Tag Archives: SAG-AFTRA

Trying To Help My Fellow Members (or 2 Weeks And 2 Roundtables)

Posted on November 29, 2023 | Comments Off on Trying To Help My Fellow Members (or 2 Weeks And 2 Roundtables)

I’ve written a lot about my union service lately for a lot of reasons. One is that there hasn’t been any work since we have been on strike. But the bigger one is that I have been passionate about union service since I got involved. It’s really easy to not pay that much attention to what is going on and not worry about voting or anything else like that. But it’s so important to know what is happening because if we are lucky, these contracts and elected officials will be the ones who can make a big difference in our working conditions and pay.

As soon as the strike was suspended, there was a lot of discussion about the contract ratification vote. These usually happen during the summer when the new contract is decided (since we don’t normally go on strike and take 118 days to get a new contract). But the process is the same as it normally is. We received the summary of what changes will be coming in the new contract. There are informational sessions held so we can learn more and get our questions answered. And then we vote. For every contract I’ve voted on for SAG-AFTRA, the vote passes and the contract is ratified.

But this time, things don’t feel as simple as they usually are. I don’t know if members are more involved now that we’ve had a long strike if the idea of AI is worrying them, or what else might be triggering. But this contract ratification vote has been a lot more contentious than the others. The union has been trying to alleviate fears as much as they can. They have been doing more informational sessions than I remember from the past. The lawyers rushed to complete the full memorandum of agreement, which typically isn’t done until after the vote is completed. They have been putting out as much information as possible to make sure the misinformation is corrected. For example, I’ve heard some members worry that there will be no more background jobs because of AI. But not only does the new contract prohibit productions from using AI instead of the minimum number of covered background, we got the minimum number increased!

After seeing the misinformation going around online, I knew I had to do something. So I teamed up with another delegate, David Blue, and we decided to create some livestreams to get the correct information out to members. These were going to be similar to the You Are The Union livestreams I did a few years ago, but we were just going to focus on the new contract. We invited members of the Negotiating Committee to answer questions that members had about the new contract. Because of some of the conversations we had seen on social media, we were very cautious about making sure things would stay respectful and calm. And the first livestream we did was magical! It went better than we could have expected or hoped for and we knew that we got a lot of information out that needed to be there. And the comments we were getting after it was done showed us that other members felt the same way.

Because that went so well and people were asking for us to do another, we hosted another livestream this week. And that was just as successful as the first!

From the time that David and I decided to do these livestreams to the time that we hosted the second was just under 2 weeks. It was a crazy whirlwind time, but it was worth it. I know we don’t have as big of a reach as some other people might have, but we’ve had over 1,000 views on the first livestream replay already and it’s still being shared online!

If you are a SAG-AFTRA member and you have some questions about the contract, please check out the replays of the livestreams that we did. We created a YouTube channel just to host them.

Votes are due by December 5th, so you’ve got just under a week to get your vote in. And it’s a much easier ballot than officer elections because it’s online and you are only voting for one thing. I’m not going to try to convince anyone how to vote because that’s not my right. If you want to know my opinions about certain issues, I’m happy to share those. But everyone has to vote the way they believe and make sure they are being an informed voter.

And in less than a week, I guess we will see what happens. But no matter what, I’m so proud of what we were able to accomplish with these livestreams and how many members we were able to help.

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Default ThumbnailYou Are The Union (or Finding More Ways To Educate Other Union Members) Default ThumbnailCelebrating A New Contract (or Feeling Good About This Accomplishment) Default ThumbnailAuthorizing A Strike (or I Got My Vote In) Default ThumbnailThe Strike Is Over! (or It’s Now Time To Vote And Pass The Contract) Default ThumbnailGiving Myself Some Breathing Room (or Just Getting Ready For Other Things This Summer) Default ThumbnailAnother Amazing You Are The Union Livestream (or Learning So Much About Being A Better Ally)

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The Strike Is Over! (or It’s Now Time To Vote And Pass The Contract)

Posted on November 15, 2023 | 1 comment

After 118 days of SAG-AFTRA being on strike, the strike finally ended last week! I don’t think that anyone thought it would take this long to get to a deal when the strike started. I feel very certain that we had to go on strike because what was offered to us was not reasonable, but I really hoped it would be a short strike. It was shorter than the writer’s strike, but I never thought it would last over 100 days.

