A Message From DFW Local President Nikki Dixon

Dear Member,

It's been a minute since my last president's letter. How the heck are you? I know that's a loaded question and I am so very sorry for that! There are a lot of things happening but not a lot of things happening at the same time. 

Since we last "spoke," a couple of strikes were averted from IATSE and Teamsters. The mantra I'm hearing now is “Survive until 2025.” The holidays are upon us, and we know that now is the time that the industry slows down. One strike that wasn't averted was the video games strike. As of July 26 at 12:01 a.m., video game performers have been on strike. If you are a video game performer and need to know what games are okay to work, grab the game's code name and production ID and go to the SAG-AFTRA website.

But silver lining is that the union, your union, is continuing to work. I often hear about how the union should do this and the union should do that ... but you are the union. We had wages and working conditions meetings happening for the Commercials Contracts. If you had concerns or thoughts on things that need to change in that contract, you could have attended these wages and working conditions meetings. They have closed for this contract session, but TV/Theatrical negotiations are right around the corner.

DFW Local members came out in force over the past six months to support the wrongfully terminated Dancers of DBDT. Thanks to the solidarity of sibling union members and allies, I am happy to report that the Dancers have reached a settlement agreement with Dallas Black Dance Theatre, largely brokered by the NLRB. This unified effort has sent a clear message that exploitation in the performing arts will not be tolerated!

In October, I attended the Committee of Locals Conference in Los Angeles. The Committee of Locals consists of the 23 small and mid-sized locals outside of Los Angeles and California. We got together to discuss challenges facing our locals and how we plan to address them in the coming years. And not only that, our very own Suzanne Burkhead, DFW Local Board member and national vice president, small locals, won the Howard Keel Award for union service. So, take a minute to send her a very deserved congratulatory note!

A couple of things happening in our local and beyond that you should be aware of:

1. The end of the year and the membership meeting is upon us. If you haven't already, hurry up and RSVP. It's Dec. 10 at Blue Mesa in Addison. I look forward to seeing you there!
2. The SAG Awards ceremony is happening Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. To receive your screeners and to participate in voting, remember to pay your dues by this Tuesday, Dec. 10 to participate. Check the SAG-AFTRA website for your balance if you're unsure. Also, we're having a party! If you would like to be on the SAG Awards Planning Committee please contact the office. We would love your ideas.
3. The 500-mile travel waiver is sunsetting on Jan. 1. The travel waiver essentially birthed the term "modified local hire" and gave production an incentive to hire talent if they were within a 500-mile radius of the shooting location. To get more information, click here.

And finally, with a heavy, heavy heart, we are saying goodbye to our local executive director, Tom Schwarz. In his short term as ED, he has made a huge impact by helping us connect with the local AFL-CIO and other sibling unions around town. He helped us plan and execute a successful membership meeting, SAG Awards party and strike rally! His last day with us will be Dec. 31. So, Tom, we would like to take this time to say thank you, thank you, thank you!

Please know a search committee has been formed and we are actively looking for our next executive director. 

And, with that, I bid you a happy holidays! I hope you are able to use this time to regroup, recharge and be refreshed. Be sure to like and follow our Local page on Facebook. See you all soon!

Nikki Dixon

Dallas-Fort Worth Local President