Twin Cities SAG-AFTRA Membership Meeting Recap

Twin Cities Board members with Colleen Aho and Sean Hennessy.

By Mary Burns-Klinger
Twin Cites Local Board Member

SAG-AFTRA Twin Cities Local members recently gathered in a Guthrie Theater conference room for their annual membership meeting to hear about local initiatives and to honor our longtime AFTRA/SAG-AFTRA executive director and director of locals administration, Colleen Aho.

Local President Peter Moore welcomed members and enthusiastically noted there is a lot to be positive about in the coming year. He then introduced our National Board member, Randal Berger, who shared highlights from the national convention (which he and Moore attended on behalf of the Twin Cities Local). Berger noted that he serves as vice chair, small locals, on the Committee of Locals, and that committee met to discuss issues pertinent to smaller locals and to make suggestions to the National Board. He then clarified that the convention itself meets not only to celebrate union successes, but also so members can determine an overall direction for the National Board. Berger reported there was much discussion about new and interactive media, including how to create contracts and rethink residuals. He also reported he was elected to serve as an alternate on the Executive Committee of the National Board, so he could potentially have even more of a voice on our behalf.

Moore then asked Mark Bradley, who serves on the National Organizing Committee, to provide his report. Bradley talked about successes, including the Spanish-language contract, audiobooks organizing (all but one major producer is now under contract), and Public Radio’s news division, including our local MPR, which is the biggest shop in the nation with 80 new members. He mentioned that locally we are working on some interim organizing in the MPR workplace. Additionally, the national committee has discussed having locals prepare for potential “right-to-work” legislation that may come to their state or be passed nationally. He noted that our local AEA membership has already been discussing this with their members and suggested that we may want to start discussions with SAG-AFTRA members as well.

Barry ZeVan, who serves on the local AFL-CIO retiree’s committee, also provided a short report. 

At this point, Moore introduced Colleen Aho, lauding all the work that she has done for us locally for almost 30 years, and noting that we will definitely miss her, but congratulating her on her new job with the Federal Mediation Office. Bradley then presented her with an appropriate engraved thank-you gift: a beautiful clock. Aho thanked everyone and stated she had very much enjoyed working with us over the years and knows that the Twin Cities Local will continue moving forward under the excellent direction of the board and the active membership. As a reminder, she noted that she will still be living in the Twin Cities, and hopes to see everyone on stage or screen as often as possible.

Moore then provided members with a brief overview of the newest organizing tool for us: the SAG-AFTRA Twin Cities Regional Commercials Code. He introduced Sean Hennessy, SAG-AFTRA Chicago’s manager of Commercial and Corporate/Educational contracts. Moore reported that he and Hennessy had met with a few agents and casting directors earlier in the day to share the new Regional Commercials Code information and would be meeting with others the next day. He reported that the agents they spoke with were very enthusiastic about the option of being able to utilize more union talent under the code. Both Hennessy and Moore encouraged members to share the code information with as many contacts as possible to spread the word in the Twin Cities. They reported that additional marketing materials are still being created, but will be shared with the local as soon as they are ready. Hennessy also reported on the success of the Twin Cities Corporate/Educational (industrial) Waiver, noting that since our rollout in the spring of 2015, more than 100 Co/Ed jobs have been flipped to union status. He noted the waiver has been particularly effective in recapturing voiceover and on-camera narrator/spokesperson roles, and listed specific advertisers such as 3M, Best Buy and the Mayo Clinic, who are using the waiver. 

After a brief question-and-answer session, Moore again thanked all for coming and adjourned the meeting, inviting members and staff to continue socializing at a nearby restaurant.

Happy holidays!

This item was originally featured in the November 2017 local newsletter.