SAG-AFTRA

Spring 2020

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9 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2020 | sagaftra.org G A B R I E L L E C A R T E R I S " How we respond to this challenge and how we return to work will be defining moments in our lives and our industry. " Dear Member, I want to start by acknowledging our courageous members in the broadcast news field who are reporting from the frontlines of this epidemic. Those of you who are delivering the essential news and information have helped us see what we are confronting and have allowed us to look into the future with hope. Thank you as well to everyone who has reached out with questions and concerns. The impact of the pandemic is broadly felt even beyond our shores. Working with performers' unions worldwide has given me a close-up view of the massive disruption the epidemic has had on all of us, our economies, and our societies. As I began to write this letter — my first magazine message since COVID-19 shut down our industry — I realized these past two months have felt like a lifetime. There is still so much we do not know about the virus. That uncertainty is necessarily a factor in how we are looking at a potential reopening. SAG-AFTRA's member-led Blue Ribbon Commission on Safety, epidemiologists, external safety coordinators, industry partners and staff are working to mitigate risk, prioritize safety and identify meaningful protocols. So that when the time to reopen comes, we will be ready to go back to work as safely as possible. In many ways, our greatest challenge is re-imagining the workplace. Sets will operate very differently because we will be incorporating new sanitation and hygiene regimes, social distancing and other practices into the production environment. We are also considering the reopen status of markets across the country. Along with our guild allies, we believe it would be unconscionable to "green light" work in locations where infection rates are rising, hospitals are overburdened and testing is not easily accessible. I'm encouraged by the outstanding collaboration with our industry allies and sister guilds and unions, especially the AFM, DGA, IA, Teamsters and WGA, East. We all have common goals — to get back to work, make great art, do it safely and adapt as we navigate this new landscape. We have also engaged directly in one- on-one conversations with state and federal representatives to make our case for a fair share of federal stimulus dollars. That work has resulted in passage of the CARES Act which included specific provisions that helped our members. We continue to work with Congress to protect multi-employer pension plans and fix the mixed-income implementation problem facing many SAG-AFTRA members with multiple types of income. And, we are continually looking at ways to provide relief and resources to members. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund, created immediately after the advent of the disease, has given out more than $4.6 million in grants for members in financial distress. Members from across the country have donated funds — large and small — as well as industry leaders. Remember that the Foundation is there for you. If you need help, ask. If you can help, give. The union is engaging with members through livestream webinars, podcasts, emails, panel discussions and therapeutic resources. We are a community that truly thrives when we help support each other. Please continue to reach out to friends and colleagues who may need a kind word and let them know about the resources that are available to them. Let them know they are not alone. Even with the pandemic and the disruption to our lives, the work of the union goes on. We are in negotiations with the studios and networks on our TV/ Theatrical/New Media contracts. This is an unprecedented effort undertaken via Zoom videoconferencing across a virtual bargaining table. It has understandably held a great deal of our focus as we plan to return to work covered by the strongest possible contracts. This is a profoundly important time that can truly test our citizenship and humanity. How we respond to this challenge and how we return to work will be defining moments in our lives and our industry. As always, it will take all of us to succeed. Strength in unity, Gabrielle Carteris

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