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Carteris: REBECCA?
Damon: NEXT QUESTION I'M GONNA TOSS TO NED.
THIS IS AN E-MAIL FROM JOHN IN BALTIMORE.
"I'VE HEARD THAT BARGAINING STRENGTH
"IS AN IMPORTANT REASON TO MERGE.
CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY THAT'S AN IMPORTANT REASON?"
Vaughn: SURE.
LOOK, BARGAINING STRENGTH IS AN IMPORTANT REASON TO MERGE
BECAUSE IT IS TRULY THE FOUNDATION
OF ALL THE PROTECTIONS A UNION CAN PROVIDE.
IT REALLY -- IT'S THE REASON UNIONS EXIST.
UNIONS ARE ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE.
UNIONS ARE ABOUT GROUPS OF PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER
TO EXERT PRESSURE ON THE EMPLOYERS.
AND OBVIOUSLY, YOUR ABILITY TO DO THAT IS UNDERMINED
IF YOU'RE TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE OR THREE OR FOUR.
IF YOU'RE ANY LESS -- IF YOU'RE ANY MORE THAN ONE,
YOU DON'T HAVE MAXIMUM BARGAINING STRENGTH
BECAUSE THE ROOT OF BARGAINING STRENGTH
IS THE ABILITY TO SAY NO
AND MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN SAY YES.
THAT'S IT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHO WANTS TO BE IN A UNION
THAT CAN SHUT DOWN HALF OF TELEVISION
OR PART OF COMMERCIALS
OR A QUARTER OF INTERACTIVE VIDEO?
I MEAN, IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, FOLKS.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO HAVE POWER,
YOU'VE GOT TO BE SITTING ACROSS THAT BARGAINING TABLE
AND BE ABLE TO SAY, "NO, THAT WON'T DO,"
AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR EMPLOYERS
CANNOT GET YOUR SERVICES ANYWHERE ELSE.
THAT'S REAL POWER, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THAT RAISES EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.
THAT RAISES OUR WAGES, IT RAISES OUR RESIDUALS,
IT BETTERS OUR WORKING CONDITIONS,
AND IT INCREASES OUR PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS.
THOSE ARE A FUNCTION OF OUR BARGAINING STRENGTH, AS WELL,
SO THAT'S WHY BARGAINING STRENGTH
IS SO IMPORTANT TO MERGER.
AND IT'S ONE OF THE --
IT'S THE KEY REASON WHY THIS SHOULD HAPPEN.
Carteris: THANK YOU.
THIS IS A TWITTER FROM @BROTHERBO.
"IN A NEW UNION, WILL WE HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH
"WHEN NEGOTIATING OUR NEW CONTRACTS?
IF NO, DO WE START FROM AFTRA OR SAG RATES?"
CAN YOU ANSWER THAT FOR US, KIM?
Roberts Hedgpeth: SURE.
THE -- IN THE NEW UNION,
AS I THINK TOM MAY HAVE MENTIONED THIS EARLIER,
THE NEW UNION WILL SUCCEED TO THE CONTRACTS
OF BOTH AFTRA AND SCREEN ACTORS GUILD,
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH.
THE EXISTING CONTRACTS WILL BE INHERITED BY THE NEW UNION.
THE COLLECTIVE-BARGAINING AGREEMENTS
THAT WILL BE BARGAINED FROM
ARE THE ONES THAT CURRENTLY EXIST.
AND, IN FACT, IN MANY AREAS, SUCH AS COMMERCIALS,
WHICH IS OUR FIRST BIG NATIONAL CONTRACT COMING UP,
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
IN THE AFTRA AND SAG COLLECTIVE-BARGAINING AGREEMENTS
ARE IDENTICAL.
WHERE THERE ARE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO UNIONS,
CERTAINLY ONE OF OUR MAJOR GOALS --
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY STATED IN THE MERGER AGREEMENT --
IS THAT WE WILL BE WORKING
FROM THE HIGHEST SET OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS,
AND WE WILL BE BARGAINING TO ENSURE
THAT WE NOT ONLY MAINTAIN BUT THAT WE INCREASE
FROM OUR HIGHEST SET OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
-Damon: OKAY. -Carteris: BECCA?
Damon: THIS IS GONNA BE FOR DAVID WHITE.
"I HAVE 27 YEARS OF PENSION CREDITS AS OF THIS WRITING.
