July 2016 National Board Meeting Notes

This report was submitted by George Sanchez, who attended the National Board meeting as an alternate for National Board member Charles Ferrara. — Ed.

The July Board meeting was a videoconference with members in New York and Los Angeles.

The meeting was opened by President Gabrielle Carteris, who thanked members for supporting her and gave a summary of what she hopes to accomplish as president. Carteris noted that among the goals she has set for her presidency are enhancing diversity and expanding employment opportunities for all members.

The board approved establishment of the Theatrical/Television Wages and Working (W&W) Conditions Committee. Each local is authorized to appoint a local W&W committee to hold caucuses and meetings to establish the experiences and desires of the membership. Each committee will use its input to develop proposals and suggestions, which will then be considered by the national negotiating team. The National Board will meet in January 2017 to consider the recommendations.

Finally, the Board received a report on the efforts of employees at KNBR Radio (San Francisco) to receive a union contract.

Secretary-Treasurer Jane Austin and Chief Financial Officer Arianna Ozzanto reported the fiscal year 2016 results including a surplus of $12 million due to higher-than-projected revenue and enhanced expense management.

The merged health plan becomes effective Jan. 1, 2017. Informational meetings were held around the country. The Board appointed union-side trustees to the newly merged SAG-AFTRA Health Plan. A Member Care Contact Center was established in May of this year to provide the best possible practices for customer service and relationship management. The Board appointed union-side trustees to the newly merged SAG-AFTRA Health Plan. New practices and technology innovation are in place to protect members on the job and ensure their questions and concerns are resolved more quickly.

Contracts reported the ratification of the commercials contracts, and the Legal Department facilitated the approval of the New Orleans Local’s constitutional amendment expanding the Local Board by one at-large member.

This item was originally featured in the September 2016 local newsletter.