Nobody wanted to go on strike, but I will say that the solidarity that I saw on the picket lines was very inspiring. All of us were working together for a common goal. That’s a rarity for this industry. We all understood why we were on strike and why it was necessary. I went to the picket lines as often as I could, which wasn’t as much as I would have liked. But I made sure I supported my union and fellow members online when I couldn’t be there in person.

I knew that our Negotiating Committee was working hard on a deal when the other side was willing to meet with them. Of course, the other side didn’t want to meet that often and it took over 100 days from the start of the strike to the next time they met. This wasn’t our choice, but it was what we had to accept. And when they were meeting, those negotiating for us knew what our priorities were and what protections we would need. Finally, we had a tentative deal which was agreed to by every member of our Negotiating Committee.

The next step was for the Negotiating Committee to bring the deal to the National Board for them to decide if the deal was approved for the membership to vote on. That vote passed, with 86% of the National Board approving it. That is higher than many of our past contracts, so I’m really excited about that. And now, all 160,000 members will have an opportunity to vote to hopefully ratify this new contract.

We have a few weeks to vote, and I am taking my time to make sure I understand the new contract. I feel very certain that I will be voting yes because there are so many amazing things in this contract. It’s not everything we wanted and it’s not perfect, but no negotiation ends with one side getting every single thing they asked for.

Some people wanted to make AI forbidden in the new contract. But what we got was that AI can only be used with our consent when we are told exactly what it is used for. And if we are not on set because they are using an AI version of us, we have to be paid our day rate just like we would if we were on camera. That’s amazing to me! We also got increases in our residuals and new streaming bonuses for high-performing shows. We never had those bonuses before so that is an entirely new way we can make money with our contracts. And the one I’m most excited about is the new rules for self-tape auditions. We now have to have at least 48 hours (not counting weekends and holidays) for self-tape auditions. I’ve had some in the past that had less than 24 hours before they were due. We now have a restriction on how many pages these auditions can be. And we cannot be required to do any fancy camerawork or editing for an audition. Those are awesome because I’ve seen some crazy self-tape instructions that say you have to film in multiple locations.

I know the contract isn’t the easiest thing to read and all members should educate themselves about it before voting. I attended a Zoom informational session about it that happened earlier this week, and I know there will be more coming up. There’s also an in-person informational session later this week that members can register for. Things are being announced as they are scheduled, so I expect there will be more than what has been announced so far so all members should have a chance to learn more about the contract and get their questions answered.

I do hope that this contract is voted up and ratified. If we don’t, going back to the table means we will lose some of the things we have won. And as I said, it’s not perfect, but it’s got some great things in it. And when we negotiate again in less than 3 years, we will be in a much stronger spot to get even more protections for all members and make our profession even stronger.

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Default ThumbnailAuthorizing A Strike (or I Got My Vote In) Default ThumbnailGetting Informed About A Contract (or A Union Meeting Before A Vote) Default ThumbnailAnother SAG-AFTRA Election (or 318 Million Reasons To Vote Yes) Default ThumbnailCelebrating A New Contract (or Feeling Good About This Accomplishment) Default ThumbnailStrike! (or Getting Out To Picket) Default ThumbnailThe Importance Of The Writers Strike (or I Support The WGA)

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Not The Conventional Convention (or We Are Having An Intermission For Now)

Posted on October 25, 2023 | Comments Off on Not The Conventional Convention (or We Are Having An Intermission For Now)

This past weekend was the SAG-AFTRA Convention. It was going to be our second virtual convention, but we learned last time that virtual conventions can be just as productive as in-person ones. I hope the next one will be in-person because I love seeing people face to face and there are many fun little things that can’t be done with a virtual convention. But because the union knew while planning this convention that our negotiations might still be happening, it was safer to plan for something virtual. I don’t think anyone expected the convention’s first day to be the 100th day of the strike, but that’s exactly how it worked out.

Because the convention was virtual, there weren’t as many things that I had to plan and prepare for. I did make sure that my work schedule wouldn’t be affected too much, but I also knew I would be able to work while attending the convention again. I didn’t have to change anything with my workouts or plan out outfits in advance, which was nice. I think things weren’t as hectic leading up to the start of the convention due to so much attention being on our strike, but I also think that having a much calmer election season helped too. Even without the usual craziness, I was ready for things to start.