"I HEARD MANY RUMORS ABOUT EMBEZZLEMENTS FROM BOTH UNIONS
"AND HORROR STORIES ABOUT THE LOSSES
"THAT PENSION AND HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
"HAVE HAD IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
CAN YOU PLEASE ADDRESS THIS?"
THIS IS FROM MARK VIA E-MAIL.
White: GREAT QUESTION, MARK.
AND THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF INFORMATION
AND, PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, MISINFORMATION OUT THERE
ABOUT ISSUES LIKE EMBEZZLEMENT
FROM THE SAG PENSION AND HEALTH PLANS.
I'LL STATE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS.
THERE WAS A SITUATION WHERE A FORMER EMPLOYEE
WENT ON THE ROUNDS IN THE BLOGOSPHERE
AND MADE SEVERAL ACCUSATIONS,
BUT THOSE HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED.
THERE HAS BEEN NO EMBEZZLEMENT,
AND THE SAG PENSION AND HEALTH PLANS ARE IN GREAT SHAPE.
IN FACT, THEY'RE FORMALLY IN GREAT SHAPE.
THEY ARE IN THE GREEN ZONE,
WHICH IS A DESIGNATION
BY THE GOVERNMENT, BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,
THE ARM THAT OVERSEES PLANS
LIKE OUR PENSION AND HEALTH PLANS,
THAT STATES THEY ARE IN THE CATEGORY
OF THE MOST FINANCIALLY HEALTHY.
I DO WANT TO MAKE ONE STATEMENT
ABOUT PEOPLE'S ACCRUED BENEFITS,
YOUR VESTED RIGHTS, AND YOUR PENSION PLANS.
WITH THIS MERGER
AND THE SUBSEQUENT ACTIVITY THAT WE'LL HAVE WITH THE PLANS
WHEN THE TRUSTEES ACTUALLY TAKE UP MERGING THE PLANS
AND DOING WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PARTICIPANTS,
ONCE ALL OF THE CONTRACTS FOR BOTH SAG AND AFTRA
ARE GOING INTO ONE HOUSE, THE HOUSE OF SAG-AFTRA,
YOUR RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL LAW.
AGAIN, THE PLANS FOR BOTH SAG AND AFTRA
ARE IN THE GREEN ZONE.
NO EMBEZZLEMENT.
ALL PENSION PLANS TOOK A HIT IN 2008,
ALONG WITH EVERY OTHER INVESTMENT VEHICLE
AND FINANCIAL HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY,
AND ALL PLANS HAD TO RECOVER FROM THAT,
BUT OUR PLANS ARE IN VERY GOOD SHAPE.
YOUR BENEFITS ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL LAW,
AND ONE STATEMENT THAT WE LIKE TO MAKE
THAT HELPS PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THIS --
YOUR VESTED RIGHTS, YOUR ACCRUED BENEFITS IN THE PLANS,
YOU TAKE THEM LIKE LUGGAGE WITH YOU.
YOU TAKE THEM LIKE LUGGAGE
FROM THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD OR FROM AFTRA,
AND YOU TAKE THEM INTO SAG-AFTRA,
AND THEY ARE FOREVER PROTECTED.
Carteris: OH, I LOVE HEARING THAT.
OKAY. THIS IS FROM RICO,
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A QUESTION I'M HEARING A LOT OF,
AND I'M GONNA ASK NED TO ANSWER IT.
"I AM A BACKGROUND ACTOR.
"HOW MUCH WILL I MAKE PER UNION JOB?
"ALSO, I FEAR THERE WILL BE LESS JOBS
"AND THE MARKET WILL BE FLOODED
"AND THAT I WILL NOT COME CLOSE TO MEETING
THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR BENEFITS AND PENSION."
Vaughn: OKAY, WELL, THERE'S A COUPLE ASPECTS TO THAT.
FIRST OF ALL, ON WHAT WILL YOUR PAY RATE BE,
KIM MENTIONED IT EARLIER.
THE CONTRACTS THAT ARE IN FORCE RIGHT NOW
WILL REMAIN IN FORCE UNTIL THEY EXPIRE,
SO IF YOU DO A SAG OR AFTRA PRIME-TIME TELEVISION SHOW,
YOU WILL MAKE THE RATE
THAT IS CURRENTLY APPLICABLE TO THAT CONTRACT.
IF IT'S A CABLE CONTRACT,
YOU WOULD MAKE THE RATE THAT'S APPLICABLE TO THAT CONTRACT.
