Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535197
12 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2025 | sagaftra.org A Letter from the President "The global perception is that we are labor leaders inspiring workers in all industries …" Dear Member, R ecently I found myself explaining what makes a labor union such as SAG-AFTRA successful. First, there must be an acceptance that there are many moving parts, each essential for the advancement and empowerment of the union. We are an organization that enters countless contract negotiations, BUT how we enter matters in determining our outcome. Are we walking in afraid of our opposition, only comfortable asking for incremental improvements with our heads down and hat in hand? Or, are we walking in with the eye of the tiger, unafraid to demand what we deserve, with the confidence of winners? It must be the latter or it's over before we begin. This is where strong leadership with industry clout can set the tone for the negotiating committee to follow. On our first day opposite the AMPTP for the TV/Theatrical/Streaming contract of '23, strategic tactics to diminish us and establish them as our superior and the ones in charge were set into play. We put a STOP to that immediately! This marked the beginning of our new sense of strength, entitlement and success. I said SAG-AFTRA members were the center of the industry wheel. Not everyone liked hearing that, but with all due respect, I'd like to see a performance happen without the performers! And we had the audacity to demand a new stream of revenue to compensate for losses incurred as the industry moved significantly from linear TV to streaming channels. The committee caught the fever, and with a new sense of confidence AND self-esteem, we established ourselves as winners who hold our heads high and take no crap. That led to a historic BILLION DOLLAR DEAL and protections that never existed before in support of the lowest paid member up to the highest. Subsequent contracts have been exponentially more fruitful as we build one contract on top of another. The latest commercials contracts were fearlessly fought, as the co-chairs and committee stood their ground and closed on a deal of which we can ALL be proud. The video game strike negotiations remain at the epicenter of the A.I. vs. human conflict and the balance that must now be struck. The committee and its chair remain steadfast in their resolve. But, the more a union dominates the labor force, the more power labor has in negotiations with employers. This was the case with TV/Theatrical but not as potently in video gaming. Yet, our determination remains stalwart. Our ongoing growing success is determined by our aggressive claiming of labor in business. We are no longer in the shadow of our sister unions but a leader gaining new language that they too benefit from because of our vision and chutzpah! The global perception is that we are labor leaders inspiring workers in all industries, bringing contracts into this new era with zeal and taking the helm on A.I. legislation which has defined us as a Force of Labor. Our powerful tentacles now reach the press, Congress, red carpets, FIA, the AFL-CIO, the zeitgeist, and yes, all the way into the negotiating rooms that we enter with both power and pride. We have become newsworthy and clickbait, part of the national conversation, and that, my friends, is the stuff that helps make us SUCCESSFUL. In business, you "SELL THE SIZZLE BEFORE THE STEAK!" Never underestimate the necessity of behind-the-scenes power lunches, closed-door meetings, photo ops with top-tier congressional leaders or high-level networking at events by your leadership, because this is the groundwork being laid well in ADVANCE of our negotiating committee's potential for successful contracts. A strong contract fights hardest for the journeyman performer, the background performer and, especially, the contract player who may not earn enough to receive certain benefits, but benefits greatly when auditioning and while on the set. Being a professional performer in good standing with a powerful and well-respected union gives members a sense of pride and determination to keep on going when the going gets tough. Your national president and national executive director are in the rooms where it happens! And that, dear members, is SHOWBIZ. STAND TALL with your head held high because YOU are a professional and a member of SAG-AFTRA and that spells SUCCESS! Fran F R A N D R E S C H E R