The convention usually has a similar schedule. The first thing we do is elect the last few officers that get elected at the convention and not during the election. Then we work on voting for or against different resolutions that were submitted before the convention started. And on the last day, we have a few speeches followed by using all remaining time for more resolutions. So as expected, once the convention started, we got to work on the officer elections. Things took a bit longer than they were scheduled for, but I think it always goes that way. With a virtual convention, there were some technical issues. But with an in-person convention, there are always technical issues as well. They just are different types of issues for each one.

I personally got to vote for 3 officer positions. Our Executive Vice President, which all delegates vote for, the Los Angeles Vice President, which only delegates from Los Angeles vote for, and the Actor/Performer Vice President, which all delegates from around the country that are actor/performers vote for. I was really excited that the candidates that I voted for were the ones that won those races.

And once all that voting was done, it was time for all of us to have a short lunch break. The break was only supposed to be 30 minutes, but it kept getting pushed back. We knew that the negotiating committee had a meeting during our lunch break, so some people were wondering if maybe that meeting was taking longer because negotiations were going to start again. And when we finally came back from our lunch break, that’s exactly what we found out.

A few weeks ago, the AMPTP had walked away from negotiations and we were just waiting for them to agree to talk to us again. They announced they agreed to meet again while we had our lunch break. And since negotiations were going to start again in a few days and our negotiating committee wanted to have time to prepare so they could be as ready as possible, it was decided that the convention was going to be put on pause. We were going to have our speeches and a quick keynote that afternoon, but voting on resolutions, which were supposed to be on Sunday and Monday, was going to be postponed until a later date.

This wasn’t what anyone expected to happen, but I agreed with my fellow delegates that it was the best thing for us to do. Negotiations haven’t been easy, and that should be the focus right now. And we will get back to voting on resolutions at some point and finish our convention. But hopefully, when that happens we will be done with the strike and we can focus more on the convention and less on picketing.

As I’m writing this post, it’s the first day back of negotiations. I don’t expect us to hear today that a deal was made, but I’m hopeful that we will hear back soon about a possible deal. I think the AMPTP sees how much support we have and they know that what we are asking for is what is fair and nothing unreasonable. I don’t know how long after a deal we will continue the convention, but I hope it’s not too long because I do enjoy working with my fellow delegates on union service like this. I can’t control when I audition or book work, but I can control some of my involvement in union service and I do take my elected position seriously and want to represent my fellow actors the best I can. And finishing out my voting when the convention returns is exactly how I can do that.

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Default ThumbnailVirtual Orientation (or Still Getting Ready For Convention) Default ThumbnailPreparing For A Virtual Convention (or My First Task For This Delegate Term) Default ThumbnailNot The Convention I’m Used To (or Still Taking On More Responsibility) Default ThumbnailA Full Convention Weekend (or Preparation Pays Off) Default ThumbnailSAG-AFTRA National Convention (or I Had No Idea It Would Be Like This) Default ThumbnailTime For Convention (or I’m Ready To Get To Work)

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Finishing Up Election Season (or This Was Very Different From The Norm)

Posted on September 13, 2023 | Comments Off on Finishing Up Election Season (or This Was Very Different From The Norm)

The SAG-AFTRA elections ended last week. I’ve been a part of 5 election seasons now, and this one was so different from what I’m used to. It was so different that it doesn’t feel right that it’s over now. But I am glad it’s done so the union can move on to the next thing. I tried to enjoy every moment of the election season because I feel it might not be like this again.

The first 3 election seasons I was a part of were pretty similar. There were 2 major parties running for the various positions, so it felt similar to what national politics are like. The slate I’m a part of, Unite For Strength, would help to organize things so we could campaign as a group. There were different events that we would go to and pass out flyers. And things could get very intense from time to time, but I didn’t mind that too much since I was passionate about what I believe in and I wanted to help the cause. Our election in 2021 was different because nothing was happening in person. The events we would pass out flyers at weren’t happening. So much was happening on social media, which made my volunteer position with the slate a little extra stressful. But again, my passion helped me to continue working on things, and I was proud to be a part of something I really believed in.

This year, things changed even more. Some things stayed the same, such as not having a lot of in-person campaigning opportunities. Most of the work we did this election season was done either online or by us as individuals reaching out to people we knew personally. I think a lot of us got to meet more members than normal because of the strike, but because of election guidelines, you could not discuss the elections while picketing.

