National Board Member Report

By Scott Rogers

Our historic first National Board meeting took place in Los Angeles on May 19 and 20, and I, for one, thought it was very encouraging. The amount of work it takes to combine two large unions, each with its own culture and way of doing things, is astounding, and our national officers and staff are clearly up to the task. As we look forward to the first 100 days, and then to the completion of our first year as a merged union, we begin to understand that merger is a process and not a single act. From staffing issues to committees, from rules to contracts to organizing, the merger has begun! There will be bumps in the road as we go forward, but if this first board meeting was any indication, the National Board is committed, leaving our egos at the door and working together for the good of the membership. We had vigorous debates about several proposals, but we completed our agenda. All sides were respectful and positive regardless of whether they won or lost. Therefore, we ALL won! You can see the proposals that were passed and business conducted on the SAG and AFTRA websites (which should be combined into the SAG-AFTRA website in the next six to eight weeks!).

This item was originally featured in the July 2012 local newsletter.