Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1367665
12 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2021 | sagaftra.org A Letter from the National Executive Director Dear Member, N o Ordinary Time – this is a phrase taken from a convention speech by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1940 and the title of a terrific book that chronicles that tumultuous period of American history in which our nation had to heal the wounds of the Great Depression while preparing for the global battle of World War II. This expression also captures perfectly this period we are currently experiencing in our union, industry and nation. As we emerge from this pandemic with the budding sense of relief and optimism that we are, finally, on the path to recovery, we now face a broad landscape of challenges that we must confront and opportunities that we must seize. First, as the industry returns to a more robust work routine, we sense the joy that accompanies the opportunity to work and the caution that attends the new patterns of employment in this evolving industry. We have successfully kept members safe through our safety protocols, and we must now remain vigilant in our core functions as a union, key among them our contract enforcement efforts. The hard decisions made over the past year have positioned us to emerge from the pandemic with strength, but it will take time for us to replenish our staff ranks. Thankfully, we have focused a great deal on transforming our operations through innovation, and our advances are paying off in tangible ways for members, even during this turbulent time. Our member app and highly efficient contact center, our residuals tracker and direct deposit function, our new claims tracker for members, web portal for casting directors, online joining and online billing capacities, new contracts designed to capture work in emerging areas of production, information-filled podcasts — all of these and more are facilitating a smoother path for members to gather essential information about their work life and available resources at the union. We are working now with the independent production community to complete the buildout of our producers portal, which will make it easier for employers to hire our members. These innovations are designed to make life easier for all sides of a transaction: members, employers and our staff. Over time, these and other improvements will enable the union to be much more efficient and effective with the resources at our disposal. As exciting as any development is our new sexual harassment reporting function that will be embedded within our member app and will give our members another secure path to report harassment when it occurs. This function has a set of features that allows a member to detail an incident while fresh in their mind and keep it confidential until they are prepared to report it to the union. It also points members to resources to help with trauma and self-care, and other support they may need. These are indeed times of change. I want to close by singling out one individual who has meant so much to our vibrant, collective movement. We recently celebrated the incredible career of John McGuire, a uniquely talented negotiator who committed his career to the members of this union and to the international labor movement. John is a good man and a great friend. On behalf of all our members who benefit from his 52 years of service, we declare our thanks to him once again. In unity and looking forward, David White D AV I D W H I T E "Thankfully, we have focused a great deal on transforming our operations through innovation, and our advances are paying off in tangible ways." 80 70 70 100 10.2 7.4 7.4 100 100 100 100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 70 70 40 70 70 30 30 100 40 100 40 40 100 10 40 40 20 70 70 3.1 2.2 2.2 70 40 40 75 66 66 50 40 40 25 19 19 B 0 0 0 0 100 70 30 100 10 25 50 75 90 100 100 60 100 70 30 100 60 40 70 40 70 30 100 40 40 100 40 100 40 70 40 70 40 40 3 40 70 40 70 40 40 100 60 A 3% ISO 12647-7 Digital Control Strip 2009