But the biggest change we had this year was having a unified slate between the 2 major parties. Having a unified slate was so important for a lot of reasons. Our focus should be on the strike and not the election, so not having the usual back-and-forth between candidates wouldn’t be the most productive use of our time. I also think having a lot of leadership changes in the middle of a strike would weaken our position, so keeping as many people as possible in their previously election positions was important. And I think many of us were starting to feel like the way elections had been going and how divisive they have been was wearing us down and not benefitting us or the union as a whole. I know that we can’t always agree on everything, but to have as many disagreements as we have had the last few election seasons was not something that needed to continue.

We did still have other candidates running against the unified slate. They called themselves independent, but they worked as a slate together so they weren’t exactly independent. But even with them running against us, it didn’t feel like it did in the past with 2 major slates running against each other. They did put out some press and articles that weren’t kind about us, but it wasn’t getting a lot of traction so there weren’t arguments that I heard coming from other members who were deciding on who to vote for. Everything seemed so much more calm and simple.

And when the ballots were counted this past Friday, almost all the seats that our Unity slate ran for won! There were a few spots that we didn’t win, but it was only a handful. We didn’t get one of the National Board seats and 4 of the Local Board seats. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get the Local Board seat I ran for. I am sad about this because I really did want this, but I know that we couldn’t win everything. The 4 independents who won those Local Board seats are all very well-known actors, and many members vote for people they know. But I did win my delegate seat again so I will be a part of the National Convention! I’m so happy that I get to be a part of Convention again and I hope that I will also get a chance to be on some more committees.

I’m so glad that things turned out as well as they did for this election season. It wasn’t everything I wanted, but it was so close to that. And I really am grateful for how calm things were. It did feel weird and it almost doesn’t feel like we just had an election, but it was so nice to have things this way compared to how they have been in the past. And who knows, maybe in 2 years we will have a calm election again!

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Strike! (or Getting Out To Picket)

Posted on July 19, 2023 | 1 comment

While there are some things about the entertainment industry that I feel most people don’t know about, I think the current strikes happening are mainstream news. The strike with the WGA and the AMPTP has been going on for over 2 months now. And as of last week, SAG-AFTRA is now on strike as well. Going on strike is not something that was taken lightly, but it was something that needed to happen. Our negotiating committee has been working hard to get us a good contract, but we are just too far apart in what we want. A document went out this week showing what we are asking for and what the AMPTP has countered with, and it’s clear that there wasn’t going to be an agreement and a strike was necessary.

I have been wanting to go out to a picket line to support the writers when they were striking, but it just never happened. But now that we are on strike as well, I feel like I need to be out there. And I’ve been able to go for the 3 days so far that we’ve had picket lines. I had to work out things with my day job, since I can’t just take time off of work. But what I arranged is to take a very early lunch break so I can go to the picket line before it’s too late (and too hot). I’m only able to be out there for just under an hour, but I know that time is better than not going at all.

I’m only going to Amazon Studios because that’s very close to my place. I do drive over there because that saves me time and I have such a limited amount of time I can be away from my work. But it works out well for me to be there since it’s not one of the really popular picket locations so they need people there. Also, it’s been really hot out, but I know it would be even hotter in the valley where the popular studios to picket are.

I haven’t been going to the picket with anyone else, but I’ve met some friends randomly while walking around and I’m starting to recognize people there. It seems like most people go to the same locations each day. Even if I’m there on my own and don’t talk to anyone else there, at least I’m getting in my steps.

There is a bit of novelty with being on a picket line right now. This is my first time picketing and I do like feeling like I’m a part of something big. But I also know how important it is for us to be making this statement. The future of the entertainment industry is at risk, and it’s important that we make sure that there is a career path without being a celebrity in this industry.

I’ve had a lot of friends ask me how they can help, and there are a few things you can do.

First, unless you have a contract that obligates you to do so, please don’t cross a picket line. That means not crossing one physically, but also not doing something that would be virtually crossing a picket. Do not promote or provide free publicity for any films or tv shows from major studios. We aren’t asking for a boycott at this time, so you can still go to movies and keep your streaming services. But don’t post online about what you are watching.

