SAG-AFTRA's Successful #UNCONENT!ONAL Convention Helps Set Course for Members

This year, more delegates than ever — including more first-time delegates — came together to do union business. Attendees had a packed agenda, considering a record number of resolutions and a constitutional amendment, electing national vice presidents and hearing reports from the union’s top officers.

The convention provided a venue for members from all over the nation to engage with each other and the union’s leadership in a healthy and dynamic exchange of ideas. In addition, workshops and panels offered educational experiences for attendees, on subjects ranging from organizing to social media.

Among the highlights of the biennial gathering was a keynote discussion, a resolution in support of a free press and the awarding of gold membership cards to some of the union’s most dedicated members and staff.

“Our union is achieving truly amazing things — stronger contracts, organizing victories, safety protocols — real progress on behalf of our members,” said President Gabrielle Carteris in her address. “We have done work around safety on the set, sexual harassment, stunt coordinator process guidelines and contract enforcement. All these things come with incredible effort and they take great courage. What we have achieved is possible only because we have had, and will continue to have, our eyes on the prize. I’m looking forward to the future and to creating a stronger union together.”

On the opening day of the convention, Carteris gaveled the convention to order and asked veteran delegates to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Later, Oscar-nominated producer Jason Blum (BlacKkKlansman, Get Out, Whiplash) and The Wall Street Journal’s West Coast bureau chief for U.S. news, Ben Fritz, discussed how Blum has found success making low-budget movies that get released by big studios. Blum also talked about how he ensures actors are paid properly for their work.

“If a movie hits 50 million dollars, [actors] get $50,000; if it hits 60 million dollars, [actors] get $100,000,” said Blum. “And when the movies hit those levels, I actually go to FedEx myself with the checks and I film myself sending [them] … and then I send a video to the actor and I say, ‘You’re going to get this check tomorrow.’

“It makes me feel great. If I’m paying actors a lot of money, then I’m making a lot of money, too — and that’s a good thing for everybody.”

After the informative interview, delegates got down to business, electing the union’s national vice presidents, and re-electing Rebecca Damon to serve as executive vice president, the union’s second-highest office.

“I believe that when you are a leader of this union, you have a calling to make things the best they can be,” said Damon.

On Friday night, after the work was done, it was time for a wardrobe change. Delegates donned their evening finery for the gala, which was themed Casino Unconventionale. As guests filed into the International Ballroom, which also hosts the Golden Globe Awards, they were greeted by table games and elegantly appointed tables. Attendees could swap poker chips for raffle prize entries.

Host Sydelle Noel, of Netflix’s GLOW, took the stage to kick off the evening’s awards presentations. The American Scene Awards recognize producers whose projects exemplify a commitment to employing SAG-AFTRA’s diverse union membership. This year’s winners were NPR, which received the Belva Davis News & Broadcast Award for It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders; Hulu & A24, which won the Entertainment Award for Ramy; and Columbia/Sony Music, which won the Music & Sound Recording Award for Old Town Road (remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

“Hands-down, [it was] the most difficult selection process we’ve ever had,” said Jason George, chair of the SAG-AFTRA Diversity Advisory Committee. “There were so many worthy projects nominated, it was a brutal decision for everyone involved just to narrow down the submissions to a set of finalists.”

After the American Scene Awards, three of the union’s finest — SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, Executive Vice President and New York Local President Rebecca Damon and Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland — were presented with the George Heller Memorial Award, a gold SAG-AFTRA membership card.

Saturday opened with National Executive Director David White’s report. The informative 90-minute presentation looks to the future of the entertainment and media industry, as well as highlighting the union’s most successful initiatives over the last two years. White touched on SAG-AFTRA’s victory over ad agency BBH, the union’s historic agreement with streaming giant Netflix, the rising threat of deepfakes and the continued work in leading legislative actions against workplace sexual harassment.

After that, leaders assembled in front of the stage for a special ceremony. Key members of the Asociación Nacional de Actores, the labor union that represents performers in Mexico, signed a cooperation agreement with SAG-AFTRA on contract and rule enforcement, organizing and technological initiatives. ANDA members in attendance included General Secretary Jesús Ochoa, Secretary of Interior and Exterior Marco Treviño, and Secretary of Labor Alejandro Calva.

Throughout the weekend, delegates discussed the resolutions submitted by members and voted on whether to approve them as recommendations to the union. Some of those that passed concerned adopting a membership rule prohibiting sexual harassment; permitting members to opt out of receiving a physical SAG-AFTRA member ID card; continuing efforts to organize and support Spanish-language media artists; and the launching of a campaign to raise public awareness of the vital role of journalists.

Finally, on Sunday, SAG-AFTRA’s top elected leadership gave remarks. Secretary-Treasurer Camryn Manheim, who was elected in August, had her first opportunity to address members at a convention. She introduced herself and shared her goals for her new role.

“I am just now beginning my tenure in this leadership position but I have been in the trenches on sets, with my fellow actors, my fellow members, my cherished friends for three decades, and I know the struggle is real,” she said. “As secretary-treasurer, it is my absolute goal to offer a strategic and thoughtful approach centered on member service.”

This item was originally featured in the fall 2019 issue of the SAG-AFTRA magazine.