Fran Drescher, the fiery SAG-AFTRA figurehead who alongside chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is leading the union in a strike that has now entered its ninth week, has been convincingly re-elected president.
Drescher earned 23,080 votes compared to 5,276 for Maya Gilbert-Dunbar. Ballots for the national officers election were mailed to 124,477 eligible voters on August 9 and 28,430 were returned on Friday (September 8) in a 22.84% voter turnout.
The actors union president has begun her new two-year term alongside Joely Fisher, who was re-elected secretary-treasurer with 19,777 votes versus 8,361 for Peter Antico.
Drescher, pictured with national executive director and chief negotiator Crabtree-Ireland in July, said, “These are dynamic times and as one member body, we will weather the storms, stand on our principles and make sure our major contributions to this collaborative art form shall never again be diminished but rather be exalted.”
Crabtree-Ireland welcomed the results. On Friday he took part in an on-stage conversation at TIFF Industry Conference and said the negotiating committee was ready to return to the bargaining table with their counterparts at AMPTP, who represent studios and streamers in the process.
“A lot of people think about our members and think of big stars but of those 160,000 members the vast majority are working people who are trying to make a living and pay the rent,” he said at the time. “80%-plus of our members don’t make more than $26,000 a year and don’t qualify for health insurance.”
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