If you want to join a picket line, you are welcome to do so. The picket locations are posted on a strike website along with a lot of FAQs for both members and non-members. You can also bring supplies to the picket lines such as water or snacks. I know those would be appreciated.

And if you are in a financial place to do so, you can donate money that will go toward those who are out of work because of the strike. The Entertainment Community Fund is a great place to donate and they have been helping people across the industry.

While many of us hope this strike will end soon, it seems like we might be in this for the long haul. But I know it will be worth it because we cannot give in and give up what is fair. Some people are talking about the strike lasting until the new year, and that is possible. But it will also be interesting if this strike affects a lot of the fall tv season because fans will be upset at the studios and that could swing things our way. We will just have to wait and see what happens and I’m going to keep showing up to picket every day that I can to support what is happening.

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Default ThumbnailThe Importance Of The Writers Strike (or I Support The WGA) Default ThumbnailAuthorizing A Strike (or I Got My Vote In) Default ThumbnailAnother Virtual Union Meeting (or Getting Ready For What Is To Come) Default ThumbnailI Stand With IATSE (or Union Strong) Default ThumbnailSeeing Actors Supporting Actors (or An Awesome Union Working Project) Default ThumbnailA Virtual Town Hall (or Getting Some Answers About My Industry)

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Getting Myself Set For The Summer (or Union Things And Celebrating)

Posted on July 5, 2023 | 1 comment

As I wrote last month, I seem to pick monthly challenges at the perfect time. I pick things that end up being exactly what I need at that time and it really has benefitted me. And sometimes, those benefits have been just to focus on something that I know will be taking up a lot of my time. And that was the case for June.

I set my monthly challenge to be as involved in union service as I could be. There were some limitations that didn’t allow me to do everything I wanted to do, but I was getting a lot done last month. I was continuing to support the strike against the AMPTP as much as I could. I didn’t get out to any picket lines, but that’s just because of my job and not really having the chance to take time off while things are a bit crazy at work. But I was still supporting things as much virtually and sharing information so others could make it to the picket lines.

But the bigger thing I was working on was mainly behind the scenes because it wasn’t announced until the end of the month. Normally during union elections, there are 2 major slates that both have candidates running for various positions. This year, there has been a big sense of unity among union members and that has also changed what will be happening in the elections this summer. Instead of the 2 major slates running their own candidates, we will be having a unity slate with some candidates from each of the major slates. This is a big deal and it took a lot of work to make it happen, but I think this is something that will really benefit the union and could be a refresh for elections that we all need. There are still other candidates that will be running outside of the unity slate and there might be another slate created since there have been talks about some independents doing that in the past, but having the 2 main slates combined is going to make things very different this year. And I’m so grateful I have been a part of the work behind this (although a small part compared to others) and that I will be running on the unity slate.

I will still be doing a lot with union service this month, and likely more than normal since it is still election season. But I have picked another monthly challenge for July that I think will be perfect for me.

July is the last full month of my 30s. I turn 40 at the beginning of August and I’m pretty excited about that. I haven’t really been scared of aging, but I think that I was a bit more fearful of turning 30 than I am now about turning 40. I think my 30s have been the best decade of my life so far and significantly better than my 20s. And I want to celebrate how great my 30s were before I celebrate turning 40. So my challenge for this month is just that simple. I want to spend July celebrating and enjoying the last full month of my 30s. I know that aging is something that some people don’t look forward to, but I think more people now are enjoying aging. And age really is just a number and I believe that there is no guideline of where you need to be in life at certain ages. When I was younger, I believed in that idea more. But now, I am just enjoying my life and I don’t really care about the number attached to my age.

I don’t have anything in particular that I want to do to celebrate the end of my 30s, but I will be making sure that I appreciate what I accomplished in the last 10 years and how I have been setting things up to be even better in my 40s. And I’m thinking I should be doing something bigger for my birthday this year since it is a milestone, so planning my birthday will also be a way to celebrate what my 30s meant to me. I’m excited about this birthday and about being in a new decade of life soon, but I also don’t want to forget everything I was able to do in my 30s and remembering how that time turned me into the person that I have become and will be going into my 40s.

