SAG-AFTRA

Summer 2019

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sagaftra.org | Summer 2019 | SAG-AFTRA 7 A Letter from the Executive Vice President R E B E C C A D A M O N "Nothing is stronger than members' unity. Every win we have achieved has been because people show up to volunteer and work hard for the benefit of all." Dear Member, O n a clear day in November, hundreds of SAG-AFTRA members joined me, New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, and other union leadership and allies in front of BBH's New York headquarters. The advertising agency was attempting to abandon its contract with SAG-AFTRA after more than nearly two decades, and we were there to let them know that was unacceptable. Under the autumn sky, we staged a faux bake sale, ostensibly selling tasty treats to raise money for the company that claimed it couldn't pay actors a fair wage. It was an unusual scene: Traffic slowing to see what the commotion was, while members chanted and car horns sounded in support. SAG-AFTRA and the labor movement were on the scene. Now that our remarkable victory has ended the strike against BBH, that memory underscores the reality that a changing industry requires new methods of fighting abuses. When union leadership discussed how to approach this strike and get BBH's attention, we understood that for our campaign to be effective, we couldn't rely solely on the techniques of the past. It was clear we'd have to innovate and fight strategically. That's why we undertook unconven- tional actions like the "bake sale." We also held a rally at the La Brea Tar Pits, warning that BBH would go the way of the dinosaurs if they turned their back on union talent. SAG-AFTRA members converged on non-union shoots to let them know that we were watching and we weren't going away. We highlighted the agency's actions on subway ads, on a mobile billboard on a truck that drove around Manhattan, and even on the side of BBH's own building, thanks to a powerful projector. Members took to social media, lending their voices as they stood in front of landmarks in cities from San Francisco to Chicago, Honolulu to Detroit. Every day, we were there to remind the agency that what they were doing was hurting actors' ability to make a living. In my time as a union servant, it has become clear that creative, strategic approaches like this deliver success. In the face of a changing commercial landscape, we didn't pretend it wasn't happening or simply (and futilely) insist that it stop. Instead, we looked for opportunities to leverage our strength and sharpen our strategy. The result? Victory, and an even stronger footing to take on new challenges. By contrast, we've seen in the past that backward-looking, all-or-nothing approaches have the potential to backfire disastrously, harming the very people they are supposed to help. Other recent victories prove the value of our strategic approach. The expanding work of performance capture is an area many believed would never be covered, but it's now included in our Netflix agreement (see page 28). Likewise, with our partnership with Alicia Rodis of Intimacy Directors International (see page 32). By promoting the role of intimacy coordinators in our industry, we've taken a significant step toward protecting members on set, changing perceptions and expectations, and have begun transforming a culture that too long has allowed sexual harassment to continue. Like every other issue we face, the work is ongoing. Nothing is stronger than members' unity. Every win we have achieved has been because people show up to volunteer and work hard for the benefit of all. And it's so much more effective when we take an innovative, strategic and member- driven approach. When we face difficult challenges together, success doesn't come from people throwing up their hands, it comes from people rolling up their sleeves. Onward together, Rebecca Damon

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