Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/377629
10 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2014 | SAGAFTRA.org A Letter from the National Executive Director D AV I D W H I T E "While our success in reducing residuals processing continues to grab headlines, a broad river of additional operational initiatives are underway." Dear Member, W e close out this summer of 2014 on a high note, with a resounding "yes" vote for our new TV/Theatrical contracts. This is tremendous news: By consolidating our television contracts and setting out comprehensive rules for big-budget, new media production, the agreement lays a solid foundation for our members' future. I salute President Ken Howard and all of your fellow members who served on the negotiating committee for their tireless efforts, their commitment to working as a unified group throughout the process and for their leadership in bringing you this forward-looking deal for your approval. It was also extremely rewarding to serve alongside such a talented and dedicated staff team. I'd like to acknowledge the extraordinary work by the staff who spent long hours over many months conducting research, fleshing out analyses and supporting our efforts in countless other ways. In particular, I'd like to recognize my co-negotiators: Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez; Associate National Executive Director Mathis Dunn; Assistant National Executive Director, Contracts Joan Halpern Weise; Chief Economist David Viviano; and Senior Advisor John McGuire. As the fall season arrives, we now focus our attention on our Network Television Code negotiations and on completing our Sound Recordings negotiations. We are grateful to all the members who work these contracts for contributing their voices to our preparations. On the operations front, I am pleased to report that we received a clean opinion from our auditors, Pricewaterhouse- Coopers. Led by Chief Financial Officer Arianna Ozzanto and our finance team, our staff has done an excellent job continuing to establish best practices in our fiscal operations across the country. These efforts have yielded positive results, including an operating surplus for fiscal year 2014, more resources for critical functions like organizing and member support, and additional revenue for our financial reserves. And while our success in reducing residuals processing time continues to grab headlines, a broad river of additional operational initiatives are underway — out of the spotlight — that will bring tremendous benefits over time to members who engage with their union for essential services. None of these efforts would be success- ful without the full team of employees at SAG-AFTRA who are motivated each day to help you face the tremendous challenge of trying to build a career in front of a camera or behind a microphone. I end this note with a tribute to our professional staff, and in particular to two employees whom we suddenly and unex- pectedly lost over the summer: Lamont Correll and David Metz. Lamont worked in our residuals processing department and was part of the team that turned around that function. David was SAG-AFTRA's national controller and an important member of the team directly responsible for bringing our new union through merger and into the fiscal stability we now enjoy. Both Lamont and David represented the best of our staff. They were extremely competent at their jobs and beloved by many for their generous spirits. Their passing is a great loss for us all, but we will use it to serve as a reminder of what our employees bring to the operation of this union: commitment, talent, friendship and heart. All of us gain from these gifts. It is a privilege to work with such individuals and to work for our talented membership and elected leadership. I hope this note finds each of you well and that you are able to find time to be with loved ones during the final days of summer. In unity and looking forward, David White