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Letters to the Editor SAG-AFTRA SUMMER 2012 • VOLUME 1 • NO. 1 click here to see the BRINGING TWO GREAT UNIONS TOGETHER cvr_F.indd 1 6/8/12 7:41 PM first issue LIVING PROOF Congratulations on the first SAG-AFTRA magazine. A great job on a merger whose time has come and we'll all benefit from it. In a day and age when our industry done properly, such a unification could save money by eliminating the need for two checks to be sent to retirees each month, reduce staff and end the confusion of dealing with two health plans, the second of which is virtually useless. Many members who voted for the merger mistakenly assumed that it would include every aspect of both unions. John Wade San Francisco Local focuses on youth, I humbly suggest a future article that can give both direction and hope to the older members of our union. By finding a need and filling it, the skills we learned long ago can still be put to good use. As an 81-year-old road warrior and an AFTRA member since 1961, I'm living (most of the time) proof that it can be done. Clark Weber Chicago Local SAG-AFTRA MERGER Certainly, it was a good move for SAG and AFTRA to merge. The obvious reasons, among others, of added negotiating power and the setting of reasonable and standard pay scales and dues will benefit members. However, for those who have been members of both SAG and AFTRA for many years, it's clear that the "merger" is only a partial merger. The two unions will not be truly merged until the health funds and retirement benefits of both are brought together. If LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are always welcome from members. They must be signed with your full name and Local affiliation and are limited to 150 words. Letters selected by the Editorial Subcommittee may be edited for accuracy, space and clarity. Every effort will be made to preserve the author's intended substance. This section is not available to sitting National Board members. Email Us 2 SAG-AFTRA | Fall 2012 | SAGAFTRA.org Ed. Note: Thank you for your letter. It's important to note that the merger of the unions is fully complete and has been since the vote was recorded on March 30, and that is great news for SAG-AFTRA members. There is now only one union representing professional actors, broadcasters, recording artists and others working in front of a camera or behind a microphone. The AFTRA H&R Funds and the SAG P&H Plans are separate entities from the union, and are governed by Boards of Trustees made up of an equal number of trustees appointed by management and by the union. At its meeting July 22, the SAG-AFTRA National Board voted overwhelmingly to urge these trustees to move forward immediately on efforts to establish reciprocal health plan eligibility, and to work toward ultimately establishing a single health and pension plan. On Aug. 11, the union-appointed trustees of the SAG P&H Plans and the AFTRA H&R Funds met as directed to discuss a path forward on these matters. Please see the article "Board Urges Plans and Funds to Move Forward" on page 14. In Our Next Issue… SAG-AFTRA EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief Pamela Greenwalt Managing Editor Damon Romine Associate Managing Editor Leslie Simmons Senior Graphic Designer Yvette Youssefia Senior Writer/Photographer Tom Leupold Advertising Coordinator Donna Reed (323) 549-6698 Editorial Subcommittee William Charlton (alternate) Sam Freed (alternate) Ed Fry (alternate) Jason George Catherine Brown (alternate) Angela Bullock Susan Boyd Joyce (co-chair) Liz Zazzi (co-chair) Jeff Austin Mary McDonald-Lewis Ned Vaughn Tom Kemp (alternate) Joan Kenley Joe Krebs Contributors Brad Anderson, Richard Baldwin, Hope Barkan, Denis Berkfeldt, Dimitria Cook, Tom Flynn, Bernadine Goldberg, Melissa Goodman, Karen Lipney, Jennifer Lurey, Marina Martinez, Herta Suarez, Linda Swenson, Ron Thomas, Frank Traynor, Valerie Yaros Ranger, Donna Reed, Janette Rook, Anne Rosenblatt, Meredith Snow, Sylvia Stucky, Nicole Nakagawa, Evangelina Nevarez, Joe Pascual, Victoria Pistone, Kristin … a tribute to our 49th SAG Life Achievement honoree Dick Van Dyke along with a special preview of the upcoming SAG Awards ® . click here for more Alan Berliner