A Letter from Your Portland Local President

SAG-AFTRA Portland Local Members,

I hope this letter finds you and yours well. I’m reaching out for a very important reason. We, as SAG-AFTRA members, have one of our most important responsibilities in front of us: VOTING!

By now, you’ve probably read the news that SAG-AFTRA reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on June 11, and that the SAG-AFTRA National Board approved the tentative agreement by a super majority of 67.61% to 32.39%.
 
It is now up to the membership (that’s you!) to ratify this three-year contract.
 
What does all this mean? I know for years I just read over info sent to me and didn’t really understand. Well, here is a quick explanation of the process.

• SAG-AFTRA members (like you) are selected to be on the negotiating team for our contracts (those things we sign on set and that determine our pay and rights).
• Negotiations occur and often go on for weeks and late into the night. Our negotiators have many things they are fighting for, for all of us. In negotiations, neither side ever gets everything they want … EVER (an important point to remember).
• Once an agreement is made, the new contract is voted on by our National Board (the people we all put in the room to help steer our union in the right direction). See above for results in this case.
• If the National Board votes yes then WE — meaning YOU and I because, hey, WE are our UNION — are up at bat! It’s our turn!

As your Portland Local president, I want you to know that I will be voting YES on this deal — and there are multiple reasons why I urge you to vote YES as well. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or others on the board with questions.
 
In addition, I invite you to check out the 2020 TV/Theatrical Referendum by going to sagaftra.org/contracts2020. I also encourage you to attend an online informational meeting to discuss details of the contract this Tuesday, July 14, at 2 p.m. Click here for details and to RSVP. 
 
In the middle of a global pandemic, at a time of economic upheaval and dramatic declines in industry revenue, we were still able to secure huge gains.

All eligible members were mailed a postcard on July 1 with a PIN number and instructions on how to vote online or how to request a paper ballot. If you don’t have your PIN, you may retrieve it at the voting website. Whether submitted online or by mail, ballots must be received by 5 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 22, 2020.

I hope you will join me in voting YES on this historic contract. Our FUTURE depends on it!
 
In solidarity,
 
Michelle Damis
Portland Local President