New England

New England Local members gathered in Boston in October 2023 to celebrate their strength and solidarity during the TV/Theatrical/Streaming strike.

SAG-AFTRA New England Local elected leaders and members lead a parade of hundreds through Boston’s Downtown Crossing with Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, third from right, and Boston City Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, fourth from right and Julia Mejia, far right, during the 2023 Boston Labor Day march sponsored by the Greater Boston Labor Council. Photo by Katya Zykina.

A shout-out to all the New England Local members for making our 2024 SAG Awards viewing party, held at the historic Somerville Theatre in Massachusetts in February, such an unforgettable night. A picture is worth a thousand words, but the memories are priceless. Photo by Katya Zykina.

New England Local members and labor supporters gather in Boston’s Downtown Crossing to rally for a new TV/Theatrical/Streaming contract on Labor Day 2023. Photo by Katya Zykina.

In April 2024, the New England Local Board had an opportunity to connect with SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland before the New England Local annual membership meeting in Boston. Back row, from left, Local Board members Dan Marshall, Lori Vozzella, Don Warnock and Dale Appel; SAG-AFTRA Director of National Strategic Initiatives Jorge Aguirre; Crabtree-Ireland; Local Board members Gilda James, Ellen Colton, Vic Ramos and Tom Kemp. Front row, from left, Local Board member Rod Fritz; SAG-AFTRA Vice President, Mid-Sized Locals Michele Proude; Local President Andrea Lyman; National Board member Bill Mootos; and Local Board member Liz Eng.

In May 2024, union members united on the Boston University Graduate Workers Union picket line for Greater Boston Labor Council Solidarity Day. From left, GBLC Communications Organizer Rachael Running, SAG-AFTRA New England Local President Andrea Lyman, Greater Boston Labor Council President Darlene Lombos, SAG-AFTRA New England Local Secretary Liz Eng, and Shaquana Malcolm from Iron Workers Local 7 proclaimed “When we fight, we win!” Photo courtesy of Andrea Lyman.

SAG-AFTRA New England Local President and Conservatory facilitator Andrea Lyman, left, offers direction to local member Eve Costarelli, center, as local member and scene partner Lauren Feeney follows along during the March 2024 New England Conservatory on cold reads.

Celebrating 2023 as “The Year of the Strike” the Greater Boston Labor Council honored the SAG-AFTRA New England Local in Boston on Dec. 12, 2023, with an award that read “Most Inspirational: Who’s Got the Power? We Got the Power! What Kind of Power? Union power!” Pictured from left, SAG-AFTRA National Board member Bill Mootos; member Megan Carroll; SAG-AFTRA New England Senior Program Manager Ellen Stoolmacher; SAG-AFTRA New England Vice President, Actor/Performers Tom Kemp; SAG-AFTRA New England Senior Business Representative Benjamin Winthrop Shallop; member Vihann Kong; member Rick Dumont; SAG-AFTRA Local Board member Dale Appel; member Jamie MacDonald; SAG-AFTRA National Vice President, Mid-Sized Locals Michele Proude; and member George Vezina. Photo courtesy of Vihann Kong.

The New England Local NextGen Committee’s ‘Bowling, Buddies and Beverages’ networking event in April 2024 in Brighton, Massachusetts, had the local’s 18-plus GenZ and millennial members socializing and competing in games with New England’s one-of-a-kind candlepin bowling!

Caption for New England photo carousel: After 20 months at the bargaining table, the content creators at New Hampshire Public Radio overwhelmingly ratified their first collective bargaining agreement on Oct. 3, 2023. NHPR is an NPR member station based in Concord, New Hampshire, and the Granite State’s only statewide radio news service. Photo courtesy of Christina Phillips.

Union advocator and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren addresses a crowd of over 500 SAG-AFTRA New England Local members and supporters during a TV/Theatrical/Streaming solidarity strike rally held on the Boston Common in August 2023. Photo by Orianna Tate.

A breezy evening in September 2023 found a group of New England Local members and their families at Boston’s Fenway Park. The baseball enthusiasts enjoyed union solidarity and an overall fun night at the historic park, watching the Red Sox pitch their strikes.

WBUR unit members gather for a pre-bargaining unit meeting at the station in May 2023. WBUR is an NPR station out of Boston University with a unit of over 100 on- and off-air SAG-AFTRA broadcast members. Back row, from left, Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Jay Feinstein, Ally Jarmanning, Yasmin Amer, Laney Ruckstuhl and Dianna Bell. Front row, from left, Katelyn Harrop and Amelia Mason.

SAG-AFTRA staff and members celebrate the opening night of the silver anniversary of the Roxbury International Film Festival in June of 2023 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. RoxFilm is the largest film festival in New England dedicated to celebrating films by, for and about people of color. From left, SAG-AFTRA New England Senior Program Manager Ellen Stoolmacher; Local Board member Liz Eng; local members David Curtis, Janine Robinson and Naheem Garcia; SAG-AFTRA New England Local President Andrea Lyman; and SAG-AFTRA New England Local Executive Director Jessica Maher.