AFTRA Elects New President, Seeks Direct Affiliation with AFL-CIO

by James Parks, Jul 23, 2007

AFTRA President Roberta Reardon

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) took two major steps toward building a stronger union this past weekend. During its biennial national convention July 21 in Philadelphia, delegates passed a resolution to seek direct affiliation with the AFL-CIO and elected actress Roberta Reardon as president.

The nearly 200 delegates chose Reardon by acclamation. She had served as president to complete the remainder of the term of John Connolly, who resigned in March to become executive director of the Actor’s Equity union.

By a ratio of 10–1, delegates voted in a special session for AFTRA to take steps to obtain a direct national charter from the AFL-CIO. AFTRA currently has indirect affiliation with the AFL-CIO through membership in the Associated Actors and Artistes of America (4As), which also includes Actors’ Equity, American Guild of Musical Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists, Hebrew Actors Union Inc., Screen Actors (SAG) and The Guild of Italian American Actors.

The delegates authorized the AFTRA National Board to formally withdraw AFTRA from the 4As upon direct affiliation with the AFL-CIO.

Reardon says:

As we look at the 21st century media industry, we see that significant parts of our membership can be more fully served by direct affiliation with the AFL-CIO. This is a move that honors AFTRA’s diverse jurisdictions covering performers, broadcasters and recording artists. With our own seat at the table of labor, AFTRA can begin to explore the many opportunities for strategic alliances with other media unions that are not part of the 4As.

AFTRA will continue to maintain cooperative working relationships with the 4As and its member guilds, including joint negotiating agreements with SAG.

Also during the convention, the delegates

• Heard Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth report that the union has gained 2,300 members since 2005. She told the convention that “active organizing and legislative efforts designed to keep work both union and made in America—combined with the growth of TV program formats such as reality, variety, contests, as well as AFTRA’s original areas of dramatic programming—has caused AFTRA to grow.”

• Awarded the union’s highest honor—the George Heller Memorial Gold Card—to  New York Local member Janette Gautier, who is chair of the AFTRA Heller Memorial Scholarship Fund and has served members for more than 30 years in various local and national capacities, and to former Los Angeles Local President Susan Boyd Joyce, who recently was the volunteer executive producer of a 30-minute documentary that tells an emotional story about the history of AFTRA and the work of current members to secure its future.

• Paid tribute in a special ceremony to Connolly and Motown vocalist and AFTRA Detroit Local board member Martha Reeves for their service to the union. 

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