Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475555
sagaftra.org | Summer 2022 | SAG-AFTRA 65 Employees who work under a SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement that contains a union security clause are required, as a condition of employment, to pay dues and initiation fees to SAG-AFTRA. Employees who work under a SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement have the right to decide whether to be a SAG-AFTRA member or non- member. If an employee elects not to be a member, the employee nevertheless must, in many states, including California and New York, still pay to the union equivalent agency fees and initiation fees, subject to a possible reduction as set forth below. Any individual who chooses not to become or remain a member of SAG-AFTRA forfeits the right to enjoy SAG-AFTRA member- only rights and benefits. Employees should consider the many benefits of union membership that are not available to non- union agency fee payers. These valuable benefits of membership include the right to attend and participate in union meetings and to serve on union committees; the right to participate in the formulation of collective bargaining demands and to vote on union contracts and in strike votes; the right to nominate and vote for candidates for union office; the right to run for union office; the right to participate in screenings, awards programs, casting workshops, personal service agreement workshops and other professional seminars; the right to invoke the SAG-AFTRA name in resumes and individual promotional materials; assistance with franchised talent agencies; and eligibility for supplemental benefit and discount programs. Each year, SAG-AFTRA will prepare a report that verifies the breakdown of SAG-AFTRA expenditures between those that are devoted to "representational" activities and those that are devoted to "non- representational "activities. Expenditures on representational activities ("Chargeable" expenditures) include, but are not limited to, expenses related to the following: negotiations with employers; enforcing collective bargaining agreements; informal meetings with employer representatives; member and staff committee meetings concerned with matters relating to employment practices and/or collective bargaining provisions; discussion of work- related issues with employers; handling employees' work-related problems through grievance and arbitration procedures, administrative agencies or informal meetings; union administration, litigation and publications relating to any of the above. Expenditures on non-representational activities ("Non-Chargeable" expenditures) may include those spent on community services; charitable contributions; lobbying; political activities; cost of affiliation with non-SAG-AFTRA organizations; external organizing; and litigation and publications related to non-representational activities. The most recent Audit Report indicates that approximately 94.43% of SAG-AFTRA's expenditures were devoted to representational/Chargeable activities. A copy of the auditor's most recent report will be provided each year to individuals the first time they are covered by a SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement that includes a union security clause, and to SAG-AFTRA members who resign from SAG-AFTRA membership. A non-member fee payer has the right to object to financially contributing to SAG-AFTRA expenditures for non- representational activities. A non-member who desires to make such an objection must submit a signed written objection to the non-member's local office of SAG-AFTRA. All objections must contain the objector's current home or mailing address. Non-members who submit an objection as outlined above will have their agency fees (and, if applicable, initiation fees) reduced as long as they remain non-members. Individuals who have not previously been subject to a SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement with a union security clause who elect to become objectors, and SAG-AFTRA members who resign their membership and elect to become objectors, will have their agency fees reduced as long as they remain non-members. Non-member fee payers will have the option of challenging the most recent verified calculation of the reduced agency fees/initiation fees before an impartial arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association, and the disputed portion of fees will be held in an interest- bearing, separate escrow account pending the arbitration decision. All such challenges must be submitted in a signed writing to the non-member's local office of SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA will consolidate all objections that have been received in any given year in one arbitration proceeding, which will be held in or about February of the next year. SAG-AFTRA's Non-Member Agency Fee Notice and Policy T he following is SAG-AFTRA's Notice and Policy concerning non-member agency fee payers. A copy of this Notice and Policy, which was developed to comply with applicable legal requirements, will be published annually by SAG-AFTRA. A copy also will be provided to individuals the first time they are covered by a SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement that includes a union security clause, and to SAG-AFTRA members who resign from membership.