance and the RRSP)

Member

Has paid their annual union dues ($250 for January 1 to December 31), is in good standing

    Has access to the directory and is listed

    Receives SET job postings (1st notification for positions for which the member is recognized, 2nd notification for positions for which the member is not recognized)

    Has access to the secure sections of the website

    Has access to insurance coverage, depending on their earnings during the reference period

    Pays 2.5% union dues

Permittee

A permittee is a technician who works on a production without being a member of AQTIS 514 IATSE.

    Is not listed in the directory

    Receives SET job postings sent to permittees (3rd notification)

    Has access to some secure sections of the website

    May qualify for limited insurance coverage

    Pays 2.5% union dues on AQTIS/AQPM/APP productions

    Pays for a work permit:

        On AQTIS/AQPM/APP contracts: 7.5%

        On U.S. productions: 12.5% (but does not contribute to insurance and the RRSP)

Can become a member if they meet the criteria for a position. They must pay the $250 annual dues and become a member recognized in a position.

Member not in good standing

A member who has not paid their annual dues by January 1 becomes a member not in good standing. A member not in good standing must pay the amount due to become a member in good standing again.

A member not in good standing

    Is not listed in the directory

    Does not have access to SET job postings

    Has access to the secure sections of the website

    Has access to insurance coverage

Honourable withdrawal

A member who has asked to quit the association and has no dues outstanding

    Is not listed in the directory

    Does not have access to SET job postings

    Does not have access to secure sections of the website

    Does not have access to insurance coverage

A member who has honourably withdrawn must rejoin the union if they want to work under an AQTIS 514 IATSE contract. To become a member again, they must pay their outstanding quarterly dues up to a maximum of 8 quarters at $62.50 per quarter, plus the dues for the current year.

Retired member

A member who has informed AQTIS 514 IATSE of their retirement from the industry

    Is not listed in the directory but has access

    Does not have access to SET job postings

    Has access to the secure sections of the website

    Loses their insurance coverage

A retired member must rejoin the union if they want to work under an AQTIS 514 IATSE contract. To become a member again, they must pay their outstanding quarterly dues up to a maximum of 8 quarters at $62.50 per quarter, plus the dues for the current year.

Expelled member

A member not in good standing who has not paid their dues in full within 6 months after the date of the dues notice will be expelled. An expelled member

    Is not listed in the directory

    Does not have access to SET job postings

    Does not have access to secure sections of the website

    Loses their insurance coverage

An expelled member must rejoin the union if they want to work under an AQTIS 514 IATSE contract. To become a member again, they must pay their outstanding quarterly dues and their annual dues.

It is advisable to send an email to membres@aqtis514iatse.com to request withdrawal from the union.

A withdrawing member must have paid all amounts due (dues, training fees, etc.)

AQTIS 514 IATSE doesn't find jobs for its members.

Here are a few useful links for finding contracts:

    Qui fait quoi? magazine

    AQPM - Association québécoise de la production médiatique

    CTVM - The news source for Quebec audiovisual professionals

Job offers are posted on the SET job board (for Système d’Embauche des Technicien-ne-s) by the producers. They are sent only to technicians who have the relevant position listed in their file.

There are 3 notification levels:

    First notification goes to members recognized in the position

    Second notification goes to members who are not recognized in the position but have it listed in their file

    Notification 3 goes to permittees who have already worked in the position

Any member in good standing may distribute a SET offer, with the agreement of a representative of the producer.

Producers must be authorized by AQTIS 514 IATSE to post job offers on SET.

Recognition in a position is not automatic; you must request it from Member Services.

Any member who meets the criteria for classification in a position may request recognition in that position.

To make the request, call 514-844-2113 or send an email to membres@aqtis514iatse.com

In general, you must have worked a certain number of days in the position. There may also be mandatory training or documentation requirements. To view the criteria, go to the page for the relevant department.

The criteria for classification in a position are voted on by the members recognized in a position in the relevant department, and ratified by the Executive Committee.

The activity report is a document that summarizes all the contributions paid by producers to AQTIS 514 IATSE for a member.

For Quebec productions, the report is available in your inbox.

It is not updated in real time. For example, contributions collected in January 2022 will appear on the activity report posted in March 2022. An email is sent monthly to notify you when your activity report has been updated.

Note that the online activity report does not include U.S. productions. To obtain the report for U.S. productions, send an email to membres@aqtis514iatse.com

Income tax receipt:

Issued at the end of February by AQTIS 514 IATSE. Available in your inbox.

Includes:

    Annual dues paid during the fiscal year

    Proportional dues (2.5%) for Quebec productions

    Permit fees (if applicable)

    Registration fees for training courses

The proportional dues (2.5%) paid on U.S. productions are shown on the T4 and Relevé 1 slips issued by the producers.

