SAG-AFTRA

Summer 2011

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A LETTER TO MEMBERS From National Executive Director DAVID WHITE Dear Member, I hope this note finds you well during this active and exciting summer. There is a tremendous amount of positive activity going on at your Guild and I am pleased to provide this mid- calendar year update. Building the Outline for a Successor Union We are fully engaged in supporting the SAG Merger Task Force and working with AFTRA to develop a plan for combining our two unions. The effort has reached the stage where we must think through the details of how such a merger will work: how we will merge our distinct cultures, establish an effective governance structure, combine our operations, etc. — and how we can keep you, our members, updated so that you can cast an informed ballot once we've completed our preparations. The work is intense and involves a range of moving parts, and we are both excited and focused as we move ahead. There is an update on this vital effort featured in this issue of Screen Actor and I hope you will take a moment to read more about it. Also, remember to check the website at SAG.org/OneUnion to receive regular updates on the process. Technology Advances I am delighted to report that our Production Center and online signatory process, two initiatives that we launched earlier this year to make it easier for employers to hire our members, are off to a successful start. We knew these tools would be popular, but we did not anticipate the staggering numbers that have accumulated in just a few months: Nearly 1,200 producers have become signatories through our online process. Many other industry professionals have used our Production Center to find information quickly, deliver important information to us through our fillable online forms and communicate with our staff using Web Help tools. Although we are still in our "beta test" period, we are very pleased with the progress so far. In fact, we will soon begin testing a new service, which will allow producers to submit production forms to SAG directly via SAG mobile apps, which can now be done accurately and securely. All of this is a part of our overhaul of the Guild's operations, to move away from a paper- based environment and into the 21st century. As well, each of these initiatives can successfully migrate to a successor union environment, so we know it is a good investment that will pay future dividends for members. Attacking Digital Theſt: We Need Your Help The spread of digital theſt (sometimes also called "piracy") is insidious and represents a real and growing threat to Screen Actors Guild members and our industry. We must — all of us — do what we can to attack this problem. The Guild is teaming up with AFTRA, Directors Guild of America, IATSE and major studios and networks to launch the Creative America initiative to discourage digital theſt and educate the public about its harmful effects. You can help. Join Creative America at creativeamerica.com. Enter your email address to be added to the contact list so that you will receive regular updates and learn how you can be directly involved. Urge your family and friends to do the same, and make sure that everyone you know agrees to support your work, your industry and the laws regarding copyright. No illegal content! In unity and looking forward, David P. White 12 SCREEN ACTOR - Summer 2011 SAG.org

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