Message from the Executive Director

The first thing we say at every new member orientation meeting is “Welcome to the Philadelphia Local.” Invariably, most people in attendance do not live in Philadelphia. In fact, most people in the Philadelphia Local do not live in Philadelphia. Your local covers a few hundred miles of real estate, starting from Central Pennsylvania through Lancaster County, the Poconos, the Philadelphia suburbs, through Philly to Central and South Jersey, the Jersey Shore and down through Delaware. That’s a lot of territory!

And while Philadelphia is generally central to the 3,000-plus Philadelphia members, where people live and, maybe more important, where they work, may not be in or around Philadelphia at all. So how do we be successful as a local when so many members live and work across such a large swath of territory?

Maybe the first priority is to have an online membership support system supported by local staff so that, for most members, coming to the office itself will never be necessary. Whether it is joining, paying dues, getting information on pension and health, filing a grievance or investigating a claim, we have both national and local infrastructure to support you regardless of where you live or work.

Secondly, we ensure that everyone on staff has a full tank of gas and is ready to hit the road to be on site as much as possible and visible throughout our region. This could be at one of our broadcast stations in and around the city; set visits in Atlantic City; outreach events in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; lobbying in Trenton, New Jersey; or having Conservatory meetings in King of Prussia. Whatever makes the most sense for the membership is where staff will be.

Lastly and most recently there has been a concerted effort to organize events outside of Philadelphia proper in order to expand our footprint in the region and perhaps make the union more accessible for those who do not get to the city. Over the summer, for example, we held events in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and Newark, Delaware. Both events were well attended and included people who had never attended a union event before. This fall, we have events in South Jersey and hopefully Lancaster again to similarly reach a new set of people. Major events will most likely continue to be held in or near Philadelphia just from a centrally located perspective, but while our brick-and-mortar office is located near city hall, the “union” is located in each and every member of the local.

What can you do? If it’s difficult to get the to city but you would like to have an event near you, please contact the office to discuss. Whether it’s a coffee hour or a conservatory event, there is nothing like having members sitting face to face to move SAG-AFTRA forward, and not just on a map.  

Stephen Leshinski