THINKSTOCK.COM
Winter 2017-18
A Letter from L.A. Local President Jane Austin
Professional Reps Protect You
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determined and diverse group of 14 individuals, the SAG-AFTRA Professional Representatives Department, is the union’s resource for all matters involving talent agencies and personal management. Although it is the only remaining SAG-AFTRA department without merged agreements, the staff has fully integrated. This means that SAG-AFTRA still administers both the legacy SAG Agency Regulations [16(g)] and the legacy AFTRA Agency Regulations [12-C]. SAG-AFTRA professional representatives come from both organizations and have trained each other over the past five years on how to integrate the legacy contract experience to best serve our members’ needs as a cohesive unit. The department’s name has been changed from “Agency Representatives” to “Professional Representatives” in order to reflect that staff is now working with managers who have agreed to sign on to the department’s voluntary program, the Personal Managers Code of Ethics and Conduct. SAG-AFTRA professional representatives interact with agents, managers, attorneys, publicists, casting directors and various others on a daily basis, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them if you need help in dealing with any of those people. The Professional Representatives Department staff mediates disputes between agents, managers and our members to try to settle conflicts before arbitrations become necessary. They also assist members through garden-variety contract reviews, offer GSA seminars, provide helpful tips on de-escalation of conflicts with representatives, answer commission questions and provide general guidance on how the differing agency regulations apply. They like to see themselves as a bridge between our members and their representatives and, at times, step in to serve as a buffer. Feel free to stop by anytime to meet the department and say hello. PROFESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES DEPARTMENT: (323) 549-6745 / agency@sagaftra.org
••• Dear Los Angeles Local Members, As I wrote this letter, I reflected on all the work we’ve accomplished this year. Together we changed so much and paved the way for more to be done. In this past year, our union has ratified two major contracts, the Commercials and TV/Theatrical agreements. We have overcome a long and arduous video game strike and organized a historic win for members working at NPR and Telemundo. Lamentably, our struggle with Spanish Broadcasting System, which owns the largest Spanish-speaking radio stations in Los Angeles, continues, but now more than ever, with support from the NLRB, we are confident that we will prevail. Nevertheless, we have managed to secure multiple gains for broadcast members across the country and are making strides in our commercials organizing campaign. Throughout these victories, I have had the opportunity to develop personal relationships with thousands of members. All SAG-AFTRA members, regardless of residency, share many of the same concerns in pursuit of our shared overarching goal to sustain a professional AUSTIN continues on page 2
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