A Message From the New York Local President

Dear Member,

As 2023 kicks into full gear, I begin with an important legislative development in New York State. New York state legislators once again passed the Equal Rights Amendment. This amendment, supported by SAG-AFTRA, prohibits discrimination by the government based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex — including their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, and enshrines the right to seek an abortion in the state’s constitution. This measure will be put to voters in 2024, and I encourage you to vote yes.

And now some important SAG-AFTRA updates to share. As I reported in my last message, all SAG-AFTRA offices will begin the process of opening back up on Monday, Jan. 30. This is exciting news — but please manage expectations. This will be a slow and very deliberate rollout in order to provide the best level of service and safety to our membership as well as our staff. Thank you in advance for your patience as we get in-person activity up and running. We will notify you as specific on-site programs and events are able to resume. 

Speaking of “in-person,” it is a great joy to invite you to our New York Local SAG Awards viewing party on Sunday, Feb. 26. Please save the date and be sure to RSVP when the email blast with specific details is sent in the coming weeks. In the meantime, be sure and take a moment to catch up on the nominated performances in our new SAG Awards ultimate viewers guide.

Finally, just before the holidays, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher announced a breakthrough with IMDb. After many conversations with us, IMDb has updated their policies around the ways industry professionals represent themselves on the site, including allowing them the ability to choose whether their age/birth year, birth name, alternate names, and other demographic information are displayed on their IMDbPro and IMDb name pages. You can access details about their new policies and products on our website, including information on a 30% discount for new and renewing IMDbPro standard subscriptions for SAG-AFTRA members.

Forward together,

Ezra Knight
New York Local President