A Positive Step for Negotiations |
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| In January, the SAG National Board directed President Ken Howard and NED David White to seek a joint bargaining agreement with AFTRA for the TV/Theatrical Contract talks scheduled to start in October. Discussions with AFTRA President Roberta Reardon and NED Kim Roberts Hedgpeth resulted in a framework for joint negotiations that was unanimously approved by the AFTRA National Board this past Saturday. Unite For Strength heartily applauds this action and urges the SAG Board to add its approval so the unions can begin coordinating joint preparation. This step toward greater unity couldn’t come at a better time. As you may already know, the media conglomerates continue to exploit the fact that actors are represented by two separate unions. In light of SAG’s substantial coverage of existing shows, they are largely choosing AFTRA contracts for new television, seriously dividing TV work between SAG and AFTRA. Employers may hope this will provoke cost-cutting competition between our unions; thankfully, SAG and AFTRA leaders appear committed to a strong, unified approach. Of course the most unified approach is to eventually merge SAG and AFTRA into a single performers’ union. A single union covering all jurisdictions will obviously be more powerful at the bargaining table and will yield other dramatic improvements as well: It will end pointless double dues and finally stop the destructive splitting of our pension and health contributions that makes qualifying for either harder and harder. Actors deserve to have these problems solved; that’s why UFS continues to support the future merger of SAG and AFTRA. Right now, however, we must focus on next steps. Once the SAG Board approves the bargaining agreement endorsed by AFTRA, the unions can begin planning a joint Wages & Working Conditions process to shape the contract proposals our negotiators carry forward. Member involvement is at the heart of this process, so we’ll be sure to let you know how to participate. Whether you’re a SAG member, an AFTRA member or – like so many of us – a member of both unions, this is an important opportunity to better our lives by working together. |
