Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/72909
BROADCAST CONFERENCE PROMOTES UNITY P REACHING OUT AT THE TWIN CITIES ACTORS EXPO union/non-union performers were eager for information, and many signed up for an informational session about SAG-AFTRA. Local union members helped plan the Actors Expo presentations and were involved in several successful workshops for the 300-plus expo attendees, including: • Stage and Set Etiquette for Kids — and Their Parents, presented by Twin Cities Local President Peggy O'Connell and member Michelle Myers Berg; T Expo. This is the second year that performers' unions — SAG-AFTRA and Equity — have been invited to participate thanks to the strong desire among pre-union talent in the Twin Cities to learn more about the benefits of union protections. • The Actor's Worth (Part 1: The Actor's Psyche and Part 2: The Numbers and Resources for Accurately Pricing Your Work), presented by Twin Cities Local member Tena May Gallivan, along with others. Agents, local indie filmmakers and other industry partners take part in the Actors Twin Cities STANDING AGAINST "RIGHT TO WORK" IN MINNESOTA From left, Local President Peggy O'Connell, Sue Scott and Mark Bradley at the Minnesota State Capitol on March 12. State Capitol on March 12. More than 1,700 Minnesotans turned out to show their opposition to a proposed, so- called "right-to-work" constitutional amendment that had its first hearing that day. The proposed amendment has foundered in the Minnesota legislature so far, and labor leaders are cautiously T win Cities Local members joined a massive protest at the Minnesota optimistic that it won't go anywhere this year, but Minnesota unions are actively educating their members about the issue to prepare them should the amendment be put on the ballot this year. In April, the SAG-AFTRA Twin Cities Local Board participated in a training session about "right-to-work" laws, provided by the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation. he SAG-AFTRA Twin Cities Local participated in the annual Twin Cities Actors Expo on March 31 — just one day aſter merger. Young performers and pre- AFTRA Broadcast Conference took place on April 21 at DePaul University. With the the goal of the conference to establish community among SAG- AFTRA broadcasters, the event grew to include members of sister unions and news organizations (IBEW and Associated Press), students (DePaul University, Illinois Center for Broadcasting and Tribeca Flashpoint) and pre-union individuals interested in sharing common issues and learning about the various aspects of the broadcast industry. The conference sessions featured several hot-button topics, including safety and civil unrest, the use of social media, and the growth of Spanish-language broadcast, among others. SAG-AFTRA Chicago staff was also on hand to share its expertise, presenting panels on personal service contracts, legal rights in the workplace, and demystifying the variety of SAG and AFTRA agreements available to broadcasters. Panelists for the two-part panel on lanned prior to the merger, the social media included, pictured above from leſt, Steve Zimmerman, national staff counsel for SAG-AFTRA, and Luvvie Ajayi, social media consultant and professional blogger. Chicago MIDWEST GALA Dennis Farina 2011's Best Male Actor for his performance in The Last Rites of Joe May. On hand to present the honor was then-SAG Chicago Branch President Ilyssa Fradin. Film Festival named SAGAFTRA.org | Summer 2012 | SAG-AFTRA 51 Midwest Independent Awards gala, the A t the Best of the Midwest C. Jason Brown