The Broadcast Steering Committee met by Zoom on March 23 for its first meeting of the new year. The committee kicked off the meeting by continuing the ongoing conversation around artificial intelligence.
SAG-AFTRA Executive Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy Kerri Wood Einertson gave an overview of work the union is doing to support and promote legislation to protect members’ likenesses and right-of-publicity at the federal and state levels. Additionally, staff and member leaders touched on the status of current negotiations and discussed ongoing disputes concerning A.I. across the country.
The BSC also welcomed special guest Tim McCarthy, president of the Broadcasters Foundation of America, who gave a brief presentation on the support offered to broadcasters in need through their grant program. Find out more at broadcastersfoundation.org.
The March meeting rounded out with updates from staff on the 2024 calendar lineup, including upcoming journalism conferences and national Zoom trainings with the SAG-AFTRA team. Organizing staff gave updates on the success of several newly organized shops, and the News & Broadcast team gave updates on current happenings in stations around the country, leading members to engage in a productive discussion around safety issues in the field.
At the committee’s previous meeting, on Dec. 9, 2023, also held virtually, SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Linda Powell presented an update on the groundbreaking victories in the TV/Theatrical agreements. National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland gave an overview of the successes that came from the historic 118-day strike and thanked broadcast members for their support. Committee members were eager to learn more about the negotiations and the contract language, and welcomed the opportunity to give their congratulations to the TV/Theatrical members on a hard-fought success.
BSC Vice Chair and WRC-TV shop steward Tracee Wilkins led a conversation on broadcast member engagement strategies at the worksite and within the union. She and others discussed the importance of broadcast union visibility and representation on every level, from shop steward to local board. Committee members engaged in a lively discussion on best practices and strategies for engaging, activating, and organizing members and empowering them to lead.
The BSC will meet again in June.
This item originally featured in the SAG-AFTRA spring 2024 magazine issue.