Twin Cities Local Board Welcomes MOVE to Minnesota

By Mary Em Burns

The following is my Q&A with longtime local board member and outreach/organizing committee activist Mark Bradley. I asked Mark about the Twin Cities Local’s newly founded MOVE (Member Organizing Volunteer Efforts) Committee.

1. What is MOVE and when/how did it start? Are there standard components?

It is my understanding that MOVE (Member Organizing Volunteer Efforts) came out of the commercials strike of 2000, and is active in Los Angeles and New York. Until we formed our local MOVE committee in January, those were the only two locals with a MOVE committee. There are no set rules for how to form a MOVE committee. The overarching goals of MOVE, as stated on the SAG-AFTRA website (www.sagaftra.org/move), include educating members, growing work opportunities, and growing solidarity within our union and with the rest of the labor movement.

2. When did you hear about MOVE and why did you decide to bring this to the Twin Cities Local?

I currently serve on the National Organizing Committee, and during our January conference call there was a discussion of MOVE’s March live-streamed event called Just Say Si! that originated in L.A., N.Y., and Miami about the explosive growth in Spanish-language work. There was discussion about the difference between organizing and the kind of outreach that MOVE does, and it occurred to me that most people in the Twin Cities who were interested in expanding work opportunities for union members were actually interested in outreach. So I proposed to the local board in January that we set up a MOVE committee as part of the Local Organizing Committee, and the board approved it.

3. What other SAG-AFTRA locals are trying this out? Have any of them had any successes yet?

Right now, L.A., N.Y. and Twin Cities are the only established MOVE committees. I know New England is interested in setting one up. The Chicago Local has a long-established committee they call Community Outreach, Community Organizing, which does a lot of the same things. They have a program they call Piece of the Pie, which is all about education for members and prospective members, and they have offered to share their materials with us. I participated in a Piece of the Pie panel in Chicago last month focused on the business of the business, aimed specifically at pre-union folks who are potential new members.

4. Are there any specific areas of focus that you think are important for the Twin Cities Local?

Just off the top of my head, I identified seven areas that we could work on: (1) outreach to commercial and Co-Ed (non-broadcast) employers, including developing and maintaining an up-to-date list of local employers; (2) outreach to filmmakers; (3) outreach to prospective members; (4) outreach to schools; (5) general member education (including new member orientation); (6) connecting with other local labor bodies; and (7) setting up social communication. Obviously, we can’t do all of this all at once. At our July MOVE meeting, there was great interest in developing effective communication that engages our members and prospective members, which would include regular official email blasts to members. Members should watch their email for updates about these initiatives. Committee members also expressed interest in setting up social events and possibly some more formal seminars to reach members and pre-members.
 
I mentioned the Chicago Piece of the Pie program, and noted that we can access outreach programs from other locals around the country, as well. I have a lot of material we could look at. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just customize activities to suit our specific needs.

5. What do we, as local members, need to do to successfully work with these ideas? How many member/volunteers do you need to work on these various components? What kinds of skills will be needed?

We can use as many people as are interested in helping this effort move forward! We’re still just getting started and, as I said, there are no rules as to how we run our MOVE committee. I hope we can find some people who are good at recruiting others, but the only real skill needed is the ability to follow through.

6. If a member is reading this and wants to help, what should they do and who should they contact?

For more information and/or to volunteer to help with one or more of the proposed subcommittees, contact me, Mark Bradley, in care of twincities@sagaftra.com. Members should also plan to attend the November membership meeting to hear more about the MOVE initiatives and other Twin Cities Local activities.

This item was originally featured in the September 2014 local newsletter.