THOSE CONTRACTS CONTINUE
AFTER THE DATE OF THE MERGER UNTIL THEY EXPIRE.
OF COURSE, ONCE THEY DO EXPIRE,
WE'LL BE RENEGOTIATING THOSE CONTRACTS AS ONE UNION,
EXCEPT THAT WE'LL HAVE BETTER BARGAINING STRENGTH
TO RAISE UP THOSE TERMS.
WHAT WAS THE SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION?
Carteris: HE SAYS, "WILL THERE BE LESS JOBS IN THE MARKET?
-WILL IT BE FLOODED?" -Vaughn: RIGHT, YEAH, AND --
Carteris: HE'S A BACKGROUND ACTOR.
Vaughn: FLOODED WITH COMPETITION -- RIGHT.
ACTUALLY, BACKGROUND ACTORS
STAND TO GAIN A LOT FROM THIS MERGER
BECAUSE ESPECIALLY --
THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR SINGLE-CARD HOLDERS.
RIGHT NOW, SINGLE-CARD HOLDERS,
WHETHER THEY'RE BACKGROUND ACTORS
OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF MEMBER,
ARE LIMITED TO DOING THE WORK
THAT'S COVERED BY THEIR ONE UNION.
FOR BACKGROUND ACTORS, THAT IS NOW GOING TO CHANGE,
AND YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS
TO ALL THE JOBS THAT SAG-AFTRA COVERS.
AND THAT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR BACKGROUND ACTORS,
BECAUSE THEY TYPICALLY RELY ON DAYS WORKED
TO QUALIFY FOR THEIR PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS.
OBVIOUSLY, MORE ACCESS TO WORK OPPORTUNITIES
INCREASES YOUR CHANCES TO GET THOSE DAYS WORKED,
AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
AS FOR THE COMPETITION ASPECT,
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
THAT THE ACTORS WHO ARE OUT THERE
TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING
ARE OFTEN VERY LARGELY ALREADY DUAL-CARD HOLDERS,
BUT EVEN WITH THE SINGLE-CARD HOLDERS,
THERE'S NOT A -- ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF LABOR LAW
THAT, FRANKLY, SNEAKS UP ON A LOT OF PEOPLE --
THEY JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IT UNTIL IT'S EXPLAINED --
THERE'S NOTHING THAT COMPELS EMPLOYERS
TO ABSOLUTELY HIRE A UNION MEMBER
FOR A POSITION OF WORK ON EVEN A UNION SHOW.
THAT'S HOW MOST OF US BECAME MEMBERS.
WE GOT OUR FIRST JOB AS WE WEREN'T UNION MEMBERS YET.
WE GOT WORK ON A COVERED POSITION,
AND THAT'S CERTAINLY TRUE IN BACKGROUND, AS WELL.
YOU HAVE NONUNION MEMBERS
WHO GO OUT THERE AND COMPETE FOR UNION JOBS.
THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT MERGING THE UNIONS
IS IT GIVES US MORE BARGAINING STRENGTH
TO RAISE UP THE NUMBER OF COVERED POSITIONS
THAT LOWERS YOUR COMPETITION FROM NONUNION MEMBERS.
WE CAN ALSO HAVE BETTER BARGAINING STRENGTH
TO DO OTHER THINGS
THAT THE BACKGROUND COMMUNITY WANTS TO ACHIEVE,
LIKE GETTING STAND-INS OUT OF THE COUNT
AND IMPROVING VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THEIR WORKING CONDITIONS.
LOOK, IT HELPS US HELP EVERYONE,
INCLUDING THE BACKGROUND COMMUNITY,
AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT DEAL FOR THEM AND ALL OF US.
Carteris: THANK YOU, NED. REBECCA?
Damon: NEXT ONE I'M GONNA TOSS TO KIM.
"AFTER THE MERGER,
"WILL MEMBERS VOTE YEA OR NAY ON A P&H MERGER PROPOSAL,
OR IS THAT DECIDED BY THE TRUSTEES OF THE PLAN?"
THIS IS FROM COLTER VIA E-MAIL.
Roberts Hedgpeth: THAT IS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT.
ISSUES LIKE PLAN DESIGN
AND A MERGER OF THE PENSION AND HEALTH
AND HEALTH AND RETIREMENT PLANS
WOULD BE DECIDED UPON BY THE TRUSTEES, JUST AS TODAY.
