We Are the Union: True Stories from Portland Local Members

We all know that the union is ready to stand up for us when we need it to, but every day, Portland Local members are doing their part to stand up for their union and their fellow members. Here are just a few stories from “the trenches” about how SAG-AFTRA has been there for local members and how members have done their part to strengthen SAG-AFTRA in our market.

This time around, we hear from KGW’s Cassidy Quinn. 

I’ve been in SAG-AFTRA for almost four years now, and it’s crazy to think back to when I first joined. I was just starting my job at KGW — my first real TV job — as a traffic reporter. I had always thought being in SAG-AFTRA sounded cool and really official, so I was excited to be part of the group! But I didn't totally understand the benefits of being in the union yet.

Since joining back in 2014, my job has changed many times. I went from traffic reporter to features reporter to anchoring our entertainment show, and now 2018 has already been full of changes so far!

I just got back from South Korea, where I was covering the Winter Olympics. I was shooting and editing my own content and shooting my own live shots each night. It was a crazy month, but it was an amazing experience! I went into it a bit nervous about doing all of that myself, but I felt really accomplished when it was all done (and it mostly went off without too many hitches). Now that I’m back home, we just relaunched our 7 p.m. show — it’s now called Tonight With Cassidy. It’s like a Portland-centric late-night show at dinnertime. 

Of course, each of my job changes has come with more responsibilities and more negotiations. It has always been so great to be able to talk to our shop stewards to find out what resources are available to me, what I should be asking for, and to just feel more prepared. Just one of the many benefits the union provides. So thank you to everyone at SAG-AFTRA for working hard, fighting for our rights and making sure we can all continue to do our jobs and have fun doing them!

Have you done something to help strengthen SAG-AFTRA in our market? Has the union been there for you when you needed it? We want to hear your true stories! Send them to portland@sagaftra.org and they might just be included in future newsletters.