Aloha Hawaii Local Members,
You have made a difference! Every single one of you that have participated in any way by attending any of our many rallies across our islands, speaking to the media about how the strike is affecting you and your Ohana, sharing on your personal social media pages or even wearing your strike shirt around and letting others know about what is happening. Every single one of us has an impact. We are part of a union because we know that by working together, our voice and influence is stronger.
We have seen an outpouring of support for the island of Maui from around the world since the tragedy on Aug. 8. We have a hui of local union members on Maui who have been meeting regularly, helping at the centers and connecting people to resources to assist them. Thank you to that hui and to all the Hawaii local members who have gone over to help on Maui, gave or collected donations and assisted in any way possible. If you would like to get involved, email our Local Executive Director Mericia Palma Elmore and she can connect you to those Maui members.
Mahalo for your resolve and determination in these very tough times, while we are working to pursue a fair and just contract. This summer and fall will go down in history for worldwide unrest, natural disasters and economic hardships. In the face of all this uncertainty, it will also be remembered for the millions of workers across the country, in all industries, who have bravely stood up and declared that we deserve a fair wage and safety and protections in our jobs. Our careers as performers and our very industry are in jeopardy.
Your Hawaii Local Board, including myself, Andy Sikkink as your president, Henry Ian Cusick as your National Board rep, Charles Uyehara as your VP, and Scott Swartz as your secretary, have met with Mericia each and every week since the beginning of the strike in July to help strategize and support our strike efforts. We know how incredibly difficult these times have been, and will continue to be, until the powerful, wealthy companies come back to the table. While we are all discouraged that the most recent negotiations with the AMPTP have broken down, we continue to stand strong together. We know that if we don’t try to protect our personal rights and livelihoods of everyone in our industry, the greedy and powerful CEOs will further erode our incomes, health and retirement benefits, and claim the rights to our very identities through unregulated use of AI.
There are resources available to help our members during this prolonged strike. Reach out to our local ED Mericia if you would like more information on local community resources. Please go to sagaftrastrike.org to read the latest announcements and keep up with important information. Also, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation has emergency assistance resources available to members.
We, your volunteer Hawaii Local Board, encourage you to continue to participate and reach out to support your fellow members and our friends in the industry.
One day longer, one day stronger!
Andrea “Andy” Sikkink
Hawaii Local President
Pupukahi I Holomua!
Unite to Move Forward!