Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/904648
For Members 18 SAG-AFTRA | Fall/Winter 2017 | SAGAFTRA.org S AG-AFTRA is engaged globally, as well as nationally, in protecting and expanding the rights of members. The union regularly sends a contingent of representatives to the meetings of the International Federation of Actors, known as FIA, and this year officials gathered in Zagreb, Croatia, for the executive committee meeting. SAG-AFTRA attendees included SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, National Executive Director David White, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Senior Advisor John McGuire, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer Pamela Greenwalt and Executive Director, Contract Administration & Enforcement Brad Keenan. At this year's meeting, the union authored and sponsored a declaration recognizing the rights of all performers to a safe and harassment-free working environment, urging the industry to work in good faith with unions and performer organizations to develop a long-term strategy to achieve discrimination-, harassment- and retaliation-free work environments. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said, "We are very proud to author and sponsor this declaration. Sexual harassment and abuse is pervasive across nations and we are committed to working with our fellow FIA members to develop and implement educational and informational materials and best practices in this area. Working together we can help curtail this abuse now." The declaration was unanimously approved by the Executive Committee. In other work on the topic of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation, White, who is also a FIA Executive Council Vice President, moderated a panel featuring Zoe Angus, national director of the Equity Section of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance of Australia; Christine Payne, general secretary of Equity U.K.; and Arden Ryshpan, executive director of the Canadian Actors Equity Association. The panel discussed efforts underway to support and lift up the voices of individuals who have experienced harassment and develop strategies for dealing with the issue. Also on the agenda was continuing to develop international cooperation when productions are shot in other countries. SAG-AFTRA remains committed to working closely with other unions around the world in sharing information to better enforce our contracts. The Federation is comprised of 87 affiliated unions and performer organizations representing hundreds of thousands of actors and performing artists in more than 60 countries worldwide. A s part of SAG-AFTRA's Commercials Organizing and Recapture Initiative, an ongoing effort to make more commercials signatory, the union will be offering a waiver for certain low budget ads. The waiver applies only to new, low budget digital commercial productions with budgets of $50,000 or less. Digital commercials with budgets larger than that are still covered by the existing Commercials Contract and pay the minimums set under the Internet or New Media provisions. The decision was made after feedback from ad agencies and announced in mid-October in partnership with the Joint Policy Committee on Broadcast Talent Union Relations. Nonunion work in the area of digital commercials has grown over the years, and this is part of the union's overall effort to reverse that trend. While the rates under this waiver are negotiable, this organizing effort will secure more work for SAG-AFTRA members and provide contributions towards health and pension benefits. "While a waiver of this scope is rare, the union and the JPC felt it necessary to create this waiver mid-contract to offer relief to ad agencies that are losing clients to non-signatory ad agencies on digital work. Our hope is that they will now be able to retain this work and maintain those highly creative and productive relationships with advertisers," the two organizations said in a joint statement. Visit sagaftra.org/low-budget-didital-waiver for details. Top, SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and FIA President Ferne Downey with the FIA Declaration on Sexual Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation in the Entertainment and Media Industries. Bottom, workplace harassment panel moderated by FIA Executive Council Vice President and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White, featuring Zoe Angus, National Director of the Equity Section of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) of Australia; Downey; Christine Payne, FIA Vice President and General Secretary of Equity U.K.; and Arden Ryshpan, Executive Director of Canadian Actors Equity Association. UNION, JPC UNVEIL DIGITAL AD WAIVER SAG-AFTRA HAS GLOBAL FOCUS AT INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF ACTORS MEETING