Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1012073
40 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2018 | sagaftra.org A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER, ONE STEP AT A TIME When it comes to combatting harassment, SAG-AFTRA is in it for the long haul. S AG-AFTRA's efforts to eliminate harassment and discrimination are more than just a way to ensure members are treated with respect in the workplace. They are a sustained campaign to change societal norms and a chance for us all, as professionals, union members and engaged members of our communities, to decide what our values are and how we will uphold them. In many instances where misconduct in the workplace occurs, there's often an imbalance of power between the harasser and the victim, and it's that dynamic that has prevented accountability for those abuses of that power. But we find ourselves in an unprecedented time, when the public has begun to demand that abusers — even some powerful ones — be held accountable. It's a rare opportunity to make positive change throughout our culture, because it isn't just our members in newsrooms or on sets that are encountering harassment. SAG-AFTRA members have spoken loudly that they will not let this opportunity pass by, and the union is taking a multifaceted approach to confronting the issue. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in April, National Executive Director David White said he was hopeful that this movement will lead to real change. "I am optimistic. We look at the coming generation of leaders … [and] we are moving in the right direction. It's fits and starts, as big change always is. Hopefully, we have a moment like what happened with [the] LGBTQ [movement], where you see breathtaking accelerated change happen all at once because it has been simmering underneath and you have movement that you never expected. As it relates to sexual harassment, we may be in that moment right now … and it's our job to seize the opportunity." President Gabrielle Carteris formed a Sexual Harassment Work Group as a component of the President's Blue-Ribbon Commission on Safety. SAG-AFTRA issued its Four Pillars of Change initiative, as well as a new Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment, and is following that up with periodic guidelines that provide more clarity on sensitive matters. Accountability and setting expectations for appropriate behavior are crucial, but SAG-AFTRA is going further. The union has been working to shore up and expand resources for members who have experienced harassment. Perhaps most importantly, the union is reaching out to members, because for real change to happen, it will take a concerted effort. "Whether it's helping create safer work environments on sets or creating greater transparency over compensation, women are changing how the entertainment industry is run," Carteris said at a Netflix-sponsored panel discussion in Hollywood on May 12. "The industry is now responding to the voices speaking up in the #MeToo and Time's Up movements who are asking for — no, demanding — that in this moment in history, it's about time that women receive the equality and respect they deserve in their professional and personal lives. Truly, this isn't just a moment. It's a movement." For members like you to be part of the solution, you will need to remain active and informed. Here's what's been going on: Stop. Support. Report. Central to the Code of Conduct is the concept of "Stop. Support. Report." The idea is for members to support each other