OUR BENEFITS AND THE STRUCTURE
OF OUR HEALTH PLAN AND OUR PENSION PLAN
ARE DETERMINED BY THE TRUSTEES,
WHO ARE FIDUCIARIES AND RESPONSIBLE
TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY OPERATE
ONLY IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PARTICIPANTS.
THAT IS TRUE TODAY, AND IT WILL BE TRUE IN THE FUTURE.
THAT WILL BE A DECISION THAT THE TRUSTEES WILL DETERMINE.
Damon: THANK YOU, KIM. GABBY?
Carteris: THIS IS FROM A MOM IN CHICAGO.
"HOW, SPECIFICALLY, WILL YOUNG PERFORMERS
HAVE A DIRECT VOICE AND VOTE IN THE NEW UNION?"
AMY.
Aquino: WELL, YOUNG PERFORMERS ARE GONNA HAVE
EXACTLY THE SAME DIRECT VOICE
THAT THEY HAVE NOW IN SAG AND IN AFTRA.
THEY WILL JUST HAVE A STRONGER VOICE BECAUSE IT WILL MEAN MORE.
IT'S -- NONE OF THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE ONE BIT.
WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW -- THE WAY I LOOK AT IT, IN A WAY,
THE SETUP THAT WE HAVE
IN TERMS OF GOVERNANCE IN THIS NEW UNION
IS KIND OF LIKE -- IT'S A LOT LIKE SAG's,
EXCEPT IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE DEMOCRATIC.
BECAUSE OF THE CONVENTION,
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE LOTS OF DELEGATES
WHO WILL BE DIRECTLY ELECTED,
SO THERE WILL BE A LOT MORE OPPORTUNITIES.
THERE ARE GONNA BE SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE
GOING ONCE EVERY TWO YEARS
INSTEAD OF JUST 80 PEOPLE OR 70 PEOPLE,
WHICH IS WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
EVERY OTHER YEAR, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A COUPLE OF HUNDRED PEOPLE,
WHICH COULD CERTAINLY INCLUDE
PEOPLE WHO ARE REPRESENTING THE YOUNG PERFORMERS,
WHO CAN BE -- WHO WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE A VOICE.
THEY WILL BE DIRECTLY ELECTED,
AND THEY'LL HAVE A DIRECT VOICE
IN WHO THE VICE PRESIDENTS
AND THE OTHER NATIONAL OFFICERS WILL BE.
Carteris: THANKS -- YOU KNOW, ONE THING IS,
SO, IT'S REALLY ONE MEMBER, ONE VOTE,
BUT WHAT I WANTED TO ASK
WAS SOMETHING THAT I'M HEARING FROM PARENTS,
AND IT'S A MISNOMER,
SO IF YOU COULD JUST ADDRESS THIS,
IS THE IDEA THAT YOUNG PEOPLE --
THEY'RE GONNA -- THEY'RE NOT --
THEY THINK THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HAVE ANY KIND OF VOICE,
EVEN THOUGH YOU SAY THEY'RE REPRESENTED,
AND I THINK ONE OF THE CONFUSIONS IS
THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT RUNNING FOR OFFICES.
AND SO I JUST --
Aquino: RUNNING FOR OFFICE.
OH, THAT THEY NEED TO BE 18 YEARS OLD
IN ORDER TO RUN FOR OFFICE?
Carteris: RIGHT, AND THAT WAS THE MISUNDERSTANDING --
THAT, ACTUALLY, WHEN YOU'RE 18, YOU CAN RUN FOR AN OFFICE,
BUT THE FACT IS YOU GET A VOTE EVEN WHEN YOU'RE YOUNGER,
AND I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT.
Aquino: OF COURSE.
EVERY SAG MEMBER -- EVERY SAG-AFTRA MEMBER
WILL HAVE A VOTE, JUST AS THEY DO NOW.
THEY WILL JUST NEED TO BE 18 IN ORDER TO RUN FOR OFFICE.
Carteris: THANK YOU.
White: GABBY, JUST ONE ADDITION TO THAT --
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A YOUNG PERFORMERS COMMITTEE
IN THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD,
AND THAT COMMITTEE WILL CONTINUE.
AND THIS WILL BE A FORUM.
THE NEW UNION WILL BE A FORUM FOR A LOT OF MEMBER INPUT
THROUGH COMMITTEES LIKE THAT.
AND SO THE SAME VOICE THAT YOUNG PERFORMERS HAVE CURRENTLY
WILL NOT ONLY CONTINUE,
BUT AS AMY STATED,
THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND THAT.
