Coalition for Communication

Please note: I have no insight into the upcoming election and the opinions expressed here are my own personal thoughts and do not reflect the opinions or policies of the union or any of its leadership or representatives. I am not seeking re-election this year and have been honored to serve/volunteer across multiple roles and committees. Consider these some parting thoughts…

Dear [redacted],

I am looking at the road ahead to our union elections and feel it is likely you are best served to help us meet this moment. The following is a campaign strategy and leadership philosophy I believe will be necessary to bridge the challenges of our past and the uncertainty of our future.

So much of how our union operates is unfortunately under systems and structures that functioned masterfully within outdated understandings of film production, distribution, technology and even democracy. Since the pandemic, we have self-prescribed a "Time of Conservation" to further narrow our efforts within dwindling allocations of staff and resources. But... we have seen opportunities to modernize and mobilize the next generations of members:

• A fresh group of member-volunteers were activated by the strike and are eager to maintain their mobilization

• SAG-AFTRA has become extremely active in is lobbying efforts at the forefront of artificial intelligence legislation

• Fran stated at Convention that the Resolution process could be expanded to year-round recommendations and expansions to our Constitution

• The last election saw the emergence of a "Unity Caucus" to dispel and de-couple from historic "political parties" within the union

This last point illustrates an opportunity to build a coalition based on shared principles, not shared pasts - an undercurrent we are watching unfold in our own national politics - as citizens have felt let down by the two party system they've known for several generations. This is exacerbated by some of our high profile members who serve in an "honorary" position in our decision-making bodies, but historically cannot attend these crucial meetings, breeding further distrust and frustration in an emerging American class war.

American institutions will not survive if we do not adapt… including SAG-AFTRA.

For better or worse, we are in an era of communication. Those who have strong and consistent messaging - regardless of truth or altruism - are quickly and boldly re-writing the rules and influencing our society. The "Time Of Conservation" is over... we must enter a "Time of Communication."

I believe there is an enormous opportunity to create a Coalition for Communication based entirely on principles, not popularity. Under a clear and consistent ethos of transparency, education and literacy; I believe the membership could be galvanized to:

• Identify leaders within each Category and Local to build a structure similar to IATSE Locals for the purpose of disseminating messaging and resources directly to the needs to our members through their own active representatives (Background, Voiceover, Twin-Cities, Stunts, Mid-Atlantic, etc).

• Re-activate the 2023 Captains in a role similar to the WGA's steward 'Captain' system and Actors Equity's 'Deputy' program.

  • Identify whether these leaders prefer to serve in an elected or non-elected role.

  • Offer transparency, education and literacy early and often for those members to understand the requirements of the role and help draft their proposals and resolutions.

  • Crowdsource a coalition of these leaders to ensure placement and representation on National board and National Committees

• Repeat last year’s "Convention Resolution hack" to caucus for a group of proposals authored by various members, brought forth by smaller locals (where the threshold for endorsement is much lower).

The task can feel daunting - democracy often does. But the union is already paying for automation that can be better leveraged to support our membership and we have the time to implement it before the next election cycle if we begin now.

1. I submitted developer logs that would allow our existing website to create and share collaborative documents (24-LANTC-25A)

2. Such a feature could use the existing whitelisting our site already uses for Convention and Boards to limit access by login credentials

3. Such a feature could be expanded to create an automated ticketing system for claims tracking that can evolve to keep pace with artificial intelligence (24-LANTC-T)

4. I submitted an inquiry into the under-utilization of our current servers to synchronize data and minimize delays and errors in reporting (24-LANTC-19)

5. We endorsed 2 resolutions to require more transparent disclosure by employers of the contract and rate of pay (24-LANTC-34)

These are not "sexy" or even "controversial" adaptations of our union structure. They are simply automations and modernizations of tools and services we are already paying for to provide more transparency and immediacy to our members for the policies and procedures we already purport to provide. By turning the key on these features, we can achieve (nearly overnight) improvements to member communication, claims and compensation. So often, our members feel leadership and staff are standing in the way of progress. A Coalition for Communication empowers members to engage in an authentic dialogue with their union using systems that are self-guided and designed to give them answers - even when those answers are disappointing or may require some delay.

Our union's true leaders are not on billboards along Sunset Blvd or the cover of magazines. They are in niche pockets and street corners, fighting for an honest system that offers them a path to a viable career, life-saving care, an egalitarian community, and the ability to retire with dignity. Their frustrations are well intentioned and can be funneled into the meaningful change and activism that will define the next decade of the entire global economy.

In Solidarity,

Brendan