National Board Report

Aloha,

I attended a meeting of the National Executive Committee in Los Angeles on July 20, immediately followed by a meeting of the Committee of Locals (for locals outside L.A. and New York) and the National Board meeting on July 21.  

Executive Committee

We approved negotiated contracts for broadcasters in several markets and various other business, most of which is confidential. The reason much of the Executive Committee’s business is confidential is because much of it is sensitive and regards negotiations of contracts, so we must do all that we can to prevent this information from falling into the hands of those we negotiate with, e.g., producers (some of whom are members), studios and production companies.

Committee of Locals 

SAG-AFTRA Chief Economist David Viviano gave a very thorough and fascinating report on entertainment production and employment trends by locals. Conclusion: There is a lot of growth in the number productions and much of that growth is taking place outside of L.A. and New York. The small and mid-sized locals across the country are increasing in stature within the union as workloads increase. 

National Board Meeting 

The SAG-AFTRA National Board met in a one-day videoconference plenary and unanimously approved the historic, first-ever tentative agreement reached with Telemundo Television Studios on July 12 covering Spanish-language television performers. 

The board also approved the tentative agreement made with the major broadcast television networks on June 9. With the board’s approval, the National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting (the Network Television Code) was sent to the union’s membership, which ratified it in August. 
 
SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said, “I want to thank the board for its unanimous approval of the Telemundo agreement. This first contract creates a solid foundation from which to build and speaks to the fact that we all deserve strong protections and respect. I’m also gratified by the board’s approval and recommendation of a ‘yes’ vote on the Network Television Code. This agreement reflects $200 million in member earnings across nearly all television day parts. This contract is SAG-AFTRA’s first major agreement to include language regarding sexual harassment — a movement towards true systemic change.”

The agreement with Telemundo followed 15 months of negotiations. 

We heard several other reports including:

President’s Report

Carteris opened the meeting with a moment of silence in honor of members who have passed away since the last meeting. She spoke about the successful Network Television Code and Telemundo negotiations, the agreement reached with newly launched streaming platform Zeus, and provided an update on the union’s efforts regarding its fight for digital image rights.

National Executive Director’s Report

National Executive Director David White delivered a summary overview of the changing business and regulatory landscape facing labor and our industry, the union’s work with content creators and the importance of member involvement in the upcoming commercials contracts negotiations.

Financial Report

Secretary-Treasurer Jane Austin and Chief Financial Officer Arianna Ozzanto gave the financial report for the year ending April 30, 2018. The presentation also included a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, in which they issued an unqualified audit opinion.

Ozzanto reported a year-end surplus of $8.3 million due to a combination of increased revenue and expense management.

Contracts Report

In addition to the above contracts news, the board also unanimously approved the Public Television Agreement bargained with public television companies WGBH, WNET, WETA, KCET, KQED, WQED Multimedia and Twin Cities Public Television Inc. 

Digital Evolution Update

Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Pamela Greenwalt gave a presentation on the union’s digital evolution, its new sagaftra.org website, email marketing enhancements and a preview of future developments to improve members’ digital experience.

In solidarity,

Scott Rogers, National Board Member