Dear Member,
I wanted to bring you up to speed on the WGA strike and our negotiations which begin June 7.
As I wrote to you last week, and have said many times, union solidarity is crucial. Unions gain strength by supporting each other and the WGA fight is a righteous one.
We are united in support of the WGA and I thank all of the SAG-AFTRA members who are showing solidarity with their strike. For those who haven’t yet been able to do so, I hope you will join me and others in supporting the writers on a picket line. Visit sagaftra.org/wgastrike for updates and watch your emails.
As a member of the WGA, I can say firsthand the contributions made by writers cannot be undermined, diminished or cheapened. I’ve said it a thousand times, “If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage!”
Even while we are showing strong public support to our sister union, we are privately finalizing and preparing for our own negotiations. Let me unpack that process briefly so you can feel confident that no stone has been left unturned.
Wages and working conditions meetings across the nation went on for weeks, after which each local presented their top member concerns.
Over an unprecedented seven days, the Wages and Working Conditions Plenary Committee vetted every single submission. We called in member experts to speak on issues impacting every member category.
It was important to us all that we had a complete understanding of the wants and needs of all the members, each of whom will be profoundly impacted by the outcome of this negotiation.
Our National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez were right there throughout the plenary helping determine our approach to these negotiations which will be life-changing for our members.
We are fortunate to have this collaborative and brilliant team adapting our wants and needs into a tight, innovative and aggressive negotiating package.
We must focus on modernizing our outdated and conservative contract. It is essential that we reshape our agreement to better reflect the new digital and streaming business model that is rapidly changing our industry.
There has never been a better time to be fearless and forward-thinking in our bargaining approach.
This is a turning point for us all and what happens now will define our future.
Get ready everyone. The future is NOW!
Fran
President