SAG-AFTRA

Spring 2013

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A Letter from the National Executive Director D AVI D WH IT E "We remain laser-focused on improving member services in this new, merged environment." Dear Member: I hope this message inds each of you well as we approach the summer months. I am pleased to report that our recently concluded commercials negotiation was very successful. his irst major negotiation of the new union for a nationwide contract resulted in $238 million in wage increases and other payments for all categories of SAG-AFTRA actors. he negotiation relected a desire by both parties to achieve fair increases for our members, while taking steps to ensure that our Commercials Contracts remain viable and vibrant in a fast-evolving production environment for advertisers. hat helps members and advertisers, and makes this negotiation something of a "win/win" for both sides. Ultimately, we believe the successor agreement positions us to expand work opportunities for members across the country. As many of you know, this is our largest contract and represents signiicant earnings for tens of thousands of SAG-AFTRA members across the country. I hope you'll read the deal summaries on the SAGAFTRA.org website and vote yes to ratify (which you can now do electronically). 12 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2013 | SAGAFTRA.org We remain laser-focused on improving member services in this new, merged environment. Our national board recently engaged in a challenging and thorough discussion that conirmed a strategic path to get our union back to basics when it comes to member support across the country. his past year has given us tremendous insight into the operational realities of a merged union, which are oten diferent than those of the two predecessor organizations. We can now take this growing insight and translate it into better assistance for members: stronger contract enforcement, more organizing initiatives and faster delivery of residual checks. For the irst time in years, we are moving away from the considerable attention devoted to merging the unions and transitioning the unions post-merger. We can now focus our attention squarely on providing expanded support and improved services for members across the country. As always, we will work to be excellent stewards of members' dues monies, and have shaped our plan accordingly. Since we know that we will never be able to aford having brick-and-mortar oices in every market where members earn a living under our agreements, the strategic plan calls for focusing our oices and staf in 15 major and emerging media markets around the country, and for developing a more robust, intentional outreach program for members who live outside of those 15 markets. his means that more than 93 percent of our members will live in areas where they have direct access to a SAG-AFTRA oice. he remaining seven percent will eventually beneit from a more deliberate and consistent outreach from the union. As a result, we will close brick-andmortar oices in 10 smaller markets, and expand our outreach in these and other areas where we have active member presence. To ind out which oices will remain open, and which will soon close, turn to page 14. hese steps are designed to position the union for strength and growth in major media markets and emerging production areas, and to ensure that institutional resources are focused on core operational functions and improved member services no matter where our members work and live. In unity and looking forward, David P. White

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