Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1157135
6 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2019 | sagaftra.org G A B R I E L L E C A R T E R I S A Letter from the President "While the fight continues, together with strategy and solidarity, nothing is impossible." Dear Member, W hether you work as an actor, recording artist or broadcaster, or in any of the many other jobs our members do, you are being directly impacted by a changing industry. Evolving technology and changing consumer habits have had a profound effect on the work we do, and on the way SAG-AFTRA must serve and protect members. The only way to do that effectively is for us to undertake informed, strategic and proactive initiatives. It's the reason we supercharged the union's data gathering and analysis. It has equipped us to gain a deeper under- standing of our industry and to take action proactively, rather than facing the future unprepared. SAG-AFTRA's efforts have been paying off. Seizing upon opportunity, we have the first direct agreement with a streaming service — Netflix. This contract codifies performance capture as covered work and includes coverage of dubbing, which applies to all of Netflix's foreign-language live-action and animated motion pictures dubbed into English. This transformative deal positions us for the upcoming TV/Theatrical negotiations. We are also pleased to let you know that we reached an agreement with ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty U.S. Inc., bringing an end to our 10-month strike. My deepest gratitude to all of you who supported your fellow union members during the strike. Because of the sustained efforts of our members nationwide, the herculean work of our legal team and a favorable ruling from an NLRB judge, BBH has re-signed the contract and members can get back to work. But our work isn't limited to the negotiating tables and the picket lines. At statehouses and in the nation's capital, we have been working for members, protecting their images and their bottom lines. Nationally, we have teamed up with Actors' Equity and elected officials to expand the Qualified Performing Artist tax deduction, which will put more money in the pockets of middle-class, working actors. At the state level, SAG-AFTRA is sponsoring bills that require a person's consent when their image is digitally manipulated to make them appear in a nude or simulated sex scene. We are deeply concerned about the emerging technology that makes these digital fakes possible and the ways it can be misused to harm our members. In May, the union hosted a panel discussion featuring Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Alyssa Milano and others examining the ramifications of this high-tech method to sexually harass our members. To further our efforts to prevent harassment, the union held a first-of-its- kind sexual harassment prevention caucus at our TV/Theatrical wages and working conditions meeting. It was one of the most direct ways to get member input on this important issue. Also on the subject of harassment prevention, we are pleased to report that the union is partnering with Alicia Rodis of Intimacy Directors International and others to ensure that professionals are available to facilitate and support actors doing hyper-exposed work. The presence of intimacy coordinators creates a safe environment based on mutual respect, understanding and agreed-upon boundaries. This latest initiative is a definitive step to prevent harassment and create safe working environments for all of our members. While the fight continues, together with strategy and solidarity, nothing is impossible. Strength in unity, Gabrielle Carteris