After watching "Roger and Me" I recall all the plant closings in the Clothing and Textile Industry, as in the auto industry. Thousands and thousands of people lost their jobs to workers in other countries. We set up Dislocationed Worker Programs to help them retrain for new industries, like health care. As a union, ACTWU had a commitment to its members beyond the workplace.
Mary, thank you for the information and the education. Sometimes I can be in my own little world! We need to use technology to connect with like-minded people all over the world!
I am retired on a farm in Grainger County Tennessee, with horses and donkeys and goats and chickens and dogs, and my precious husband. I lived in Manhattan for 14 years after college at Columbia, and worked in the Social Services Department of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Those were the days! I learned the power of education and united action! The workers fought for living wages, health insurance, safety on the job, vacations and scholarships for their kids. We had rallies, sang songs and respected one another, regardless of race or religion or culture. Good memories!
The fight continues and we can still join in no matter where we are or how old! Thank you for bringing us together!
It's about damn time SAG did something about the threat of virtual actors, which has been with us for years! The sticking point was the voice; but for AI, that's a piece of cake.
Too bad it took the Great AI Panic to push SAG into action. I was having this discussion with my friend Melanie Chartoff about a year ago, & she asked, "What can SAG do?" Now we know.
As always, Mary is right on it. The big men are getting some big bucks, the people that is out there working on the set in front of the camera is getting hardly nothing. I hope these people get what they want, for the work they are doing to produce films for all of us to see. Everyone is becoming a bunch of crooks. There should be fair pay for all that is doing the work, not just those sitting in the office giving orders to the little man or woman.
At the same time that they don’t want to pay the actors a living wage ,Disney is trying to wring more money out of Spectrum cable customers.I’m getting tired of paying to watch the same movies over and over again. Ever since streaming became a thing the cable channels very rarely show any newer movies.
Union - YES! My family was kept from a financial wipeout by the fact that my father was a Teamster. He worked as a driver for a local bakery in Toledo, OH, and if he had not had Union-won insurance when he suffered a major stroke at 64, we would never have recovered - and neither would have he.
I completely support SAG-AFTRA and will do whatever they need to help. Boycott, dropping channels, letter-writing - please name it!
Ms. Mary L. Trump, I am so GLAD such an intelligent, creative, and courageous woman is here with us on Substack. (Love your series) I never ever thought I could feel this respect for a (Trump) period. But you are the light in the dark. Thank you. I'm an actress, since 1990 - did the whole Union thang - wasn't as helpful as it should have been. 💦YOU GOT ME - when the assholes of greedom cut the frickin' trees down!!!! 🌳 WTF! SOCIOPATHS! I choked and tears fell. Because I know what strength, audacity, perseverance to follow your ART HEART 🩵 Not to mention (as a young lady) the chauvinism, the perverts etc..eating peanut butter sandwiches 🥪 in my loft in NYC while auditioning. Then you make some strides and your boyfriend gets jealous and cheats on you....anyway, you know - it all a series...BUT!!! Let's do something about this! Count me in Mary! Let's protest - let's help - how can we????
This situation reminds me of the situation I had with our superintendent of schools who made the most money among an aggregate of other school districts while his professional staff made the least among that same aggregate with a 50% fund equity sitting in a “rainy day” fund. He ( the super) made it his duty to not touch that money even though we were in a “rainy day”. He vindictively resisted negotiation meetings with our union hoping to break the union when Michigan had the miss named “right to work” laws on the books. That has since been reversed. Thank you Governor Whitmer. We finally eeked out a 1.5% increase and never in my professional time did we get to pay equity with our colleagues in other school districts especially those districts in lower Michigan. Mike Hill, go to hell! I never got paid enough for the difficult work I did as a SLP .
Me
Guess who
Substack
High - exactly
When is the next installment of Mary’s serial? It been a week or more since the last one.
Mary Ellen Rousseau
After watching "Roger and Me" I recall all the plant closings in the Clothing and Textile Industry, as in the auto industry. Thousands and thousands of people lost their jobs to workers in other countries. We set up Dislocationed Worker Programs to help them retrain for new industries, like health care. As a union, ACTWU had a commitment to its members beyond the workplace.
