SAG-AFTRA

Winter 2021

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12 SAG-AFTRA | Winter 2021 | sagaftra.org Letter from the Secretary-Treasurer production could restart and members could get back to work. Through unprecedented inter-union collaboration, our leaders got members safely back on sets, earning wages and doing the work you love. I'm grateful to my fellow elected members and the SAG-AFTRA staff for leading this charge. As always, standing together and standing firm was the best move we could make. Throughout the instability of recent months, one thing is certain: SAG-AFTRA is committed to equity of opportunity, fair contracts and safe working conditions for all members. We have completed and launched an important project this fall with our digital joining process. It now takes just four minutes to sign up online. And, even in the midst of this terrible pandemic, professional performers and journalists are thrilled to become members of this organization. More than 1,326 new members have joined in the past four months — more than double the number in the previous four months. This means an increase in initiation fees that is helping to maintain our stable fiscal footing. Yet even as some members begin to get back to work, too many are still waiting and wondering what the future holds. That's why we continued our dues payment relief program so that members in financial distress can easily request an extension or an installment plan Dear Fellow Union Member, T his year of shared sacrifice has given new meaning and purpose to our union's solidarity. Our members, our families and our industry are coming through the storm by standing together. It has been a reminder of why SAG-AFTRA exists, and why we have each other's backs in both good times and bad. For our union, that means back-to-basics fiscal management: Don't spend more than we're taking in. We never forget that dues are real dollars that you worked hard for — and they should provide real value for you and your families. That's what you have organized and advocated for, and it's what every member deserves. The hard decisions we've had to make as an organization have helped us maintain solid financial footing so we can be there for you and for future generations of members. I'm pleased to report that the union is on plan and tracking to budget. Revenue and expenses are as anticipated, and we are navigating the pandemic and the dramatic drop in production and revenue. We are also beginning to see a return to work across contracts and expect to see this improve even further over the next two quarters. That is why we worked so hard to negotiate return-to-work protocols so without a late fee. We developed a new online reporting and tracking system for payments and royalties claims so that we can get money in your pockets faster, and we continue to fight on Capitol Hill for stimulus funds for our members to help everyone through this challenging time until production is fully back up and running. As a new year begins, I am thankful that with vaccines starting to be distributed and more performers getting back to work, there's finally a hint of light at the end of the tunnel. This has been a long road, full of painful sacrifices, change and growth. Ultimately, it's because we walked this long road together that our future looks bright. That's why we have a union — not for the easy times, but for the hard times when we all need a helping hand. I have never been prouder to be a SAG-AFTRA member. In health and solidarity, Camryn Manheim C A M R Y N M A N H E I M "SAG-AFTRA is committed to equity of opportunity, fair contracts and safe working conditions for all members."

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