President's Report

By Rolf Burton

Thank you everyone for your support these last two years. My main goal was to promote the merger of AFTRA and SAG, and we accomplished that goal. I will always remember the day when my name was called at the AFTRA National Board Meeting to ask for my vote: yes or no for merger. I said, “Yes!”

Thank you to Glenn Cannon. You will be missed. It was an honor to work with Glenn as a co-president of our local. His leadership skill and the advice he gave to me and the board was invaluable. As I step down from co-president and national board member, I look forward to the future of our union and the film industry in Hawaii. I want to thank Brenda Ching for her tireless efforts at the Legislature to preserve our tax credit for film and television. When I thanked her in person, she reminded me that it was a group effort. Union performers must continue to fight for their rights collectively. Together we are strong. It is my hope that we continue to help each other every day. If a member on set needs help with something, make their day. Do what you can to help another member.

In two years there will be another election. It is my hope that anyone who has the time to volunteer for the Hawaii Local Board will run for office. If you value your union, it is important to give back. Every day, there are people working to take away your union benefits: Pension, health care, wages and safe working conditions are not guaranteed. Members before us fought for good contracts, working conditions and benefits. Employers would prefer to pay us something far less. The important thing to know is that they need us to create their product.  

It’s time to put aside our differences. We are constantly bombarded by propaganda used to drive wedges between ethnic groups, sexual orientations, men and women, old and young. We are all fighting for the same thing. What we need to do is fight together as a whole to preserve what we have and build on it so we can pass it on to the next generation. 

Google “May 1st.” Find out why there is an eight-hour work day. You are a powerful person when you are informed. Educate yourself on what a so-called “right-to-work state” is, or, in truth, “right-to-work-for-less state.” Now is the time to make a plan, write down a goal, be healthy, eat right, sleep well, go to class and be ready when your agent or the casting director calls you. Hawaii is on the map and we must continue to build on our reputation so that productions hire us.

On a final note, remind your friends who are interested in joining the union that the initiation fee to join the SAG-AFTRA Hawaii Local is the same amount as the former SAG initiation fee: $1,025. This amount may soon change. 

Mahalo! 

This item was originally featured in the August 2013 local newsletter.