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Default ThumbnailGiving Myself Some Breathing Room (or Just Getting Ready For Other Things This Summer) Default ThumbnailHalf-Birthday Time (or Only 6 Months Left In My 30s) Default ThumbnailMore Election Fun For Me (or I’m Running For 2 Things) Default ThumbnailYou Are The Union (or Finding More Ways To Educate Other Union Members) Default ThumbnailA Fun Union Hangout (or Hopefully This Is The Start Of A New Regular Thing) Default ThumbnailUnion Committee Work (or Continuing To Be More and More Involved In My Union)

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Giving Myself Some Breathing Room (or Just Getting Ready For Other Things This Summer)

Posted on June 7, 2023 | Comments Off on Giving Myself Some Breathing Room (or Just Getting Ready For Other Things This Summer)

I feel like I’m picking the right monthly challenges at the right time. I seem to know that I will need to do something in the coming month and focusing on it really allows me to make sure I do what I need to do. Sometimes I don’t know why I need to do something until the month is over, but it’s always a great lesson for me. And this past month was no exception.

The overall challenge I set for myself was to be ok with not being perfect. I wanted to let myself use that idea for different things throughout the month, but it mainly concentrated on one part of my life. And that was how I plan out my blog posts. I’m almost 11 years into writing and until May I wrote a post every weekday. Coming up with 5 posts a week is not easy. Sometimes I have ideas for each day and I can be excited about what I want to write about. But more often, I struggle to come up with ideas and I know that my posts can become repetitive. So my challenge with not being perfect was about being ok with not writing every single day.

As you can tell from the posts I posted last month, I did go down to 2 posts a week. My Monday post was my workout recap and then my Wednesday post was about something else. I debated if I wanted to also do a Friday post because I did have things that I wanted to write about, but I knew that it would be a better challenge if I did limit myself to just 2 posts a week. Sometimes I didn’t write about things as quickly as I normally would. For example, this post would have been on Thursday or Friday last week if I had my old writing schedule. I had to be more selective about what I was going to share, but that also allowed me to not focus on turning things I do into posts. I liked not having that stress and I know that this was the exact thing I needed to do for myself.

Giving myself permission to not feel perfect really did release something from me that I didn’t know I seriously needed. And my plan is to continue to not worry about posting every day. Right now, I think keeping it to twice a week is a good option. Later, I might want to add in a third day, but I want to do another few weeks with just 2 posts a week to see how I feel about it. And maybe it’s something I keep flexible and I write 3 posts if I have things I want to share but only do 2 posts if I don’t feel like I need that third post.

Releasing the stress of having to always think of posts has been great for my mental health. And I think I will need as little stress as possible as I get prepared for a potentially stressful summer. This summer is election season for my union, and that’s what inspired my challenge for June. This month, I challenge myself to stay involved in union things as much as I can and try to help others be involved as well.

I’ve already been working on this with the strike authorization vote. I worked on making sure all the people I knew voted and understood what the vote meant. Most people understood that the authorization vote didn’t mean we were going to strike, but we were giving the negotiating committee the ability to call a strike if necessary. And I’m so proud of the union because we had a really good voter turnout (at least for us) and almost 98% of the members who voted approved the strike authorization!

Union elections are always stressful, but adding in contract negotiations adds to that. We will have our regular elections plus we could be voting on a new contract if one is presented to the members. And if we don’t get a contract, there is a chance that we will strike. This is a lot of information for members to take in, especially if they haven’t been involved in the past. Even for me, things can get overwhelming with staying on top of all the things we should know to be informed voters.

But with all the craziness and potential stress, there are so many ways for me to stay involved and connected with my acting career. I know that I will be stressed (and not having to write as many blog posts will help to not add more stress), but it will be worth it. I know I feel better when I’m involved and active with the union. I look forward to the different opportunities that will be coming during this election season and contract negotiations. I might feel like it’s too much in the moment, but once I get through this summer I know I will be grateful that I did whatever I have the ability to do.

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Authorizing A Strike (or I Got My Vote In)

Posted on May 24, 2023 | Comments Off on Authorizing A Strike (or I Got My Vote In)

Right now, the WGA is on strike after their negotiations stalled for their new contract. I fully support the writers and what they are asking for. It’s clear that streaming services bring in a lot of money and they should not be treated differently from tv since they are essentially the same now. They want other things in their new contract that are different from what actors would want, but the general idea of what they are striking for is very similar to what actors want in our new contract.

