We want you to know the following email has been sent to you thru a third-party exchange, using the SAG-AFTRA email list. Thus, we do not have your personal information. We send this to you at our own expense. We were charged $2,458.00 for the use of this member email list. We hope you’ll take the next few minutes to read what we have to say.
"Jodi Long, David Jolliffe, and Sheryl Lee Ralph are exactly the right people to serve as your LA Local officers. They have the right temperament, experience, and leadership skills to guide, inspire, and unite us all.”
- Patricia Richardson, President of the Los Angeles Local
"Five words for why I stand with—and believe in—Sheryl Lee Ralph, David Joliffe, and Jodi Long: Decency. Dedication. Experience. Grit. Wisdom. Three individuals and five words that will truly benefit our Union. I am honored to walk beside them.”
- Matthew Modine, Candidate for National President
"The Los Angeles Local represents more than half of the members of this Union. Jodi Long, David Jolliffe and Sheryl Lee Ralph are the perfect leadership team, with the vision and strength to represent our interests."
- Joely Fisher, Candidate for Secretary-Treasurer
A LETTER FROM
Los Angeles Local Officer Candidates:
Jodi Long • LA President
Sheryl Lee Ralph • LA Vice-President
David Jolliffe • LA Vice-President
We come to you as volunteers, greatly concerned about the well-being of our beloved Union.
MembershipFirst has held the line in the LA Board room against the current National Leadership who time and again has undermined the LA local’s ability to move forward in a positive way. The Los Angeles Local represents the majority of SAG-AFTRA members, and it is important you be respected and counted as such.
To that end, we are running for the top three officer positions on the Los Angeles Local Board: Jodi Long for President, David Jolliffe and Sheryl Lee Ralph for Vice-Presidents.
We, along with our entire MembershipFirst Team, are committed to making the critical changes which are sorely needed at SAG-AFTRA. We know Union politics can be tiresome and confusing. However, there are extreme differences between the candidates, that must be brought to your attention.
In this email, we want to briefly highlight several of the key issues that affect us all: Health Care, Diversity and Disability, Self-Tape, Owning our own free Casting Platform, Background, Sexual Harassment, Negotiations and Residuals and Financial Responsibility.
Health Care
We are very troubled that the current National leadership has taken no responsibility regarding the draconian changes to our Health Plan. To be clear, the Union itself seats all of the Union Trustees. The Union also negotiates all the money that goes into funding the Plan. The current leadership actively promoted the notion that our Senior secondary insurance benefit was never “promised.” That kind of rationale would mean that none of us are promised or assured that any part of our Health Plan will be there when we need it. To us, that is not leadership, nor is failing to take care of the seniors on whose backs the health and pension plans were built.
Healthcare Video: https://youtu.be/4LgRxJnxI8o
Diversity and Disability
What we see on screen must realistically depict the diversity and the American scene we see in life. We vow to examine all layers and nuances and create a fair and equitable workplace for all our diverse and disabled members and the creative community at large. This includes the policy of enforcing the non-discrimination and diversity sections of our contract to support underrepresented members.
Self-Tape
Pre-Pandemic, our Los Angeles local was in the process of offering self-taping, but due to suppression by the current national leadership, we were not allowed to provide that support to our members. Under new, MembershipFirst National leadership, we will establish industry guidelines to protect our members from disrespectful and unreasonable self-taping requirements and resume and expand our local's self- taping services to spare our members from another cost pushed onto us by casting and production.
Our Own Free Online Casting Platform
We would like to build our own cutting edge, free, online casting platform for our members to replace the external, for-profit platforms saving our members millions of dollars per year.
Background
Our union has failed to make meaningful improvements to the background sections of all our contracts. Our members demand raising the caps placed on work opportunities, better wages, expanded geographical coverage, and a guaranteed voice on the national board. We will continue our fight to improve the professional lives of all background artists.
Sexual Harassment
Our Union continues to have an inadequate response in our contracts and internal policies to combat this ongoing threat. We must codify rules that will empower all members with the ability to report privately, hold their predators accountable with real consequences, heal their trauma, and provide them with education, resources, and support.
Negotiation and Residuals
We have lost hundreds of millions of dollars because our contracts have never kept pace with exhibition platforms as they have evolved. Our residuals are an essential part of our ability to maintain a stable income while preserving our rightful continuing participation in the content we helped create. They are consistently traded away in each shortsighted contract negotiation. We must eliminate the practice of pre-paying residuals, “buy-outs,” regardless of platform.
Financial Irresponsibility
For years, a staggering $6 million per year has been spent on renting our SAG-AFTRA offices in Los Angeles. In February of 2021, the current National Board inexplicably locked us into a new long term, multi-million-dollar lease until 2032. We will take the prudent step of acquiring real estate assets, consistent with every other entertainment union, using good judgment and sound financial planning.
For further reading, our positions and detailed platform are available for your consideration on our website: MembershipFirst.com.
Message from our campaign: https://youtu.be/Mm2uBtzXSt0
Message from M1 officer candidates: https://youtu.be/SZAJzzeOsIs
We wish to continue to fight to protect our Health and Pension Plans, to address residuals and so much more. We would be proud and excited to get to work as your leadership team in Los Angeles.
We respectfully ask for your Vote,
Jodi Long
David Jolliffe
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Click here for a video message from Jodi
Click here for a video message from David
Click here for a video message from Sheryl Lee
MEMBERSHIPFIRST VOTER GUIDE
Vote the entire MembershipFirst slate.
