In her bid for Re-Election, SAG-AFTRA Prez, Gabrielle Carteris, BULLDOZED Union Members' Rights

If Our Union Can Violate the Rights of Our SAG-AFTRA Sisters & Brothers, and we fail to Protest or Remonstrate on their behalf, when they come for the rest, Who Shall Plead for Us?

NOT IN OUR NAMES!

Dear Union Sisters & Brothers,

If Our Union Can Violate the Rights of Our SAG-AFTRA Sisters & Brothers, and we fail to Protest or Remonstrate on their behalf, when they come for the rest, Who Shall Plead for Us?

As two Eligible SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates of Color - Abraham Justice and Queen Searles - were unlawfully excluded from the one and only 2019 SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates Town Hall on August 15, 2019, the Co-Chairs of the Background Artists Coalition have sent to our Union a formal Protest of the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election based upon this unlawful act.

As this illegal act not only violated the Civil Rights of these two Union Members, but also denied the Membership the vital opportunity to hear from the only two SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates who do not currently serve as SAG-AFTRA Officers or Board Members, this Violative action also robbed the Union Membership of the valuable opportunity to hear from and meet these Eligible Candidates who could have provided new Leadership for our Union.

As SAG-AFTRA committed this Violative and Discriminatory act in OUR NAMES - as any Union acts on behalf of its Membership - the Background Artists Coalition hopes you will join us in voicing your disapproval of our Union’s unjust act.

In the event you might wish to register your 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election Protest, for your convenience, BAC has prepared an Election Protest Template and Filing instructions, all of which are published below.

Thank you for caring about our Union and for caring about the rights of your Union Sisters & Brothers.

Please Note: As the DEADLINE for Filing a SAG-AFTRA Election Protest is 14 Days from the Election, the Protest MUST BE FILED NO LATER THAN September 11th, 2019 and to insure that your Election Protest is timely filed, it would be best if you would please Cut & Paste & Email the Protest TODAY, adding your name & SAG-AFTRA Membership Number at the bottom.

Should you wish to send a signed hard copy of the Protest to SAG-AFTRA, simply print out the pre-prepared Election Protest, Sign it, Include your SAG-AFTRA Membership Number & send the Completed SAG-AFTRA Election Protest via Regular Mail ASAP to: Michelle Bennett at SAG-AFTRA, 7th Floor, 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036.

And if you know any other SAG-AFTRA Members who you believe would like to join in the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election Protest, please be sure to share this post with them ASAP. Thank you!

To timely file your 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election Protest, please simply cut & paste the message below ADDING YOUR NAME AND SAG-AFTRA MEMBERSHIP NUMBER & EMAIL the Completed SAG-AFTRA Election Protest below to: Michelle Bennett at SAG-AFTRA: michelle.bennett@sagaftra.org.

NOT IN OUR NAMES PROTEST:

Re: SAG-AFTRA Member Protest of Unfair, Unlawful and Discriminatory Election Practices during the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election Process

Dear Ms. Bennett,

In accordance with Article VI, Section B, Election Protests, SAG-AFTRA Nominations and Election Policy, and as a Member in good standing of the Actors Union, SAG-AFTRA, I herein protest the unfair, unlawful and discriminatory Election practices attendant to the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election Process for the reasons set forth below, and which reasons are supported by the evidence all of which demonstrates serious Violations of Federal Union Election Laws (LMRDA, Title IV); SAG-AFTRA Election Policy; the SAG-AFTRA Constitution; the United States Constitution and any and all applicable State and Federal Laws which were willfully and knowingly violated during the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election Process.

2019 SAG-AFTRA ELECTION PROCESS VIOLATED FEDERAL UNION ELECTION LAW:

In clear violation of Title IV, Elections (29 U.S.C. 481), Section 401 (c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), and as evidenced by the relevant Union Working Website Page (which Union Working webpage can be found with a Google search), two SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates - Abraham Justice and Queen Searles - were expressly excluded from, and denied the opportunity to fully participate in, the August 15, 2019, SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates Town Hall held at Faith Presbyterian Church, Caldwell Hall (Gym), 5000 Colfax Avenue, Valley Village, CA 91601.

As a Member of SAG-AFTRA, I can not abide the Violations of Law committed in my name during the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Election Process.

Further, Article VI, Section B (1) of the SAG-AFTRA Constitution charges the SAG-AFTRA National President with the duty to carry out the policies of the National Board and Convention. And as Article XIII of the SAG-AFTRA Constitution prohibits discriminatory acts by our Union and its Membership - including discrimination attendant to Election activities and Campaign Events - the current SAG-AFTRA National President, Gabrielle Carteris, was required by both federal law and our own Union Constitution to insure that all Eligible SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates were included in the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Presidential Town Hall.

So there can be no question that it was incumbent upon the current SAG-AFTRA National President, Gabrielle Carteris, to take corrective action so as to prevent this Violation of Federal Union Election Law which requires equal treatment of all eligible candidates (LMRDA, Title IV, Section 401 [c]), and to prevent the discrimination associated thereto and to protect the rights of the Union Members - Abraham Justice and Queen Searles - who were expressly barred from fully participating in the 2019 SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates Town Hall, despite the fact that both of these SAG-AFTRA Members are Eligible SAG-AFTRA Presidential Candidates.

But the current SAG-AFTRA National President, Gabrielle Carteris, not only failed to act in the interests of the Union and its Membership in this matter, she even went so far as to participate in - and publicize her participation in - this discriminatory and Violative event, thereby, providing sufficient legal grounds for her immediate removal from Office which removal should be effected posthaste by the SAG-AFTRA National Board in accordance with Article XVII, Section A Paragraph 1 of the SAG-AFTRA Constitution and all other applicable Union Laws and Policy.

Moreover, if my Union can Violate the rights of these two SAG-AFTRA members, and I don’t stand up for them, then should my Union ever Violate My Rights, Who Shall Plead for Me?

Sincerely,

NAME

SAG-AFTRA Membership Number