Acting
Voting YES on SAG-AFTRA merger
5 March 2012
Today I mailed in my ballot with two YES votes on the SAG-AFTRA merger.
I have been skeptical about the process, even speaking up in a membership meeting to ask the AFTRA board to release a minority report from dissenting board members. Both union boards chose to do that, though there were not obligated to do so. That is a good thing.
Though appreciative of the huge time commitment the Unite For Strength folks have made, I have not been part of their bandwagon, but have been independent and skeptical. I don’t like the logo on the merger website. I have read everything the merger opponents have to say, and have pondered their concerns. But in the end, most of their concerns don’t sway me. Why? A few themes emerge: They insist on utter certainty with the future, ignoring the uncertainty of the way things are right now. They say that Bad Thing X will happen if we merge, and fail to mention the fact that Bad Thing X is already happening. They yearn for the impossible, as if we could go back in time or alter federal laws. They sometimes present false or misleading information.
Now I do not believe this merger is 100% perfect or will be 100% painless, but I have decided that merger provides the best chance at a decent future for middle-class working actors, so I am voting YES.
Things have changed. The status quo is problematic. We must adapt. Clinging to the past is not the answer. This merger strengthens our bargaining power. This merger paves the road to a lessened split-earnings problem. It paves the road to a place where we spend less time fighting among ourselves and instead fight for more from our employers. It increases the likelihood of organizing work that is currently non-union. It will bring about a better situation in terms of the process of joining the union and paying dues. To name a few reasons. So I am voting YES.
When I started acting professionally, one of my first questions was, “Why so many unions?” I clearly remember blurting out that question in a SAG / AFTRA / AEA informational meeting in Boston. That inclination toward thoughtful merger has stayed with me, and now is the time to act on it. I am also open to other performer unions merging when the time is right for that, and I hope this merger paves the road for that, as well.
I have voted YES, and I hope you will, too.