Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1401622
sagaftra.org | Summer 2021 | SAG-AFTRA 45 Q: What changes can members expect in the union's operation? A: I am looking forward to building on the very solid fundamentals of our operations to ensure that we recover fully from the challenges of the pandemic. As a result of COVID and the industry shutdown last year, we were forced to significantly reduce the size of our staff. As we move out of the pandemic, I look forward to us beginning to rebuild in a manner that's efficient and effective and makes the best possible use of resources. That will include a more high-tech approach to certain types of things in terms of communications and other activities that our staff engage in that impact members. But members can also count on having direct access to human beings who work for the union and can answer their questions, whether that's through our Contact Center, directly with our contracts departments, our legal department, our Equity & Inclusion department, or through our new sexual harassment reporting tool. But there's a lot more to come in terms of ways we can make it easy for our members to engage with the union on their terms. And, I definitely intend to maintain our commitment, as supported by the National Board, to expand our representation and our outreach in the Spanish-language industry as well. This is reflected, for example, by the fact that we recently rolled out a full Spanish-language website so that our members who are more comfortable in Spanish have full access to the resources that the union provides. Our members deserve and have the right to be treated fairly when they're working, no matter the language. Q: Diversity and equity have been central to much of your work with the union. Why is this important to you and what challenges do we face in this area? A: We face a lot of challenges in this area — but that's nothing new. Our members helped craft and bargain for some of the first formal diversity commitments in the industry, but progress is slow going. There have been moments of profound engagement and change. One example is a long-overdue industry reckoning with patterns of sexual harassment and other discriminatory or retaliatory conduct. We can be justly proud of the changes in industry practices that are the direct result of SAG-AFTRA's efforts to ensure members are not subject to inappropriate conduct or sexual harassment in the workplace or outside the workplace. There are tremendous challenges in terms of racial equity, which we've been working to address. We just had Stop the Hate Week that was very successful, and our National Board has expanded our diversity committees to include specific representation for Latino and Middle Eastern and North African members. We've had a number of activities out there to support and help protect our LGBTQ members, and especially our transgender, gender fluid and gender nonbinary members, who have been subjected to a lot of inappropriate treatment and discrimination in the industry. There's so much to do in all of those areas. Myself being an openly gay man, I've experienced the kind of discrimination and harassment that many LGBTQ people experience. But, I've also witnessed and learned a lot about the kind of mistreatment that has been historically endemic for our members of color, and women and people with disabilities. Our commitment in that area is so essential to make sure that all of our members are treated equitably and fairly and are included in the American Scene. We've had the American Scene language in our contracts since the early 1960s. And we've made a lot of progress, but there's so far to go, and we have to stay vigilant and stay committed, if we expect to help create the kind of equitable, inclusive and diverse world that I want to live in — and that, I hope, all of us want to live in. Q: You and your husband, John, have five children at home. Does having a large family have any parallels to leading a large organization? A: I feel very fortunate to have an amazing partner who is the primary parent because, obviously, being in a role like this at an organization like SAG-AFTRA is a challenge of its own. We're a team. And I think probably one of the biggest parallels is the fact that no one can do these things alone. If you want to achieve anything really meaningful in life, it almost always has to be done in cooperation or collaboration with somebody else. In the case of my family, that's my amazing husband who makes everything work. And in the case of the union, that's the amazing team of elected leadership and staff that work together to achieve our goals. It's a learning experience on every front. Q: Has anyone given you any words of advice in assuming this new role? A: I've gotten so much advice from so many quarters. It's a testament to the significance of this amazing union that so many people are engaged enough to offer advice. Perhaps the best advice that I've gotten so far is to get input and feedback and advice from every source you can, and then step back for a moment and really trust your own informed instincts to make the best decisions possible. That advice resonates deeply with me. So that's what I'm planning to do. n Crabtree-Ireland at the 2019 Havana International Film Festival discussing Latino representation in Hollywood.