National Board Member Report

by Art Lynch

The road ahead is one of change and opportunity for all Nevada members.

As our union is entering into negotiations for the TV/Theatrical-Exhibit A Contracts, we do so as one union, unified as one force. We do so strong nationally, but without the local executive, budget and communication we enjoyed for almost four decades under our “legacy” union, the Screen Actors Guild. We, as members, need to step up to the plate, “bat 1,000” and promote unions here in Nevada.

We are the union of the future: SAG-AFTRA.

The new union requires member activism at all levels, from events to committees, the local board to representing SAG-AFTRA in a positive way every time you audition or work on a set.

I encourage you to audition for roles, including “non-union” work (if they want you, help them sign a union contract before you work and remember Global Rule One, and do not work non-union).

Through showing our talents at auditions, we impress and convert new and pre-union producers and directors to use union talent, encourage membership and grow the talent pool for Nevada.

A world of change.

Labor unions, born of the struggles of the 19th century, continue to face changes in management, economics, technology and public opinion. One group, actors, face the increasing impact of technology, decentralization and rapid growth.

Modern unions started in an age when hotels put out signs that read “no dogs or actors allowed.” Actors were looked upon as traveling deadbeats, just as today unions are used as political scapegoats.

Unions are under attack from every level. Billionaires and corporate giants are funding the rapid expansion of laws that undermine the finances of unions at an increasing rate. They claim that unions spend huge amounts on politics and that those dues are to influence elections and laws. Not so.

At SAG-AFTRA, the amount spent on politics may be less than 1 percent, and none of it is used to directly support a particular candidate or party.

Unions help offset the huge financial forces who would have you work for free or under unsafe conditions.

Initiation fees and dues help pay for memberships services, including negotiating and policing wages and working conditions, something management would rather not see. Any service the union provides is provided by paid employees who work, as it turns out, for far less than their counterparts in the corporate world. 

Without union funds, there can be no unions.

SAG-AFTRA is a union. Many want to pretend otherwise, but look into history and you will see that both unions that merged recently were begun as just that: unions. We have over 80 years of history of being a part of and standing up for the rights of all workers.

Whenever non-union, pre-union or SAG-AFTRA-eligible talent works, they are taking money from the pockets of union performers. Since they can work both union and non-union, they can earn union pay and benefits under hard-fought union contracts while supporting potential employers who use the available “trained talent pool” as an excuse to not use SAG-AFTRA members.

As one columnist put it, “right-to-work” is theft.

Can I walk into your country club and use all the services without paying, while you as a member have to pay for that membership and those services?

Non-union talent can work without having to join the union, gaining all the benefits we have earned over the years.

Can I get a lawyer or doctor who does non-union commercials to give me their services for less than they claim they are worth? How long would that doctor, lawyer or country club stay in business if they gave it all away for free?

In a so-called “right-to–work” state, non-union talent does not have to pay initiation or dues to gain the full benefits of union work.

It’s our union. Our union needs our help. Your voice is needed.

This item was originally featured in the April 2014 local newsletter.