Los Angeles and New York, (July 11, 2015) – The SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors met today in a one-day videoconference plenary and reviewed administrative, finance and governance matters.
The National Board received reports including:
President’s Report
SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard provided an update on the union’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement, which is working to engage and empower members across the country.
Howard also reported that he will be attending the AFL-CIO executive council meeting in Washington, D. C., later this month.
National Executive Director’s Report
National Executive Director David White provided a report on union organizing efforts including outreach activities through its commercials organizing and recapture initiative.
White also highlighted the recently concluded contract negotiations with National Public Radio (NPR) citing member solidarity and strategic organizing as components of securing the deal.
The contract is currently being voted on by members of the NPR unit. NPR is the largest broadcast unit that SAG-AFTRA represents, with approximately 400 members.
White reported on the union’s continuous improvement efforts citing sustained residual processing of under 30 days in 14 of the past 17 months, upgrades to the union’s phone menu system and website enhancements including a new mobile responsive design.
White also updated the board on the union’s A Call to Arts partnership with the American Film Institute and the Obama administration to mentor those pursuing careers as storytellers. Additionally, he announced the launch of the sagaftra.org/acalltoarts website where members, partner organizations and individual allies can register and log their volunteer hours.
Finance Report
Secretary-Treasurer Amy Aquino and Chief Financial Officer Arianna Ozzanto reported on SAG-AFTRA’s 2015 year-end financials, including an unqualified audit opinion from the union’s accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The union reported a year-end surplus of $9.1 million due to expense management efforts and increased revenue from dues and initiation fees.
Legal and Governance Report
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland reported on Executive Committee actions, which included the approval of several broadcast contracts as well as committee appointments.
The board also reviewed proposed constitutional amendments submitted to the union per its submissions process. The proposed amendments approved today will be published in advance of the convention, along with any additional proposed amendments submitted by the required number of local boards.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:27 p.m. PT.
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