And it’s about to be time for us to negotiate our new contract. It’s not unusual for these negotiations to happen back to back, and the directors will be negotiating soon too. But this time, things really feel different from past negotiations. There has always been solidarity between unions, but this feels much bigger than it’s ever been. Things also seem more organized, which might be partially due to social media but also maybe it’s also due to unions wanting to band together. I think it’s been pretty amazing to see how together everyone seems to be.

Typically, as SAG-AFTRA is getting ready to start negotiations on our contract, there isn’t much for the general membership to do. Once a new contract has been agreed to by the negotiating committee, the membership will vote to decide if we will ratify that contract or reject it. This year, things are different and I have a feeling that the current strike is a big reason why.

SAG-AFTRA has asked all members to vote on a strike authorization. This does not mean we will be going on strike, but it will allow us to quickly go on strike if that becomes necessary. If the membership agrees to the authorization, then the National Board can call a strike and all work on the tv/theatrical contracts will stop. This wouldn’t affect commercials or other categories of members such as broadcasters, but tv/theatrical is a big category.

Striking isn’t something that any of us want to do, but if things can’t be agreed upon, it could become necessary. And while some productions have continued during the writer’s strike because scripts have been written, it’s a lot harder to continue working when actors aren’t on set. I know that when the commercial strike happened years ago, this led to an increase in non-union commercials. But I couldn’t imagine that happening with tv and movies. I think the producer/studio side knows that a strike by actors would be devastating, They have already lost so much money due to productions being shut down from the writer’s strike, which would only increase if actors go on strike too.

As soon as the strike authorization vote was announced, I knew I would vote yes on it. It’s important for us members to give the negotiating committee all the tools they feel they need for this contract negotiation. And if they feel having the approval of a strike authorization would help, then I want them to have that. And I’m encouraging all my fellow members to do the same.

I know that this can sound scary, but it’s important to remember that this might not lead to a strike. Sometimes just having this vote approved can be enough for the other side to want to make a deal and avoid a strike. And if you are a member and have questions or haven’t voted yet, you can go to this website for more information. If you haven’t received your PIN to vote, that can be accessed on the IVS ballot website with your membership number.

Voting will end on June 5th, so there is still time to vote if you are a paid-up member. And I know that if we had a high turnout, that would work in our favor even more.

So if you are in SAG-AFTRA, please vote and I highly encourage you to vote yes. This is only going to help in these negotiations and if it leads to a strike, then that must be necessary in order to get the fair things that we deserve.

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Another Virtual Union Meeting (or Getting Ready For What Is To Come)

Posted on May 17, 2023 | Comments Off on Another Virtual Union Meeting (or Getting Ready For What Is To Come)

I have tried to stay as involved with my union as much as I can for quite a bit of time. It hasn’t always been easy and I regret not doing it sooner, but I’m very glad for all the things I have been able to be a part of since I decided to be involved. Some of the meetings I have been able to attend are small groups or committees, which are nice to get to know people who have similar interests. And others have been big meetings like the LA Local Membership meeting which all members in the LA local are invited to attend.

The LA Local Membership meeting used to be a big in-person event that can be fun but also can feel overwhelming. And since the pandemic, it became a virtual event with everyone on a giant Zoom. As much as I love the in-person meetings because I get to meet new people, it is nice to watch the meeting from home so I don’t have to drive to get somewhere and I can be comfortable. And these meetings tend to be several hours long, so being home and able to move around and stretch or get some water and snacks while still watching is a nice bonus.

We had another Membership meeting this past weekend. Because of confidentiality, I can’t share much about what we specifically discussed. But there were a few main topics that came up quite a bit. The meeting started with the reports by different local officers, which is standard. The building that the union headquarters will be moving into was discussed in more detail than what we previously had. But the biggest things that were discussed over the 4 hours of the meeting were the upcoming elections, the current strike, and our upcoming contract negotiations.

The upcoming elections were gone over a bit with the dates and deadlines to keep in mind. But because we are almost in election season, things had to be discussed carefully so they weren’t considered electioneering. I don’t know how many members who were on the call were interested in running for union office, but I’m glad the information was shared because the more informed members are, the better.

