SAG-AFTRA Twin Cities Local Membership Meeting Held

On April 20, local SAG-AFTRA members gathered virtually for a Twin Cities Local membership meeting co-hosted by the Local Board and staff.

Before the meeting commenced, Local President Peter Moore read a statement from the Local Board in support of and in solidarity with broadcast journalists. It also called on Gov. Walz and others to not only condemn violence against journalists but to take measures to prevent it and hold perpetrators accountable. You can read the complete statement here. 

As the first order of business, Board members took a few moments to remember and honor longtime broadcaster and Local Board member Barry ZeVan, who passed away in 2020. For a “peek” at the storied history of ZeVan — known as the “Peek-a-Boo” weatherman earlier in his career — check out the feature article on his career..

Before beginning the business of the meeting, Twin Cities Local Board members were introduced, as were SAG-AFTRA staff members, including Director of Locals Administration Bill Hendrickson and Broadcast Business Representative Jayne Bower. 

The next agenda item was the report by our Twin Cities National Board member, Randal Berger. Berger first provided an overview of the role of the National Board and an update on the work that has been done over the last several months and is currently being done. He noted that the National Board has been focused on safety, including creating and implementing COVID-19 protocols to help us get back to work. 

Berger reported that SAG-AFTRA was in the final stages of testing a platform which can be used to report harassment in the workplace. It has since been made available to members.

Finally, Berger reported on SAG-AFTRA’s third annual Labor Innovation & Technology Summit. You can check out some of the offerings at sagaftra.org/videos. The tech summit is presented in partnership with the AFL-CIO and focuses on how technology is impacting workers in our industry as well as others.

Board member and Local Organizing Committee Chair Mark Bradley then provided an update on the work of national organizing, noting that over the past several months, SAG-AFTRA has organized public media in Boston and Philadelphia. But the biggest organizing news was here in the Twin Cities Local market, where the staff of MPR Classical and The Current organized to join SAG-AFTRA late last year.

Local Board members Casey Lewis and Mark Bradley then provided background on the proposed Minnesota film/TV production tax credit bill that is currently before the Legislature. A small committee, which includes a few board members, has been working with MN Film & TV staff; local unions, including IATSE and Teamsters; and state legislators who serve on key committees. The bill has now been included in the House omnibus tax bill but was not included in the Senate version, so it is currently being discussed by a joint conference committee to determine if the provision will be part of the final budget bill. 

Lewis briefly explained the bill and shared some statistics about economic and other benefits being experienced by other states that DO have tax incentives. He also shared that SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White has offered his written support of the initiative and will be submitting a letter to legislative leaders. 

Lewis then noted we will be sending out additional calls to action to members and allies, asking them to contact legislators on the conference committee and the leadership of the House and Senate to encourage support. Members are asked to watch their email for these requests and please act on the requests as soon as possible, as this action will need to happen before the Legislature adjourns on May 17, unless a special session is called. Watch for updates and reach out to show your support, especially if you have any legislative relationships.

After additional questions, since there was no other business, Moore thanked members for attending and adjourned the meeting.