M1 Example Ballots:
National and Local Officer and Board Member Candidates
LA Convention Delegate Candidates
NATIONAL BALLOT
National President
02. Matthew Modine
National Secretary-Treasurer
03. Joely Fisher
LOS ANGELES BALLOT
President, Los Angeles Local
01. Jodi Long
Vice Presidents, Los Angeles Local
04. David Jolliffe
06. Sheryl Lee Ralph
LOCAL BOARD
08. Joe D’Angerio
11. Susie Duff
12. Caitlin Dulany
13. Debbie Evans
14. Frances Fisher
15. Joely Fisher
21. Elliott Gould
23. Pamela Guest
24. Richard Hadfield
25. Brian Hamilton
27. Samantha Hartson
31. Jennae Hoving
33. Amen Igbinosun
35. David Jolliffe
36. Matt Kavanaugh
40. Eric Ladin
41. Donna Lynn Leavy
43. Joanna Leeds
46. Anthony Marciona
47. A Martinez
48. Kevin McCorkle
50. Matthew Modine
52. Esai Morales
53. Gaye Nelson
55. Richard R. Olmsted
56. Peggy Lane O’Rourke
57. Ron Ostrow
60. Stefanie Powers
62. Sheryl Lee Ralph
64. Patricia Richardson
68. Sarah Scott
69. Shaan Sharma
72. Jonathan Taylor Thomas
76. Lisa Ann Walter
80. Zeke Alton
81. Pete Antico
82. Sean Astin
83. Jane Austin
92. Joanna Cassidy
94. Jillian Clare
77. Kevin E West *Independent
Broadcaster
100. Sam Rubin
Singers
102. Sam Harris
NATIONAL BOARD
106. Debbie Evans
107. Joely Fisher
110. Brad Garrett
116. Anne-Marie Johnson
118. David Jolliffe
124. Matthew Modine
125. Esai Morales
128. Stefanie Powers
130. Sheryl Lee Ralph
131. Michael Rapaport
133. Shaan Sharma
137 Sharon Stone
138. Sean Astin
139. Jane Austin
DELEGATES
ACTOR/PERFORMER
145. Joe D’Angerio
147. Lauren De Miranda
151. Will Dinsmoor
153. Holly Dorff
154. Susie Duff
155. Caitlin Dulany
157. Catherine Eads
158. Maggie Egan
160. Carole Elliott
162. Larry Fine
163. Alanna Fox
165. Elisa Gabrielli
166. Jill Galbraith
169. Brad Garrett
172. Andrea Geones
174. Elliott Ghertner
176. Sharon Gless
178. Rochelle Lynn Goplen
180. Alana Grace
183. Elizabeth Guest
184. Nicholas Guest
185. Pamela Guest
186. Aron Haddad
187. Richard Hadfield
188. Brian Hamilton
190. Gregory Harrison
192. Samantha Hartson
193. Cupid Hayes
197. Lauren Henning
198. Louis Herthum
203. Jennae Hoving
205. Amen Igbinosun
207. Heidi James
208. Mary Ellen Jennings
210. David Jolliffe
211. Loris Anne Jones
213. Calvin Jung
214. Sohm Kapila
215. Matt Kavanaugh
217. Mobin Khan
218. Steve Knoll
219. Jen Kober
222. Eric Ladin
225. Donna Lynn Leavy
227. Joanna Leeds
231. Barry Livingston
232. Lance A Lott
237. Anthony Marciona
238. Rick Markman
239. A Martinez
240. Kevin McCorkle
241. Christopher McDaniel
244. Lynn Marie Mierzejewski
246. Marilyn Monrovia
247. Jean Montanti
249. Esai Morales
250. Maury Morgan
252. Bill Mumy
253. Eileen Mumy
254. Gaye Nelson
255. Nicole Leann Nelson
257. Chhaya Nene
260. Ashley Nicole Oles
261. Richard R Olmsted
262. Peggy Lane O’Rourke
263. Mary Ostrow
264. Ron Ostrow
265. Laurie Paladino
268. Phil Parolisi
269. Jack Patterson
272. Lauren Peterson
277. Mark A Planas
278. Ashley Platz
279. Stefanie Powers
281. Sheryl Lee Ralph
282. Patrick Randolph
285. Javin Reid
286. Sy Richardson
287. Robin Riker
291. Alan Rosenberg
292. Jonathan Roumie
296. Al Sapienza
299. Sarah Scott
301. Shaan Sharma
302. Nik Shriner
307. Arne Starr
309. Connie Stevens
311. Alana Collins Stewart
314. Sharon Stone
317. Renee Taylor
320. Erin Tillman
325. Billy Vera
328. Lisa Ann Walter
330. Naomi Watson
331. Kevin E West (Independent)
339. Ben Zelevansky
340. Cheri Adams
343. Zeke Alton
345. Jennifer Lynn Andersen
347. Sean Astin
348. Jane Austin
349. Rachel Autumn
350. Shondrella Avery
352. Steven Barr
355. Shoshana Bean
356. Graham Beckel
357. Gina Belafonte
359. Jordan Belfi
364. David Blue
365. Nikita Bogolyubov
366. Anastasia Boissier
370. Steve Bozajian
376. Michael Bruen
378. Carlease Burke
379. Lynn Denise Burnett
380. Dyan Cannon
384. Rachelle Carson-Begley
391. Jillian Clare
392. Cynthia Lea Clark
393. David Clennon
404. Erin Cummings
405. Sondra Currie
406. Jon Curry
407. Wendy E Cutler
Broadcast-Entertainment
409. Sam Rubin
Dancer
411. Donna Russo
Singer
413. Sam Harris
Stunts
420. Debbie Evans
421. Marie Fink
426. Henry Kingi, Jr.
NOT PAID FOR WITH SAG-AFTRA FUNDS