Gilbert pumps SAG in Washington tour
Prexy looking to clean up 'public misconception'
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Gilbert made the comments while confabbing Tuesday with officials at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington with a goal of boosting SAG's support for other sectors of the union movement, ranging from nurses to airline baggage handlers to longshoremen.
"There's a terrible public misconception that there are only five actors and they all make $20 million per picture," Gilbert said. "That's a very, very small percentage of our membership. Most of us are journeymen laborers who can barely earn a living as actors; when the job is finished, we're fired."
Labor links
Gilbert, who has spent the past year as a VP on the AFL-CIO exec council, said she has been pushing for SAG to deepen ties with the umbrella organization. While stressing there is no single issue driving the alliance, she noted that the guild can provide high-profile thesps to support union causes, while the AFL-CIO, which contains labor orgs comprising over 13 million members, can supply strategic expertise and legislative know-how.
"SAG needs to nurture the relationship with the AFL-CIO," she added. "We have not been operating as closely as we should."
The AFL-CIO was a significant player in SAG's six-month strike two years ago against advertisers, particularly in the final weeks when it supported the guild's boycott of Tide, Ivory Soap and Crest.
Gilbert was also in Washington to receive the AFL-CIO Labor Heritage Award at ceremonies Tuesday night. "We selected her because of her position as president of a union of artists," said a statement from the Labor Heritage Foundation, which works to strengthen the labor movement through the use of music and the arts. "As we are a labor arts organization, we felt that we would like to honor someone who represents not only the interests of working people, but also the interests of artists."
The dinner was co-hosted by AFL-CIO president John Sweeney and American Federation of Teachers prexy Sandra Feldman. Previous winners include Sweeney in 2000, Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) in 1998 and AFL-CIO exec VP Linda Chavez-Thompson in 1996.
"I think I'm the only recipient who's been a member of a union since I was 2," Gilbert noted. "I continue to be amazed and moved by the strength and dedication of those who are part of the labor movement. My whole family has always been union members, so to be acknowledged in this way is very moving for me."
Pressing issues
Gilbert and SAG deputy national exec director Pamm Fair also met with federal officials to drum up support for legislation on runaway production and increased protection of audiovisual programming. The duo met with James Rogan, under secretary of commerce for intellectual property, to discuss concerns.
Fair said that prospects are murky for wage-based tax credit legislation being passed until next session, given that the current Congress only has a post-election lame-duck session before the bills die. But she added that SAG will continue to pursue legislative solutions to the problem of producers choosing low-cost foreign locations and spurning guild talent.
"Our members are suffering greatly due to runaway," Fair said.