Carteris: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Vaughn: YOU KNOW, AND --
SORRY, I'M JUST GONNA BUTT IN HERE.
ONE LITTLE THING,
WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT OF YOUNG MEMBERS OF THE UNION --
I HAVE TO SAY,
A KEY ASPECT OF WHY WE'RE DOING THIS --
THIS IS ABOUT THE FUTURE.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE PAST.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN CREATING THIS PLAN
WHO HAVE HAD NICE, LONG, RICH CAREERS,
AND AN IMPORTANT REASON WE'RE DOING THIS
IS TO PROTECT YOUNG MEMBERS
AND MEMBERS WHO AREN'T EVEN MEMBERS YET.
AND GETTING THE INPUT FROM THOSE PEOPLE -- DAVID --
WHEN DAVID MENTIONED THE YOUNG PERFORMERS COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW,
IT OCCURRED TO ME WE'VE HAD LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS
DURING THE COURSE OF THE G1
ABOUT HOW CRUCIAL IT'S GOING TO BE
TO CONTINUALLY RECEIVE INPUT
FROM THE YOUNG MEMBERS OF THIS UNION,
SO THAT IT IS REFLECTIVE OF OUR CONTEMPORARY TIMES.
WE'VE GOT TO SHED SOME OF OUR OBSOLETE APPROACHES.
THESE UNIONS WERE FOUNDED, YOU KNOW, 70-PLUS YEARS AGO,
80 YEARS AGO IN THE CASE OF SAG,
AND THERE ARE CERTAIN WAYS OF DOING THINGS
THAT DON'T WORK AS EFFECTIVELY AS THEY SHOULD.
AND BY REALLY CHANNELING AND HARNESSING
THE ENERGY OF OUR YOUNG MEMBERS,
WE'RE GONNA BECOME A SUPER RELEVANT AND VERY POWERFUL FORCE
IN THE ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA INDUSTRIES.
Carteris: ATTACKING GOOGLE/HULU. YAY.
Howard: DO WE KNOW EXACTLY HOW OLD JUSTIN BIEBER IS?
I JUST WONDERED... [ LAUGHTER ]
...IN TERMS OF OUR FUTURE.
Carteris: MAYBE MY DAUGHTER KNOWS. I DON'T KNOW. REBECCA?
Damon: UH, YEAH. I'M GONNA TOSS THIS ONE TO HOLTER.
I KNOW YOU STARTED AS A CHILD PERFORMER.
"ONE OF THE THINGS IS, YOU KNOW, YOUNGER PERFORMERS ARE WORRIED
"THAT THE TECHNOLOGY JUST KEEPS CHANGING
"AND THAT WE'RE NOT MOVING AT THE PACE OF THAT,
"SO WITH YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THAT,
"HOW DO YOU FEEL SAG-AFTRA
WILL HELP ADDRESS THOSE KIND OF ISSUES?"
Graham: TO LEAD OFF OF WHAT REBECCA SAID,
I'M ACTUALLY CURRENTLY THE NATIONAL CO-CHAIR
FOR AFTRA's YOUNG PERFORMERS COMMITTEE,
AND I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
SO, VOTE YES, AND I'LL STILL BE HERE,
AND YOUNG PERFORMERS CAN HAVE THE VOICE
THAT THEY HAVE NOW AND THEN SOME.
IN TERMS OF THE TECHNOLOGY,
WE IN BOTH UNIONS ARE SMART ENOUGH
TO LOOK AT THE YOUNGER VOICES, THE NEWER MEMBERS,
OR THE SIMPLY YOUNGER MEMBERS,
BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND DEVICES THAT SEEM RATHER ODD
TO SOME OF THE REST OF US
IN WAYS THAT WE DON'T KNOW YET,
AND SO WE LISTEN FOR THE VOICE OF THE YOUNG PERFORMER
ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT MEDIA FORMS, TO SAY,
"THIS IS THE KIND OF WORK I'M DOING.
"THIS IS THE KIND OF WORK MY PEER GROUP CONSUMES
AND HAS A INTEREST IN," SO WE KNOW WHERE TO ORGANIZE.
ROBERTA SPOKE ABOUT ORGANIZING A LONG TIME AGO
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
WE GO INTO AREAS WHERE WE MAY NOT ALREADY HAVE JURISDICTION,
AND WE ORGANIZE THAT JURISDICTION
SO THAT THE YOUNGER MEMBERS --
SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER THAN I AM --
I WAS YOUNG ONCE -- WEREN'T WE ALL? --
WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE WORK ACROSS THE SPHERE
OF WHAT WE DO FOR A LIVING COVERED BY SAG-AFTRA.