Mary, thank you for the information and the education. Sometimes I can be in my own little world! We need to use technology to connect with like-minded people all over the world!
I am retired on a farm in Grainger County Tennessee, with horses and donkeys and goats and chickens and dogs, and my precious husband. I lived in Manhattan for 14 years after college at Columbia, and worked in the Social Services Department of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Those were the days! I learned the power of education and united action! The workers fought for living wages, health insurance, safety on the job, vacations and scholarships for their kids. We had rallies, sang songs and respected one another, regardless of race or religion or culture. Good memories!
The fight continues and we can still join in no matter where we are or how old! Thank you for bringing us together!
Diana
Thank you, Joseph Lim.
It's about damn time SAG did something about the threat of virtual actors, which has been with us for years! The sticking point was the voice; but for AI, that's a piece of cake.
Too bad it took the Great AI Panic to push SAG into action. I was having this discussion with my friend Melanie Chartoff about a year ago, & she asked, "What can SAG do?" Now we know.
Sounds good to me Bro. We are Stardust, N'est pas ?
As always, Mary is right on it. The big men are getting some big bucks, the people that is out there working on the set in front of the camera is getting hardly nothing. I hope these people get what they want, for the work they are doing to produce films for all of us to see. Everyone is becoming a bunch of crooks. There should be fair pay for all that is doing the work, not just those sitting in the office giving orders to the little man or woman.
At the same time that they don’t want to pay the actors a living wage ,Disney is trying to wring more money out of Spectrum cable customers.I’m getting tired of paying to watch the same movies over and over again. Ever since streaming became a thing the cable channels very rarely show any newer movies.
Union - YES! My family was kept from a financial wipeout by the fact that my father was a Teamster. He worked as a driver for a local bakery in Toledo, OH, and if he had not had Union-won insurance when he suffered a major stroke at 64, we would never have recovered - and neither would have he.
I completely support SAG-AFTRA and will do whatever they need to help. Boycott, dropping channels, letter-writing - please name it!
Ms. Mary L. Trump, I am so GLAD such an intelligent, creative, and courageous woman is here with us on Substack. (Love your series) I never ever thought I could feel this respect for a (Trump) period. But you are the light in the dark. Thank you. I'm an actress, since 1990 - did the whole Union thang - wasn't as helpful as it should have been. 💦YOU GOT ME - when the assholes of greedom cut the frickin' trees down!!!! 🌳 WTF! SOCIOPATHS! I choked and tears fell. Because I know what strength, audacity, perseverance to follow your ART HEART 🩵 Not to mention (as a young lady) the chauvinism, the perverts etc..eating peanut butter sandwiches 🥪 in my loft in NYC while auditioning. Then you make some strides and your boyfriend gets jealous and cheats on you....anyway, you know - it all a series...BUT!!! Let's do something about this! Count me in Mary! Let's protest - let's help - how can we????
Love LA from Flying Bra
Thank you. Totally insane.
Great article. Thanks Mary for informing us so well.
Thank you for sharing!! Union strong!👍🏼
This situation reminds me of the situation I had with our superintendent of schools who made the most money among an aggregate of other school districts while his professional staff made the least among that same aggregate with a 50% fund equity sitting in a “rainy day” fund. He ( the super) made it his duty to not touch that money even though we were in a “rainy day”. He vindictively resisted negotiation meetings with our union hoping to break the union when Michigan had the miss named “right to work” laws on the books. That has since been reversed. Thank you Governor Whitmer. We finally eeked out a 1.5% increase and never in my professional time did we get to pay equity with our colleagues in other school districts especially those districts in lower Michigan. Mike Hill, go to hell! I never got paid enough for the difficult work I did as a SLP .
I'm sorry for your unfortunate struggles. My hat off, to you and your resilience 💙
Mary, you put everything into perspective by listing the The ASTONISHING amounts of money the executives earn.
Earning my card was the best ever, but somehow my acting days stopped right there.
I can relate to this too. I got more work when I was not in the union.
That’s the truth!
Reading those numbers was a gut punch.