Los Angeles (October 22, 2010) - Representatives of the AFTRA and Screen Actors Guild Presidents’ Forum for One Union met last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles to begin joint discussions about uniting to form a single union.
Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA representatives attending last night’s meeting included SAG National President Ken Howard and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon and member representatives of both unions from across the country. AFTRA National Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth and SAG National Executive Director David White also attended.
The Presidents’ Forum met for nearly three hours and discussed the strong and growing desire of both unions’ memberships to form one union. The group also reviewed possible parameters for future discussions and committed to hearing from a wide array of member groups in both unions about their specific needs and concerns. The Forum also discussed the benefits of retaining an independent facilitator to help develop a process and timeline.
Screen Actors Guild National President Ken Howard said, “Thursday’s meeting was a successful first step, and we are already considering dates in November for our next meeting. I’m committed to moving forward and to engaging in a public and transparent process that will foster buy-in across our memberships.”
AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon said, “This was an extremely productive first meeting of the Presidents’ Forum, and I’m happy that leadership from AFTRA’s diverse categories of membership were able to join us for the discussion. I believe deeply in this exciting and important project, and I look forward to speaking with members from both unions around the country as we work together to create one successor union.”
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About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation's largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists' rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 Branches nationwide, SAG represents more than 125,000 actors who work in film and digital motion pictures and television programs, commercials, video games, industrials, Internet and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors' working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists' rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at SAG.org.
Contact:
Pamela Greenwalt
Screen Actors Guild
(323) 440-2892
pgreenwalt@sag.org
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