The joint Group for One Union—known in SAG-AFTRA circles as the G1—which had been scheduled to meet in New York, met via teleconference Aug. 26–29, with some members having traveled to New York and others opting to cancel their travel plans faced with daunting weather reports. Those who had made the trip or were already in New York found themselves in a city briefly hobbled by flooding and a transit system that was shut down over the weekend as a precautionary measure.
"If anyone doubted our commitment to merger, what happened this weekend should put those doubts to rest—even a hurricane couldn't stop us," SAG national president Ken Howard said in a written statement. "We covered a lot of ground and I'm so proud of our SAG and AFTRA team. It's a challenging task, but we're working extremely well together and I'm more confident than ever that we will get this done for the members."
"We made important progress this weekend," added AFTRA national president Roberta Reardon. "We examined the myriad strategies, approaches, and structures to create a strong, new union that will further empower our members to strengthen their careers and secure their future. I thank everyone involved for their continued solidarity and deeply appreciate their patience and resilience as we worked through the challenges of Hurricane Irene."
The G1 held its first meeting in June at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md. The next meeting is scheduled to take place Oct. 14–18 in Los Angeles.
