Roberta Reardon is co-president of SAG-AFTRA, the newly merged union of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. She spoke to the full convention and a women’s leadership luncheon Monday and was interviewed by Workday Minnesota.
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| SAG-AFTRA Co-President Roberta Reardon |
SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcasters journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. The union has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and several local offices, including one in the Twin Cities. It negotiates contracts with all the major media corporations.
Since the merger took effect in March, the union won a big victory with its first-ever contract covering performers in music videos. These workers, many of them young, face difficult working conditions, including exposure to the elements and worksites with no break areas, drinking water or even bathrooms, Reardon said.
The contract was won after many of these high-profile workers, including many who were not union members, pledged to stop work.
“This is a new workforce,” Reardon said. “We’re talking 22-year-old hip hop dancers . . . They wanted a union contract.”
The entertainment industry has undergone many technological changes. SAG-AFTRA members work not only in traditional media like radio and film, but newer media such as the Internet and video games. These changes have pushed the union to be forward-looking, Reardon said.
“You can’t just protect the way you used to work,” she said. “You have to protect the way you’re going to work.”
Other unions can learn from this approach, as well as SAG-AFTRA’s ability to organize people who work independently, rather than in large workplaces, Reardon said.
Next steps for SAG-AFTRA include negotiating the billion-dollar contract covering performers in commercials starting early next year.
In the Twin Cities and across the country, the union will be stepping up organizing, she said. And members will continue to advocate for pro-worker legislation.
“Unity and solidarity have never been more important, whether in negotiations or in combatting laws that would roll back our hard-won gains,” Reardon said. “We have to seize this moment and push forward with a new presence . . .”
For more information
Learn more at the SAG-AFTRA website
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Roberta Reardon is co-president of SAG-AFTRA, the newly merged union of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. She spoke to the full convention and a women’s leadership luncheon Monday and was interviewed by Workday Minnesota.
|
| SAG-AFTRA Co-President Roberta Reardon |
The merger of SAG and AFTRA took three attempts over 14 years, but the difficult process was worth it, Reardon said. “We can now use our collective power to secure strong contracts for all performers in recorded media.”
SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcasters journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. The union has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and several local offices, including one in the Twin Cities. It negotiates contracts with all the major media corporations.
Since the merger took effect in March, the union won a big victory with its first-ever contract covering performers in music videos. These workers, many of them young, face difficult working conditions, including exposure to the elements and worksites with no break areas, drinking water or even bathrooms, Reardon said.
The contract was won after many of these high-profile workers, including many who were not union members, pledged to stop work.
“This is a new workforce,” Reardon said. “We’re talking 22-year-old hip hop dancers . . . They wanted a union contract.”
The entertainment industry has undergone many technological changes. SAG-AFTRA members work not only in traditional media like radio and film, but newer media such as the Internet and video games. These changes have pushed the union to be forward-looking, Reardon said.
“You can’t just protect the way you used to work,” she said. “You have to protect the way you’re going to work.”
Other unions can learn from this approach, as well as SAG-AFTRA’s ability to organize people who work independently, rather than in large workplaces, Reardon said.
Next steps for SAG-AFTRA include negotiating the billion-dollar contract covering performers in commercials starting early next year.
In the Twin Cities and across the country, the union will be stepping up organizing, she said. And members will continue to advocate for pro-worker legislation.
“Unity and solidarity have never been more important, whether in negotiations or in combatting laws that would roll back our hard-won gains,” Reardon said. “We have to seize this moment and push forward with a new presence . . .”
For more information
Learn more at the SAG-AFTRA website