Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/39968
ON LOCATION REGIONAL BRANCH DIVISION In My Opinion: David Hartley-Margolin 3rd National Vice President A s I write, workgroups made up of SAG and AFTRA members, as well as staff members from both unions, are hard at work hammering out the details of a long overdue, combined union. These interunion talks are front–burner, with the goal of presenting a constitution, a membership/ dues structure and a merger agreement to the national boards of SAG and AFTRA for consideration in January 2012. If the boards accept the recommendations, a membership referendum will follow. There are myriad issues. Cultural and philosophical differences abound. The work of finding a once-and-for- all solution to overlapping jurisdiction and institutional competition is not easy. Nevertheless, we are getting there using a thoughtful, measured consensus-driven decision- making process. At times, it seems like this is dragging on forever. Please understand we are endeavoring to get as many of the aspects of the successor union as right as we possibly can, while at the same time designing in enough flexibility to address the inevitable issues that will arise going forward. Patience is the watchword. We just don't want to stumble in the home stretch. Meanwhile, until we are one, we are still two. With this in mind, our election season is in full swing. Your basic right as a member to participate in the governance of your union manifests when you take the time to vote for the candidate(s) of your choice. Don't toss your ballot into the trash. Mark it and mail it. Every autumn, following the results of the aforementioned elections, the national committee population process begins. Would you like to become a part of the nuts-and-bolts decision-making in Screen Actors Guild? Well, step right up because now is the time to contact your Branch elected leaders to let them know of your interest. Many currently serving National Board directors and Branch Council members got their feet wet by first serving on committees. The Regional Branch Division will be populating our allocation of seats on national committees for the next governance year soon. You will be receiving a communiqué from your Branch president listing the committees, their purview and an outline of how you can become an active participant in the Guild's service to the members. Your Branch president will be compiling a list of members who have indicated a desire to serve. It's your union. Get involved. In solidarity, DHM Union officials and lawmakers worked together to pass the Maryland Film Production Employment Act, which will bring jobs to the state. THE MARYLAND FILM PRODUCTION EMPLOYMENT ACT PASSES Maryland Film Production Employment Act. The Screen Actors Guild Washington-Baltimore Branch and AFTRA Washington- Baltimore Local played a key role in the successful passage of this legislation that will bring film and TV jobs back to that once-busy state. The bill was signed into law by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley on May 19, 2011. This was the culmination of a multiyear effort led by a coalition I of business leaders, union leaders, educational institutions, government entities and individuals, of which SAG and AFTRA are a vital part. Branch Assistant Executive Director Jane Love serves on the coalition board and its Government Relations Committee. Love and a great many fabulous local member activists tirelessly lobbied key individual legislators, packed hearing rooms, offered persuasive testimony and flooded key legislators with phone calls, letters and emails. The legislation will effectively increase the dollars available for film and TV projects in Maryland to $7.5 million per year, but perhaps more importantly, it changes what was a smaller discretionary grant program to one that allows a qualified film production entity to claim a credit against the state income tax for specified costs — 25 percent for film and 27 percent for television series — of documented, qualifying expenditures. Given the tough fiscal choices the Maryland Legislature faced this session, this was an incredible and hard-fought outcome. And now, with the foundation in place, the effort next year will be focused on increasing the cap. Central Florida SAG members wear their SAG T-shirts proudly during the 6th Annual Valencia 5K Run, Walk & Roll on April 9. Funds raised through this community event helped open doors for students through scholarships and other assistance. 36 SCREEN ACTOR - Summer 2011 SAG.org n the final hours of the 2011 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the Legislature unanimously passed SB672: the