The National Board of Directors of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) has overwhelmingly passed a resolution approving the appointment of the AFTRA New Union Committee to work with the SAG Merger Task Force in developing a plan to unite AFTRA and SAG into a single, new successor union, representing professional performers, broadcasters and sound recording artists. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) National Board of Directors had previously created a similar committee.
The resolution instructs the AFTRA New Union committee to begin meeting with SAG no later than June 30, 2011 to develop a merger agreement, a constitution and a national dues structure for presentation to the AFTRA National Board by the end of January 2012. The AFTRA New Union Committee, which will be chaired by AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon, consists of 13 committee members and 16 alternates (29 members total) who represent each major category of AFTRA’s diverse membership, as well as Local members outside of Los Angeles and New York.
The National Board also approved a Mission Statement for the new, successor Union. The Mission Statement was developed by the AFTRA and SAG members of the Presidents’ Forum for One Union and had been previously approved in draft form by the SAG National Board at its meeting on April 30.
“The Presidents’ Forum for One Union Listening Tour has been a thrilling and invaluable organizing experience, and I thank every actor, broadcaster and recording artist who participated and made their voice heard. The Tour confirms what AFTRA has known since 1937: entertainment and news media professionals are stronger standing together and, overwhelmingly, AFTRA members want one new union. I look forward to moving this process forward into the next stage where we will now work with our sisters and brothers at Screen Actors Guild to build a new union for a new world,” said Reardon.
