Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541667
12 SAG-AFTRA | Fall/Winter 2025 | sagaftra.org A Letter from the Executive Vice President L I N D A P O W E L L I was honored to be reelected your EVP this October, and wanted to share my remarks from convention, which are abridged below: W hen I spoke to you as a candidate, I mentioned my steep two-year learning curve. Today, I want to share some of what that learning curve entailed. First off, I learned that we are still new. SAG-AFTRA was formed in 2012. We're just 13 years old. Early teen. Some of us were SAG, some AFTRA, some both. More and more of us have never been anything but SAG-AFTRA. Won't it be amazing when that balance shifts? We're still maturing as an institution. We've got some stretch marks from growing so fast. There are still a few structural kinks to work out. But for a 13-year-old — because of our amazing legacies — we're punching well above our weight. That said, we can't take our stability for granted. We have to nurture it by staying focused on our common goals and on our common headwinds. We're family — brothers and sisters who can challenge and test each other's ideas around the kitchen table — while having each other's backs in the streets. Our solidarity is our strength. I know, it's a cliché. But clichés are clichés because they're true. Other lessons came from understanding our place within the larger family of labor. I've had the opportunity to represent you at AFL-CIO meetings, at FIA gatherings and, because of the guardrails we achieved during negotiations, been invited by sister unions to sit on panels and discuss our A.I. strategy. I never expected I'd have much in common with machinists, teachers, nurses, call center operators, housekeepers, bus drivers and, more recently, tech workers. But our issues are strikingly similar. Corporate consolidation and technological disruption are threatening our livelihoods. The constantly growing wage gap has created haves and have-nots — and a rapidly shrinking middle. It's been an incredible education. I take very seriously the fact that, at this moment in history, we — and all of labor — are on the front lines. I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue collaborating with sister unions, to do everything we can to ensure our voices are included in the creation of the unknown new normal that we all know is rising up around us. I've also learned that the people who run this union every day, the staff we employ to keep the system running, are true believers, as dedicated to our mission as we are. That's a beautiful thing. They care deeply about this union and its members. They are part of our strength. We are incredibly lucky. Lastly, and I think this is most important, I've learned the power of listening. We are an opinionated, passionate, sometimes performative — no judgment — creative, brilliant collection of humans. We live in different markets where challenges vary. We do different kinds of work, and those differences may not always be fully understood. In order to move forward together, we have to be willing to listen. I can be impatient. I want people to get to the point. I think I know where they're going, and I want them to get there faster. But I've realized that sometimes I'm wrong. Sometimes … I've learned that I have to listen to understand, not to respond. Not necessarily to agree, but to understand. That's probably the biggest learning curve I've had these past two years — and I'm still working on it. But it's provided huge payoffs as I try my best to serve the membership of this crazy, wonderful collective. During convention, I've been incredibly moved by the hard conversations we've been having around the resolutions coming forward. By everyone's willingness to listen to understand. And it gives me great hope for our transition from early teen to full-blown teenager. That's about all I have to say. I love you all. Thank you for your trust. Onward! Linda Powell "I take very seriously the fact that, at this moment in history, we — and all of labor — are on the front lines."