Message From Your National Board Representative

The 2017 TV/Theatrical Contract negotiation proposals were approved by the National Board in January. The package is a result of the largest and most diverse wages and working conditions team in our history, per National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator David White. Challenges in the ever-changing landscape in which our members work and perform brought hard work and active members together to make relevant and useful proposals. Members were engaged throughout the country for their input, which brings me to the next point: member involvement.

We are experiencing a new and exciting purpose going forward, with increased communication and the ability to say what is important to us, as members, in our diverse geographical turf. On a national level, we are being visited by both member and staff leaders to listen and hear our concerns in our ever-varied markets.

A new direct deposit program has been rolled out to help cut the processing time to receive residuals payments. I’m sure most of you have heard about our new SAG-AFTRA app to track and give individualized info to you at your fingertips. If you haven’t tried it yet, please do yourself a favor and check it out! We got to experience it at the last board meeting prior to launch, and it is really sharp and easy to use.

Our recent trip to Tucson was exhilarating, fun and informative. Meeting new people and seeing old friends joined by a common sense of community helped us all remember why we joined a union in the first place. Our union’s regional education and outreach liaison, Cynthia Williams, presented seminars to future filmmakers and students in Tucson in order to demonstrate the ease of using our professional members and contracts. This was followed by a meet-and-greet with members to encourage activism and staying in the loop to promote our careers.

We had a terrific turnout at our annual SAG Awards viewing party, and I want all of you to know that your entire board worked hard on each aspect: choosing a venue, soliciting donations for our fabulous drawings throughout the evening, decorating, meeting and greeting everyone — they all participated and helped make it such a successful and fun night. Thank you to all! There was lots of networking with other actors, upcoming opportunities, directors and surprise guests, which made for a great social and business event for getting together and staying connected.

We have upcoming workshops planned based on what we have heard from you. I encourage you to attend Industry Night at the Phoenix Film Festival April 7  from 5 – 10 p.m.  While you are at it, catch some great movies, educational opportunities and Q&As with writers and directors. The festival begins on April 6. We will be there with a table and so will most people involved with the industry in Arizona. Find out what you may have been missing and mix it up with a lot of colleagues and those you have not had a chance to meet. Did I say it is free to attend?

If you’ve been away for a while or have been enjoying our great Arizona locations without television, phone or computer, I just want you to know that we finally have a state film office, headed by the very capable Matthew Earl Jones. He came armed with ideas to reignite our film industry in Arizona.

Please don’t forget to support our interactive strike and, if you are somewhere that is holding a rally, show your support. Again, I promise you will learn a lot, have fun and receive more than you give.

The more we support each other, stay involved, communicate and socialize, the stronger we will be! Please join us when you can. Let us know your concerns and stay strong. We are union! We are SAG-AFTRA!

Margie Ghigo
Arizona-Utah National Board Representative 

This item was originally featured in the Spring 2017 local newsletter.