12/7/2006
SAG President's Message
As we end 2006 and forge ahead to 2007, I will continue forwarding two critical goals as your president: To unify Guild members in order to better the lives of all SAG actors and to continue to lay the foundation for successful contract negotiations in 2008. It cannot be overstatedour strength in bargaining comes from our ability to thrive internally. I am committed to meeting those objectives and many more, which will directly result from our ability to work productively and strategically together.
Our remarkable new National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, Doug Allen, starts on January 8. As Doug and his wife relocate from Washington D.C., he leaves behind an extraordinary 25-year career at the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). After an exhaustive, collaborative executive search process, and in a welcome sprit of cooperation, our national board unanimously endorsed putting Doug Allen at the helm.
Doug brings a unique perspective and 25 years of expertise in representing professional football player (Doug himself was a pro football player). Many of the players concerns and challenges are very similar to those of professional actors. Dougs approach to negotiations, marketing, dealing with agents and organizing will help guide us to find creative solutions to our ongoing challenges. I am personally gratified with the process we undertook and the choice we made. I know we have found the right person to run Screen Actors Guild.
The new year will also bring a member referendum regarding SAG dues and initiation fees. Many of you expressed that higher earners could best absorb a higher increase, and the Joint National Finance and Strategic Planning Committee heard you as it developed this plan. In October, the national board of directors unanimously approved the proposal for a modest increase in dues. For those of you who earn between $0 and $500,000 per yearits just an additional $16 per year. So for the price of a few lattes, you will help our union grow, prepare for contract negotiations, expand our jurisdiction through aggressive organizing to create more SAG jobs, and fight for your rights in every new media format.
The proposed initiation fee would raise the current fee from $1,474 to $2,211. The national board also made a commitment to carefully evaluate the impact of the new initiation fee in SAG branches around the country (many branches currently have national board reduced initiation fee waivers in place to encourage non-union actors to join as part of branch organizing efforts). As 22 states now have anti-union right-to-work laws, many non-members continue to enjoy all the benefits of SAG membership without ever having to join SAG. Clearly, initiation fees have to be adjusted in some areas to insure that we bring non-union actors into the flock.
It is critical that we take our new organizing department, led by Todd Amorde, full-scale and find new opportunities for SAG members. We also have to ramp-up our activities in the new technology area. As formats expand, so must our contract enforcement and research departments. It takes more revenue to fund these important initiatives. So be sure to watch for your dues/initiation fee ballot in Januaryand vote YES.
A top priority in 2007 is to address the concerns of background actors from coast-to-coast. It is becoming increasingly difficult for union background actors to find work. The voucher system must be fully examined and, in same cases, exposed. In some areas, non-union people are taking jobs from professional actors because we dont have jurisdiction for background jobs. I plan to meet with the National Background Committee shortly after the new year. Together, we will find solutions to give SAG background actors the edge over non-union workers.
In closing, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire hard-working SAG staff and interim National Executive Director Peter Frank for keeping the Guild on track and productive over the last year. Peter will work closely with Doug Allen, and we are very lucky to have him as a senior executive.
I wish you and your families a healthy and happy holiday season, and a very happy new year.
In Solidarity,
Alan Rosenberg
Cross-posted from the SAG website.
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