Local Executive Director’s Report

 

Happy spring to our members in Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Washington state. 

The SAG-AFTRA Seattle Local has been busy the past six months. Our committees are active and we are focused on empowering and bettering the lives of performers and broadcasters in our local through member outreach, organizing around the corporate/educational waiver, and keeping our members engaged. Below are a few highlights of our events.

Last fall, SAG-AFTRA members formed a group called APP Northwest, Seattle (Alliance of Professional Performers). This group brings together union and non-union performers to organize for better standards in our industry. We are continuing to meet and focus on the union standard.  

In November, our Diversity Committee hosted a panel event discussing racism in acting and broadcasting and how we can take steps together to start breaking down barriers. This is an important issue locally and in our industry. Often, marginalized groups have the hardest time finding work.  

Membership meeting. Photo by Ashley Cozine.

In December, we had a membership meeting attended by over 50 members. We used this opportunity to kick off our campaign to help renew our Washington State film incentive. 

Currently, all of our committees are organizing around the film bill. Twenty-five SAG-AFTRA members were joined by hundreds more from the film industry at our state Capitol for Film Lobby Day on March 13 in hopes of renewing our film incentive. It is imperative that funding for the arts is not cut. 

We must not stop organizing in the workplace. We cannot be paralyzed by threats such as so-called “right-to-work” laws, cuts in funding for public broadcasting and the arts and the threats to our members that work in journalism. Together, we are strong. 

In the Seattle Local, actors and broadcasters are on the move! 

In solidarity,

Shellea Allen
Seattle Local Executive Director