Dues notice:

    Sent around November 1

    Payable online

RRSP tax receipts:

    Issued directly by the financial institution (Canada Life or IA Financial Group)

Relevé 22:

    Issued by AQTIS 514 IATSE, sent by mail in 2022

Receipt for Canada Life insurance premiums paid by members

    Available in your inbox

If the amounts shown on your activity report are incorrect, please contact us. Note that it is normal for recent contributions (less than 2 months) to be missing.

Who to contact if there's a mistake on your activity report:

    Quebec productions: Simon-Olivier Fournier (sofournier@aqtis514iatse.com)

    U.S. productions: Jean-François St-Louis (jfstlouis@aqtis514iatse.com)

Yes. In this case, you must pay dues to each local. When you join a second IATSE local, you will need to decide which one will handle your insurance and RSP (your home local).

1 credit = 1 day of work under an AQTIS 514 IATSE contract. A day with less than 5 hours of work counts as 0.5 credits.

You start earning credits on your first day of work. They are tabulated automatically by AQTIS 514 IATSE.

    To see your credits, go to https://aqtis514iatse.com/en/credit/

Note that credits earned on U.S. productions are not shown on the site. For those credits, please contact AQTIS 514 IATSE.

Once you have accumulated the number of credits required for recognition in a position, contact us by phone at 514-844-2113 or by email at membres@aqtis514iatse.com

It takes six to eight weeks for your AQTIS work days to be tabulated.

Note that credits earned on U.S. productions are not shown on the site. For those credits, please contact AQTIS 514 IATSE.

Yes, under certain conditions. See this page for more details.

Yes, under certain conditions. See this page for more details.

If I am a member of another local, do I have to be a member of AQTIS 514 IATSE?

If you are a resident of Quebec and working under an AQTIS 514 IATSE contract, you must be a member of the union. However, if you are a resident of another province and a member of another IATSE local, you are not required to join AQTIS 514 IATSE. You can work on an AQTIS 514 IATSE project as an affiliate member and pay only:

    2.5% union dues

    Group insurance premium (can be transferred to your home local, upon request)

    Contribution to group RSP (can be transferred to your home local, upon request)

The criteria for classification in a position are drawn up by the department's representatives and then voted on by the members recognized in a position in the department. They must then be ratified by the Executive Committee before coming into force.

For more information, contact the Member Services at 514-844-2113 or membres@aqtis514iatse.com.

Contact the Member Services at 514-844-2113 or membres@aqtis514iatse.com.

AQTIS 514 IATSE dues are paid annually for the period of January 1 to December 31.

You can pay by phone with a credit card, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Online by Visa or Mastercard using the payment box on the AQTIS 514 IATSE website

    Online on your bank's website:

        Choose the Pay Bills option and then Add Payee

        Select or enter AQTIS 514 IATSE

        Enter your AQTIS 514 IATSE member number (8-character alphanumeric number, e.g. MA012345) as it appears on your dues notice (the reference number).

    At an ATM and at most financial institutions

    By mail (cheque or money order). Write your member number (e.g. MA012345) and the notice number on the cheque.

See this page.

AQTIS 514 IATSE provides all members with the following services:

•     Negotiating collective agreements with film and television producers and producers’ associations
•     Applying the collective agreements, managing labour relations, settling disputes arising from the collective agreements, filing and following up on grievances if need be
•     Providing occupational health and safety services, defending injured workers before the CNESST and administrative tribunals
•     Providing a professional development service that offers introductory, basic and advanced courses in various trades as well as training in health and safety
•     Matching technicians with employers by providing a technician employment service (SET) available to producers and members, an online members’ directory and a directory of productions
•     Defending the interests of members and of the independent film and television production industry
•     Promoting Quebec as a location for Canadian and foreign productions
•     Providing member benefits including a group insurance plan, a group RRSP and an employee assistance program

No, you can become a member by paying the $600 fee.

It consists of 3 components:

•     $250 annual dues, payable by all members
•     $100 one-time fee to open a file with IATSE International
•     $250 one-time fee to open a file with AQTIS 514 IATSE

Work permits fees paid prior to the date on which you became a member are not refunded.

Notify the production as soon as you become a member so that they stop collecting the work permit fee. If the production continues to deduct the fee after the date on which you became a member, you will be reimbursed by AQTIS 514 IATSE.

For job shadowing opportunities, you must contact the production directly. Internships do not count as a day of work, as they are unpaid. An intern must never occupy a position (replacing a member).

For more information about internships, contact Labour Relations at 514-844-2113 / membres@aqtis514iatse.com