Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/555596
6 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2015 | SAGAFTRA.org A Letter from the President K E N H O WA R D "Giving of our time and talents is an excellent way to keep a finger on the pulse of the community and to make a meaningful difference in members' lives." Dear Member, I n about two months, hundreds of elected delegates from across the nation will gather in Los Angeles for the second SAG-AFTRA national convention. From Oct. 1–4, member leaders elected in SAG-AFTRA locals will debate and vote on proposed constitutional amendments and resolutions. Whether you're an actor/performer, broadcaster or recording artist, your interests will be represented, but only if you're actively part of the process. Make sure your voice is represented by voting in the current election. Giving of our time and talents is an excellent way to keep a finger on the pulse of the community and to make a meaningful difference in members' lives. It's also an important way to stay in close touch with the real work of your union. Over the last several years, our member negotiating committees and chief negotiator David White have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements to our TV/Theatrical, Commercials and New Media contracts and enhanced benefits to broadcast members in more than 150 shop agreements. These gains were only won with the direct involvement of members. I hope you will plan to participate in our negotiations preparations later this year. Representation is fundamental to bargaining victories across categories. Member leaders at National Public Radio, supported by union staff in Washington, D.C., recently secured a new contract with real gains. The members, some of the most recognizable names in public media, stuck together and implemented a tremendous solidarity campaign involving direct action and social media. I congratulate them all on a great effort. Over these last few months, I've been privileged to engage with members across the country in personal visits and using digital technology. Talking directly with members in their locals is more than just good conversation; it's a chance to widen our focus and think about how every member in every local contributes to our overall success. Through education and engagement, our union is building powerful new relationships with members and enhancing outreach efforts to pre- members. New step-by-step educational and informational tools help us build strong relationships with members and allies throughout the industry. These robust connections are bringing new thinking and thousands of hours of mentoring and volunteerism to our White House initiative and other partnerships. We want to hear your story. As you will read on page 21, SAG-AFTRA is asking members to tell us what membership means to them. You can record a video on your smartphone or take a picture, but make sure you show us your membership card and share what SAG-AFTRA means to you and how important it is to stand behind it. More information on how to send us your photo or video can be found at sagaftra.org/mystory. Our power and our strength are derived from the membership. Members like George Coe, who passed away on July 18, leaving a record of service that is tough to equal. George served on the Screen Actors Guild's National Board of Directors from 1967-1973 and again in the early 2000s. I knew and worked with George for over 45 years and he will be missed. I also want to offer a deeply heartfelt goodbye to the great Theodore Bikel, who we lost on July 22. Theo's career spanned 76 years and every category of entertainment. He was the original Captain von Trapp on Broadway and played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. As a folk singer and actor, he delighted audiences worldwide, but his greatest role was as a union leader and as an example of service. As the long-serving president of Actors' Equity Association and the Associated Actors and Artistes of America, Theo set a standard for union leadership that will be difficult to match. Let's all try to walk in those footsteps. In unity, Ken Howard