Dear Members,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and you are looking forward to the holidays.
Thanks
One thing I am thankful for this year is the member participation we had at our TV/Theatrical/Streaming Strike Solidarity events. Beginning with SAG-AFTRA Solidarity Day at the Fair on Labor Day, followed by our Solidarity Mixer at Fair State Brewery and then the Rally in Rice Park, the Twin Cities Local joined in the chorus of members across the country in our 118-day strike. And with labor sisters and brothers in and out of the industry, elected officials, and the public at large, we proved to the world that our fight was righteous and SAG-AFTRA is indeed strong. Thank you to those who joined the fight.
And it was a fight worth having, with the three biggest issues threatening the future of performers in this industry: wage increases that match inflation, residuals in the world of streaming, and protections against AI, each of which we have made gains on.
Ratification
By now I hope you’ve had time to attend one of the informational webinars or look over the sagaftra.org/contracts2023 resource site to understand the extraordinary gains this tentative agreement brings to members. If questions remain, answers can be found on the site through the Q&As, webinar recordings, a summary of the agreement and the agreement itself. You can also email tvtheatrical2023@sagaftra.org or call (323) 549-6832 with any questions. Your National Board overwhelmingly recommends a "Yes" vote to ratify this agreement.
In negotiations, as I expect you know, it is impossible to get everything you want. With the timing of our strike, the unity of our members, and universal support from organized labor and the general public, we were able to get much more than was thought possible. That strength and momentum would be impossible to replicate if a “No” vote forced us back into negotiations.
What we have before us are huge gains that not only protect us going into the future but set us up to build on these protections, strengthening our provisions as technologies develop and streaming viewership continues its course. I won’t burden you with listing them here. Please see the resource site if you’d like that info. What I will say is, on the issue that was of greatest concern, AI, we fought to the end for consent and compensation — and we got it! And, as is being reported on the status of this technology, this may be the first time our contract provisions have put us ahead of the curve with where the industry is heading.
What I think is especially important about this tentative agreement (which was unanimously approved by the Negotiating Committee, by the way) is that these are the types of TV/Theatrical/Streaming jobs that we anticipate coming to Minnesota now that we’ve enhanced the film production tax credit. It’s been decades since Minnesota was in a place to compete for film and episodic production. Now that our tax credit is ready to face the future, with your approval, we will have contracts that ready us for the future as well.
With that, I urge all eligible voting members to support the contract before us and vote "yes" prior the Dec. 5, 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT deadline.
Gather
Finally, I ask all members to attend our annual membership meeting on Dec. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. To include members across Minnesota and those in the Dakotas, we will be meeting via Zoom.
Updates from the board will be given, along with introductions to and updates from committee co-chairs of our Broadcast, Communications, Conservatory, Film Festivals, Organizing and SAG Awards Committees, and our Government Affairs and Public Policy Subcommittee. Come hear what is in the mix for local members.
In addition, we will be joined by Casting Director Lynn Blumenthal, who will be talking with us about her perspective on the film and TV industry following our enhancements to the film production tax credit and the end of the strike, and what performers can do to better prepare themselves to compete in this revitalized market.
Please, come together in unity with Twin Cities Local members on Dec. 13.
In solidarity,
Casey E. Lewis
Twin Cities Local President