Official
Bulletin - First Quarter 2008/No. 619 President's Newsletter
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
We are now living in one of the most challenging times for working families
in decades. Both nationally and internationally, we are seeing upheavals and
disruptions unlike any we have seen since the first half of the last century.Within
the entertainment industry, recent events have had effects that will take years
to resolve.
There are, however, some signs of progress. In the United States as a
whole, union membership has started to rise. In our industry, the quick and
positive agreement between the DGA and the AMPTP has given us hope,
where only a few weeks ago, the picture for many of us was bleak indeed.
An end to the Writers’ strike solves only one of the grave issues facing
the entertainment industry. We are seeing a profound change in the way
we work — mainly in the development of new technologies that both
threaten our futures and present us with new opportunities unheard of
just a few years ago. The “family business” that many in the industry have
grown up in, with generations in the same Locals, is now one controlled
by global corporations with little interest in the welfare of those working
families that make up a tiny portion of their bottom lines. It is up to us to
prove that a well-trained work force, with skill sets that are unique and
crucial to the efficient production of the best entertainment, is worthy of
care, attention, and consideration.
We have no clear picture of how new media will affect us. It is our
responsibility to make certain that as these new technologies develop, we
are ready, able, and willing to do the jobs presented to us. We must be
on the leading edge of creative solutions to the challenges we face. Our
forbears adapted to dramatic changes, and I have no doubt that the present
generation can do the same.
We cannot stop striving for a better quality of life for all of our members-
better working conditions, better communication, and better benefits–
even in the face of governmental roadblocks thrown up by an
administration that has repeatedly proven itself hostile to those fortunate
and brave enough to be union members.
The coming national election will give all working families an opportunity
for change and better representation. For the members of this
Alliance, it will provide a chance to prove once again that we have a vested
interest not only in our industry, but in our country–and a chance to
remind our leaders and fellow citizens of the importance of the work we
do to our country’s place in the world. We hope for national health care,
we hope for a stable and peaceful foreign policy, and we hope for the
rehabilitation of the American image abroad. Most of all, we hope that
come November, we will have elected friends of organized labor who
will turn our hopes into a reality of better days.
