Letter from the Local President

Dear Member,

That the only constant is change seems to be an undeniable truth, especially when it comes to our business. We are tasked to adapt to changes not only within our industry, but within our market. I am proud to say that our Portland Local — which covers Oregon and Southwest Washington — is vigorously working to get ahead of the curve: to guide these changes as opposed to simply responding to them. We work to communicate with other locals around the country to stay apprised of what is happening so that we may share our experiences and ideas with our union brothers and sisters and better strategize to move us all forward.

Portland is seeing an influx of new projects, which presents wonderful opportunities for our members. In order for members to fully benefit from these opportunities, we must be educated when it comes to our contracts. Because of the many platforms media is now channeled through and the varying budgets producers are able to use, there are specifics within those contracts that we must be aware of in order to facilitate appropriate negotiations for our work. Yes, it’s a business, and I prefer we keep it that way, because many would like to see us make it our hobby. 

Our elected board, which took office in September, made member education a pillar of its agenda, and is scheduling events to fulfill that promise. Be on the lookout for a workshop in April to educate both members and producers on the various contracts SAG-AFTRA offers, and what the rights and responsibilities of each party are. We also are planning a workshop on how to flip a job from non-union to union, as well as a self-tape workshop. Those three workshops were the top vote-getters at our membership meeting, which preceded our SAG Awards event. Yes, we are listening to our members.

As you know, there is just no place to live like the Northwest. And there’s no place like the Northwest to shoot, either. Make no mistake, our region and our members, as well as our fellow brothers and sisters in our crew unions, are valuable assets. We need to remember that and use it to our advantage — always. I believe in us. When we stand together, we can accomplish great things. Let’s just do that, shall we?

 

In solidarity,

Robert Blanche 
SAG-AFTRA Portland Local President