Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/904648
SAG-AFTRA STANDS AGAINST HARASSMENT T here are moments when our culture can undergo a tectonic shift. This is hopefully one of those times. Starting with The New York Times revelations about producer Harvey Weinstein on Oct. 5, the floodgates have opened, and the silence surrounding harassment and abuse in the workplace has been broken. Will the story fizzle out as public attention moves on to other things, or is this a real chance for social change? SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris is working towards the latter, and wants to seize this opportunity. She sent a letter to members on Oct. 13, reaffirming that hostile work environments — whether on the set, in the newsroom or in the recording booth — will not be tolerated. It also provided information on how members can report incidents (see sidebar). And people have been coming forward. SAG-AFTRA has seen an increase in the number of members reporting incidents. On social media, the #MeToo campaign, which was jumpstarted by member Alyssa Milano and tweeted more than 1 million times, has helped usher in a more frank national conversation on the topic. But despite this progress, it remains a difficult environment in which to report abuse, and victims are often forced to weigh the potential damage to their careers if they speak out. Beyond that, there's the imbalance of power, with victims often being accused of making up stories to seek attention. Even an actor as successful as Ashley Judd recently told Diane Sawyer that she didn't report her encounter with Weinstein for fear of not being believed. Carteris is doing everything she can to change that. "This is the beginning of a big moment for change in this industry," said Carteris. "We need to create an environment where people know they are protected and feel confident coming forward, knowing justice will be done." Carteris, who serves on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO, is working with the national labor organization to create a cross-union task force to confront the issue. As more and more women and men have spoken out, it has become clear that the problem isn't confined to the entertainment industry. Carteris made that point in remarks via videoconference to those assembled at the AFL-CIO convention. "Sexual harassment and abuse go beyond Weinstein. It's systemic in our society. And it's not just Hollywood. It affects men and women in every industry," she said. In addition, at its convention in St. Louis, Missouri, in October, the AFL-CIO issued a "Workers' Bill of Rights" resolution, which included the right to a safe job, free of harassment and violence. 42 SAG-AFTRA | Fall/Winter 2017 | SAGAFTRA.org