I'm running for AEA Council!
Engagement begets results.
The 2020 presidential election saw record turnout on both sides, but the result ultimately came down to an unprecedented effort in mobilization and organizing amongst everyone from experienced campaign experts to first-time phone bankers.
Each and every volunteer and voter was integral to the success of the movement to defeat authoritarianism.
Right now, Actors’ Equity Association does not have that level of engagement amongst members. In fact, union membership is on the decline everywhere.
Just 6% of private sector workers have a union protecting them from things like wage exploitation and arbitrary firings.
Companies are routinely engaging in subverting union efforts (look at Amazon).
And even amongst those unionized, it can often feel like the union leadership is making decisions for us, rather than us having a meaningful contribution to the results.
Consistently, only about 1 in 10 AEA members vote in our elections, and even less engage with the negotiations of contracts on which they
work.
After working as a union member for nearly a decade, studying worker-led movements outside of AEA, and seeing union membership fall drastically over the last several years, it’s never been clearer to me that improved communication and engagement among our members can make AEA the union we wish it to be.
The life of an AEA member can be a hectic one, working multiple jobs just to pay the bills amidst unpaid auditions and gigs paid in connections or, everyone's favorite, exposure.
It’s critical that our union have representatives that reach out and inform members about the workings of their contracts, negotiations and other union activities, continuing to actively engage members during contracts,
so as not burden the workers to bring issues forward after it’s too late.
As your representative, I plan to do just that, represent you.
In organizing work, whether in a union, community, or political space, listening to and representing constituents authentically is the fuel for success.
We are in need of more channels to express those needs, channels with accountability for those who abuse long-standing rules, channels with resources to address concerns immediately and effectively, channels that encourage a consistent loop of communication between membership and representatives.
Those representatives must consistently connect for feedback before, during, and after contracts, and be prepared to have difficult conversations with employers on your behalf.
I hope you’ll honor me with that opportunity.
I am deeply committed to fighting for a living wage on all contracts and for creative compensation for our work.
I am always committed to advocating for increased intersectional representation in union membership and leadership.
I am interested in finding new ways to bring previously disengaged members into the negotiating process.
Solidarity requires representing the "all."
I have worked several types of contracts, regionally and in New York City, ensemble and principal, non-union and union, fully realized productions and developmental work.
I’m hyper-organized, a voracious reader, and have experience in organizing as a key player in multiple grassroots political action organizations (Generation WE).
I’m looking forward to representing you on Equity Council, and organizing with you in community with Equity Next.
I'm running for council to strengthen our union's bargaining power, to learn more deeply about its functions, and to help engage members more thoroughly and consistently.
I'm looking forward to this being a lesson in both leadership and collaboration.
Let's learn together.
The 2020 presidential election saw record turnout on both sides, but the result ultimately came down to an unprecedented effort in mobilization and organizing amongst everyone from experienced campaign experts to first-time phone bankers.
Each and every volunteer and voter was integral to the success of the movement to defeat authoritarianism.
Right now, Actors’ Equity Association does not have that level of engagement amongst members. In fact, union membership is on the decline everywhere.
Just 6% of private sector workers have a union protecting them from things like wage exploitation and arbitrary firings.
Companies are routinely engaging in subverting union efforts (look at Amazon).
And even amongst those unionized, it can often feel like the union leadership is making decisions for us, rather than us having a meaningful contribution to the results.
Consistently, only about 1 in 10 AEA members vote in our elections, and even less engage with the negotiations of contracts on which they
work.
After working as a union member for nearly a decade, studying worker-led movements outside of AEA, and seeing union membership fall drastically over the last several years, it’s never been clearer to me that improved communication and engagement among our members can make AEA the union we wish it to be.
The life of an AEA member can be a hectic one, working multiple jobs just to pay the bills amidst unpaid auditions and gigs paid in connections or, everyone's favorite, exposure.
It’s critical that our union have representatives that reach out and inform members about the workings of their contracts, negotiations and other union activities, continuing to actively engage members during contracts,
so as not burden the workers to bring issues forward after it’s too late.
As your representative, I plan to do just that, represent you.
In organizing work, whether in a union, community, or political space, listening to and representing constituents authentically is the fuel for success.
We are in need of more channels to express those needs, channels with accountability for those who abuse long-standing rules, channels with resources to address concerns immediately and effectively, channels that encourage a consistent loop of communication between membership and representatives.
Those representatives must consistently connect for feedback before, during, and after contracts, and be prepared to have difficult conversations with employers on your behalf.
I hope you’ll honor me with that opportunity.
I am deeply committed to fighting for a living wage on all contracts and for creative compensation for our work.
I am always committed to advocating for increased intersectional representation in union membership and leadership.
I am interested in finding new ways to bring previously disengaged members into the negotiating process.
Solidarity requires representing the "all."
I have worked several types of contracts, regionally and in New York City, ensemble and principal, non-union and union, fully realized productions and developmental work.
I’m hyper-organized, a voracious reader, and have experience in organizing as a key player in multiple grassroots political action organizations (Generation WE).
I’m looking forward to representing you on Equity Council, and organizing with you in community with Equity Next.
I'm running for council to strengthen our union's bargaining power, to learn more deeply about its functions, and to help engage members more thoroughly and consistently.
I'm looking forward to this being a lesson in both leadership and collaboration.
Let's learn together.