2021 L.A. Local Membership Meeting Recap

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 general membership meeting was canceled. However, as membership meetings typically take place every year, on March 13 the famine ended, and Los Angeles became the first SAG-AFTRA local to have a virtual general membership meeting since the COVID-19 crisis began. Members had the opportunity to hear from elected leaders and staff, as well as to provide their direct input.
 
Approximately 350 members attended the event, joining throughout the day for the five-hour meeting, which was mostly dedicated to questions and comments from members.
 
L.A. Local President Patricia Richardson kicked off the meeting with an overview of how the day would go, and in an effort toward transparency and inclusion, she reversed the previous pattern of membership meetings by allowing members to present unreviewed questions and statements, also permitting as many members as possible to be heard before the meeting ended.
 
She then shared her thoughts about how to continue protecting the hard-fought gains in wages and working conditions into the next decade, with an emphasis on our next generation of performers. Afterwards, she was followed by SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, Secretary-Treasurer Camryn Manheim and National Executive Director David White, who revealed all the efforts and advocacy on the national level concerning public policy, protection of members on sets, the American Rescue Plan and social justice. 
 
Then-Local Executive Director Ilyanne Morden Kichaven concluded the remarks portion of the meeting by sharing all the resources and volunteer opportunities available to L.A. members. With her retirement planned for March, she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve Los Angeles members in support of the labor movement for the past 20-plus years.
 
In addition, L.A. Local officers First Vice President Frances Fisher, Second Vice President David Jolliffe and SAG-AFTRA Chief Operating Officer Duncan Crabtree-Ireland also served as panelists to answer questions and respond to statements. 
 
Then it was time for member input. Among the many issues that came up, major concerns were expressed over changes in the health plan as well as the overwhelming, sometimes burdensome trend of self-taping, which has become the new normal.
 
Several advisory motions were made to the L.A. Local Board, which will be discussed at its next meeting. 
 
If you weren’t able to speak or you subsequently thought of other topics, please feel free to send your thoughts to LA@sagaftra.org.