The United States of America Coalition of Film and Television Workers is asking you to

The Television Movie "Rudy" will premiere on USA Networks March 30, 2003 and continue to on subsequent dates,

This is a New York Story about the city and its mayor shot in Canada during the city's worst economic era in decades. New York City, with the highest unemployment in the country, is now fighting for survival with many budget woes. People who work in the film community would have benefited from this one production and others that could have and should have been made here this past year

This is about the people who work "below the line" who don't make millions of dollars These are the middle class workers who are part of 100.000 unemployed Americans resulting from foreign subsidies for American film and television production in Canada and overseas This is about the unity of Americans in this country working with this mayor in good times and bad. There were many Americans at ground zero after the tragic events on 9/11 from all over the country. Many of these Americans were hard working members of the film community providing lighting and any other needed support for the rescue effort.

It's estimated in the last four years. 4.1 billion dollars and 100,000 film industry jobs have been lost nationally as a result of subsidy packages offered by the governments of Canada. Australia and Eastern Europe. Have you been given a discount at the movie theaters? The City of Chicago didn't benefit from "Chicago", it filmed in Canada where Government and provincial subsidies can refund 45 percent on labor costs for a production, "Cold Mountain" a Civil war Epic about a soldier's journey across North Carolina. shot in Romania, where labor can be had for as little as $200 a month "Bonanza" the television series of the American West, was made in Australia on subsidy. Not one of the best picture nominations for this year's Oscar race had its principal photography here in the United States ("The Hours" had some location work the US-but was mostly shot in the UK)

American businesses, including the film industry, are moving quickly to rid themselves of career level employees with benefits and retirement plans. The is NO replacement for the loss of these jobs. Every job shipped out of this country eventually costs the American economy one way or another a good income, tax-paying, consumer goods spending wage earner downsized out of the "American Dream" becomes a tax dependent (on unemployment, food stamps. even welfare) or low income wage earner with little money to contribute to the American consumer spending driven economy, Think about it, as you make your television or movie viewing choices. Whose economy do you want your film dollars to support?

The United States of America Coalition of Film and Television workers is asking you to boycott this program and email or call the USA Network with a "Shame on you for making this film at the expense of American workers" and contributing to the growing millions of Americans nationally unemployed.

TO email or call the USA Network:

The United States of America Coalition of Film and Television Workers