The current strike took up a good amount of time because that is one of the biggest things affecting the industry right now. And I’m proud that SAG-AFTRA has been standing with the WGA and the union has been so great at getting information out to all the members about different picket lines and events we can be a part of. I still haven’t had the chance to go on a picket line, but I’m trying to figure out when I can take a little time away from work to do so. Because the WGA contract is not our contract, we don’t know when the strike might end, but we know why it’s happening and why it’s important.

Obviously, the WGA strike discussion lead to a discussion about our upcoming contract negotiations and if our union will strike. That is a decision that hasn’t been made yet and will have steps before it can happen. The leaders who ran the meeting went into the process that will be coming up with the negotiations and what steps would happen if we were to go on strike. I know there have been a lot of members confused about what happens before a strike, and it’s good that was cleared up. And I know others were worried that not enough would happen before we would go on strike or we wouldn’t know when that might occur. I know we get a lot of information via email, but people miss those. There aren’t a lot of other systems to get information out to thousands of people quickly, but I think discussing that everyone should check their emails will help more people to open them and maybe even have members reach out to other members to remind them to do the same.

The meeting was supposed to be 3 hours long, and it was over 4 hours long before it had to end. I was hoping to have a chance to ask a question during the Q&A, but there were too many other members ahead of me in the line so I didn’t have a chance to do so. But I’m ok with that since I have friends who can help me get the answers so I won’t be wondering. And I can share what I learn with other members through social media and other ways if necessary.

Overall, it was another really good and informative meeting to attend. And I think more people attended with it being virtual than could have attended if it was in-person. There are a lot of moving parts happening right now in the industry, and this was a great way for a lot of us to get on the same page with what is happening and to keep us all informed as things change. And I hope that all the members who attended will feel motivated to continue to be informed and educated so we can continue to strengthen our union.

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The Importance Of The Writers Strike (or I Support The WGA)

Posted on May 10, 2023 | 1 comment

The Writers Guild of America has been on strike for just over a week now. This isn’t the first time they’ve been on strike in recent history, but this time it feels different. The last strike was in 2007 and lasted 100 days. And even though there was social media during the last strike, I think the influence of social media is really showing itself this time.

I remember during the strike in 2007, there were people who were confused about why TV shows were shut down and not putting out new episodes. It didn’t feel like it was a huge news issue outside of LA or those in the entertainment industry. And when it did make the news, I feel like it took longer for those not directly involved to hear about it or understand what was going on. But this time, I was seeing things by friends who aren’t in the entertainment industry posting about a potential strike the week before it was going to happen. And as soon as the strike started, I saw people asking what they could do to support the WGA.

If you aren’t directly in the entertainment industry, there isn’t much you can do right now. I’ve seen some people post saying they should cancel Netflix, but I’ve seen people with the WGA say they aren’t asking for a boycott right now and it’s just a strike. So canceling streaming services isn’t necessary. If you are near where there are picket lines, you can always bring things like water, snacks, or sunscreen for everyone who is out there.

And for those of us in other unions, unless we have a show with a contract right now, we shouldn’t be crossing picket lines. I’ve seen things from SAG-AFTRA saying that if you are in production with a show and have a contract, you may be required to still go in for work and if you chose not to, there can be legal issues. I know that other actors have called into the union to check to make sure things they are doing are ok, and I think that’s a great option if you are confused. And a lot of my fellow actors have been joining the writers on the picket lines since the strike started. I haven’t had a chance to do that, but I’m hoping I can go soon during my lunch break from work since one of the picket line locations is pretty close to me. I might only be able to be there for about 30 minutes, but that’s better than nothing.

It’s never great when there is a strike and when work has stopped, but this is for something important. And the things the writers are asking for are very similar to what actors will be asking for in our upcoming contract negotiations. Streaming shows are not going away, and we need to restructure our contracts to fit that type of work. We have residuals in streaming, but it’s not the same scale we are used to. And having a limited number of episodes in a season has changed so much, but I think it has changed things more for writers than it has for actors. Making sure everyone is paid fairly for their work is a top priority. The work can be sporadic and not necessarily steady, but when someone is working full-time as a writer, they should be able to support themselves doing that and not stress about having a second job to make sure they can pay their bills.

I know most people hope that this strike will be shorter than the one in 2007, but I don’t know if that will happen. It seems like both sides are very far apart in what they want in the new contract, and it’s going to require a lot of compromises to come to a deal. But I know that this strike is important for the industry as a whole and that more than just the writers will benefit from the outcome.

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