Spring/Summer 2016
A Letter from L.A. President Jane Austin
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It All Starts with Members Dear Member,
S
AG-AFTRA was saddened the first quarter of 2016 with the loss of President Ken Howard. My heartfelt condolences go to his wife Linda and his family. As the first elected president of our merged union, Ken will forever be remembered for his stalwart leadership and passionate dedication to SAG-AFTRA. With Ken’s sudden passing, we have new national leadership. I congratulate newly elected President Gabrielle Carteris and Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon, and I am confident that, together, we will be able to build on President Howard’s vision of a powerful SAG-AFTRA. My thoughts are also with the families of Anna “Patty” Duke Pearce and William Schallert, who also served our union with great commitment and dignity as former SAG presidents. They are fondly remembered. Ballots for the tentative commercials agreements were returned and I am pleased to report that members overwhelmingly voted in favor. Thank you to all members who voted. This is a robust agreement that contains gains for our members and addresses many concerns in the ever-changing landscape of commercials. Sadly, only 13 percent of our SAG-AFTRA members returned ballots. This is not enough. As Los Angeles Local president, I am committed to increasing member participation, especially in contractual matters. Regardless if you voted or not, all members who work the contract should take time to read over the agreement and familiarize themselves with the new terms. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a teacher appreciation mixer for the conservatory. I was very impressed with the dedication and high caliber of the teachers that volunteer for this program. We owe them enormous thanks for their generosity. Now in its 44th year, the Los Angeles Conservatory is one of the greatest benefits of the union. For a nominal fee, members can hone their craft through specially tailored workshops, seminars, panels and casting opportunities in AFI student projects. Member participation in the L.A. Conservatory has increased compared to previous years, and I believe that a big part of this is because of the efforts of our wonderful volunteers and the hard-working committee. Our union is only as strong as our member engagement. There are so many ways to get involved in SAG-AFTRA. We are fortunate to have many programs and activities — all at little or no cost. Our 29 local committees work very hard to bring so much to our members. We owe them a debt of gratitude. If you aren’t taking advantage, you are missing out. I urge you to read your weekly emails, come to the union for informational sessions, attend events, participate in programs, and observe a local board meeting or sign up to volunteer. In closing, thank you to the L.A. Communications Committee for bringing you this issue of the L.A. Local newsletter. They, like me, hope you will read it cover to cover and be inspired to get involved in SAG-AFTRA.
In Memoriam SAG-AFTRA Remembers Past Presidents
KEN HOWARD
PATTY DUKE
WILLIAM SCHALLERT
In solidarity, Read more at SAGAFTRA.org Jane Austin