WHEREAS, In 2008, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is celebrating 75 years of pioneering for actors’ rights through collective bargaining, contract enforcement and the hard fought gains of fair wages, residual payments, and health and retirement benefits since its founding on June 30, 1933; and
WHEREAS, With 20 branches across the United States, SAG has grown into a 127,000-member union representing actors in motion pictures, television programs, commercials, non broadcast industrials, video games, music videos, internet work and all other new media formats; and
WHEREAS, Screen Actors Guild contracts continue to provide vital protections for actors by keeping pace with advancing technology and ever-expanding new media platforms; and
WHEREAS, The Guild’s legislative efforts have benefited society as a result of advocacy securing and improving film incentives throughout the country, fighting movie and new media piracy, privacy protections, child labor laws, healthcare reform and basic worker rights issues at the municipal, state and federal levels; and
WHEREAS, SAG aggressively advocates diverse hiring practices and has a long-standing practice of fighting discrimination and increasing employment opportunities for performers with disabilities, women, seniors and performers of color; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia branch has supported a long tradition in the film industry – from Philadelphia’s own Sigmund “Pop” Lubin’s invention of the motion picture projector, to today’s film incentive package and the film work that it generated; and
WHEREAS, The Guild is recognized as a vital creative force throughout the global entertainment industry and its influence on the local, state and national economies – and its impact on our national artistic and pop cultures – are significant; therefore
RESOLVED, That the Council of Philadelphia congratulate the Screen Actors Guild on its 75th Anniversary for its distinguished history, advocacy and accomplishments on behalf of its members and proclaim June 21, 2008 “Screen Actors Guild Founders Day” in the City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Tom McCarthy, Screen Actors Guild Philadelphia Branch President.
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