Merger...It's Only the Beginning!

Merger is a gift we've given ourselves. It takes wisdom to recognize when the ways of the past will no longer serve the present, and great strength and courage to embrace the change necessary to ensure our futures.

I am honored to be among those whose vision, diligence and hard work served to bring us to this place of readiness.  The act of merger is just the beginning. If we ever needed the membership to rise up and be heard, it's now!

It is imperative that we use the power of this momentum to organize and educate ourselves as to how we can use the lessons of our past, our current strength in numbers and our present resources to ensure that we have a bright future in this industry. In the past couple of decades, there have been many forces, political and social, both within and outside of the industry, that have served to undermine the importance of our unions and guilds.

Now more than ever we need to maximize our opportunities for employment. Although our existing contracts will stand until the next negotiation, we need to seriously examine the terms and conditions of our contracts and policies.  We must be willing to make the necessary changes needed to make them as attractive as possible to the producers we wish to hire us, all the while, maintaining a fair wage structure and the protections and working conditions necessary to a professional work force.

This means we must take into consideration the changing times brought about by new media and technology, a rapidly growing non-union talent pool, a competitive global market and a depressed economy. With your commitment, passion and ideas, I have no doubt that we can reestablish ourselves as the most desirable work force on the planet.

We need you ... YOU are the UNION!  Your union is a function of what you need it to be, want it to be, design it to be!  I urge you to get involved, to take your future into your own hands! You could join a local or national committee, attend SAG-AFTRA-sponsored events, visit the website and/or run for office. Call your local SAG-AFTRA office or go to the national website and learn about all the ways that you can make a difference.

And, most importantly, make sure that your contacts in the industry — other actors, agents, producers, casting directors, crew members, teachers etc. — all know and appreciate how important it is to you to have a viable union. If they are not already involved, invite them to the discussion. Together we can build a new environment of cooperation and support where we all stand to gain and prosper.

This is a call to ACTION! We did it ... merger is here and now! Now let's take it all the way and create the most beneficial and productive union this country has ever seen!