National Board Member Update

As we move into the second quarter of 2022, it is great to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. The past two years have been difficult, but things could have been much worse had it not been for the staff and elected leadership of SAG-AFTRA making the difficult choices that had to be made. Many of the most difficult decisions involved the dislocation of staff in 2020, but happily many of these positions have been refilled this year. However, resource conservation is still necessary, which means members need to be patient and have realistic expectations when contacting the local or national offices for assistance. Oftentimes, the answers to many of your questions can be found online, so I encourage you to use that resource. The SAG-AFTRA website continues to be updated with important tools to help members navigate their careers. I’m a firm believer that finding the answer to a question yourself can be the best way to learn how things work and be of great benefit down the road.

In case you missed them, here are a couple of updates on recent actions that will have a positive effect on members’ careers. The Tax Parity Act has bipartisan support and is moving steadily forward. There is a Seniors in Crisis Relief Fund in the works to help seniors who face tremendous obstacles to earning a living and qualifying for health insurance. And to keep members of all ages safe on set, the Return to Work Agreement agreed upon with our sister unions has been extended until April 30, 2022. The agreement has four changes going forward which include an update to the definition of “fully vaccinated” to mean including the vaccine booster, upgraded mask requirements provided by the employer to KN95, KF94 or N95, refreshing the COVID-19 sick leave bank for all cast and crew to 10 days, and adding a number of additional antigen tests that are authorized for use. As always, member safety is SAG-AFTRA’s highest priority.

Finally, as you probably have heard by now, the annual 2% increase in base dues was approved at the last National Board meeting. Undoubtedly there will be some who will not be happy about this increase. But let me give you a little perspective on why the increase is necessary and how it will impact individual members. You need to understand that the union operates on the monies collected from initiation fees and dues, which are comprised of a base dues amount plus an amount based on the member’s earnings. Dues are paid twice a year. Unlike a typical business, the union does not sell goods or services, so without initiation fees and dues there would be no income with which to operate. When production is down (like it has been for the past two years) it means earnings are down, which negatively impacts operations and is why the small increase in base dues was necessary. 

Keep in mind that current base dues are $222.96, which means a 2% increase comes to only $4.46 for an individual member, but collectively means hundreds of thousands of dollars for maintaining operations. When I think about the protections our contracts provide, the wages and workings conditions, residuals collected, claims filed on my behalf and much more, personally, I think that the annual dues I pay are worth every penny and then some. 

Debra Nelson
National Board