THEY WILL SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE.
THEY HAVE WILL HAVE ONE PLACE TO GO
FOR THEIR PROTECTIONS AND FOR THEIR OPPORTUNITIES,
AND THEY WILL KNOW THAT THE FUTURE
THAT WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD FOR THEM,
THEY CAN CONTINUE TO OWN
BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING OUT FOR THEM.
Carteris: THIS IS FROM SUSAN.
"I AM WATCHING THE LIVESTREAM." HELLO.
"AND I'M STILL CONFUSED. I AM A MEMBER OF SAG BUT NOT AFTRA.
"WHEN WE MERGE, WILL I HAVE TO PAY
AN INITIATION FEE TO AFTRA?"
AND I'M GONNA ANSWER THAT. NO.
IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF ONE UNION OR BOTH UNIONS,
YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE A MEMBER
OF THE NEW UNION, SAG-AFTRA.
REBECCA?
Damon: ALL RIGHTY.
THIS ONE I'M GONNA TOSS TO YOU, ROBERTA.
"I -- AT ONE TIME, I BELONGED TO BOTH SAG AND AFTRA.
"I WAS ABLE TO ONLY PAY DUES TO MY PARENT UNION.
"IS THIS GONNA BE A PROCEDURE IN THE CURRENT UNION?
WHAT WILL THE NEW PROCEDURE BE?"
THIS IS *** VIA E-MAIL ABOUT THE BASE DUES.
Reardon: IT'S INTERESTING.
THIS KIND OF THING COMES UP OCCASIONALLY,
AND I THINK THE THING WE ALL HAVE TO REMEMBER
IS WE ARE CREATING ONE NEW UNION.
THERE WILL NOT BE TWO SEPARATE UNIONS.
WE'RE MERGING THE UNIONS TOGETHER,
BUT WHAT YOU WILL HAVE IS ONE UNION,
SO YOU WILL NOT BE PAYING TWO SETS OF DUES.
YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO PAY A STEP UP IN INITIATION.
YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO BE CONCERNED --
IF YOU'RE ONLY A MEMBER OF ONE UNION NOW --
IF YOU'RE A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING RIGHT NOW --
OR, I'M SORRY, ON THE EFFECTIVE DATE --
OF EITHER UNION,
THEN YOU WILL BE A MEMBER OF THE NEW UNION,
AND YOU WILL PAY ONE SET OF DUES.
AND THE BASE DUES FOR THE NEW UNION FOR EVERYBODY
IS $198 A YEAR PLUS WORK DUES -- THAT'S IT.
Damon: THANK YOU, ROBERTA. GABBY?
Carteris: I JUST WANTED TO SAY ONE MORE THING TO WENDY.
NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE A MEMBER OF THE NEW UNION
AND YOU WON'T -- JUST TO KNOW
THAT YOU'RE SAVING THE $3,000 INITIATION FEE,
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S AWESOME, SO CONGRATULATIONS.
THIS IS ALSO TO -- FROM A WOMAN NAMED WENDY.
IT SAYS, "IF MERGER PASSES, WILL THE ELECTED RECEIVE A SALARY?"
KEN?
Aquino: SADLY, NO. [ LAUGHTER ]
Howard: SADLY, NO. AND THAT'S THE ANSWER.
AS THINGS MOVE ON INTO THIS NEW CENTURY,
I MEAN, WHERE IT'S GONNA UNFOLD,
IT WILL BE INTERESTING
HOW THE NATIONAL BOARD, THE CONVENTION,
THE NEW MEMBERSHIP, YOUNG PEOPLE,
FIGURE OUT HOW THIS LEADERSHIP
SHOULD BE CREATED, HOW IT MAY CHANGE,
HOW IT NEEDS TO BE COMPENSATED OR NOT COMPENSATED.
WE HAVE BEEN VERY CAREFUL TO MAKE ALL THAT POSSIBLE,
TO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN STONE.
BUT FOR NOW, NOT ONLY WILL PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW US
NECESSARILY GET PAID,
BUT CERTAINLY THERE WILL BE NO RETROACTIVE PAYMENT
TO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD FOR SO LONG
TO GET YOU HERE, AND THAT'S JUST FINE.
THAT'S THE ANSWER.