Stephen Brockelman, proud SAG member since 1971
An urgent note to all of my fellow SAG and AFTRA members in Baltimore and Washington, DC:
By now you should have received a hefty, Tiffany blue envelope. If you haven't received it, please call your union local at (301) 657-2560 or (800) 724-0767.
SAG - AFTRA Merger Package
The package contains:
- an introductory letter, 10 pages
- a FAQ and Contact document, 8 pages
- a P&H, H&R, Feasibility Report, 32 pages
- the SAG-AFTRA Constitution, Dues Structure, Merger Agreement document, 86 pages
- the Ballot
- the Secret Ballot envelope (with QR codes)
- the return mail envelope (with bar code and QR codes)
SAG - AFTRA merger package
It's a formidable package. And, as a SAG or AFTRA member, it is the most important group of documents that you've ever received from your union. The ballot enclosed in your package is—without a doubt—the most important ballot you'll ever receive from your union. After you review the material, I urge you to vote YES for MERGER.
And, when you vote YES, you'll be in good company.
The Amercian Federation of Musicians supports the merger. The entertainment trade magazine, Variety, reports:
The American Federation of Musicians has endorsed the proposed merger between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, joining Actors' Equity in blessing the union.The exec board of the AFM said it is in "full support" of the merger pact. "When ratified by the group's memberships, the uniting of the two groups will result in a more powerful and united face to represent workers in both film and broadcasting," the AFM said.
Ballots went out this week to 120,000 SAG members and 70,000 AFTRA members, who include actors, broadcasters, DJs, singers and dancers, with a tabulation date of March 30. To be approved, the merger must receive at least 60% of the votes from each union.
"The proposed merger is a historic step and is a symbol of unity for the entertainment sector and for the entire labor movement," said AFM president Ray Hair. "For decades, AFTRA and SAG have stood prominently and proudly for dignity and justice in the entertainment industry workplace. The joining of these two great unions will focus union power toward a better future for the media business, not only here in the United States but throughout the world."
And our brothers and sisters who work on the Great White Way support the SAG-AFTRA merger. The Hollywood Reporter's Jonathan Handel wrote:
The national Council of Actors Equity voted unanimously Tuesday night to endorse the planned merger of SAG and AFTRA. The vote by the nearly century-old union, which represents performers in live stage productions, adds fuel to the movement toward a combined SAG-AFTRA.
The Equity motion was a single sentence: “AEA strongly supports SAG and AFTRA in their proposal to merge their Unions.”
In response, SAG president Ken Howard thanked Equity president Nick Wyman and the Council, and said, “We're honored by their action today and by the support of Equity members, who are very often members of SAG and AFTRA as well.”
He added, “There¹s a real spirit of unity in our ranks, and it can only serve to make us all stronger.”
Before you vote YES, please read this document so that you may vote YES with confidence:
MYTHS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF the SAG - AFTRA MERGER
MYTH #1:
Merger will jeopardize my pension.
MERGER FACT: Your accrued pension benefits are protected by federal law. Benefits can only be reduced under certain conditions relating to plans in financial distress. Neither the AFTRA Plan nor the SAG plan is in that situation – both plans are in the “green zone.” As explained in the Feasibility Report, a merger of the plans would make it less likely that that your pension plan reaches the level of financial distress that places your accrued benefits in jeopardy: Multi-employer plan mergers do not pose any increase in the risk of loss of benefits to plan participants according to the government agency in charge of mergers. Indeed, the law requires that if pension plans are merged, the plans’ trustees have a legal obligation to ensure that no participant’s accrued benefits will be less after the merger than it was before.
Click: Here's your direct link to the other 39 Merger Myths .
Vote YES.
And finally, my personal thanks to SAG, AFTRA, the labor attorneys, and the AFL-CIO consultants for creating one of the finest collective bargaining agreements ever written.
