One on One with Melissa Gilbert
By Susan Ellen Holleran
Melissa Gilbert is the only union president who grew up before our eyes.
Every week from 1974 to 1984, families gathered around their televisions to watch her portray Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert has carried many of Laura's endearing qualities into adulthood: her openness to new experiences; her refusal to be silenced in the face of injustice; her honesty — even when the cost was high.
She has played a wide variety of other roles, including Helen Keller and Anne Frank.
Today, Gilbert presides over the union known as the Screen Actors Guild. Her primary goal is to convince SAG members to support consolidation with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. She believes that this partnership will strengthen both unions as they deal with major technological and management upheavals in the entertainment industry.
Growing up as a union member, when did you begin to understand the value of having a union?
When I had to get braces — believe it or not. There were five kids, and everybody needed braces. I remember hearing the conversation between my mother and my stepdad about how expensive braces are and what a blessing it was that they were covered by my SAG health insurance. I thought, "Wow! That's pretty neat."
Later on, of course, I came to rely on my union in a number of ways. I realized just how much the union does for me, and I decided that it was time to give back. I was elected to the board of directors and then ran for president.
Most people imagine actors and movie stars living a life of wealth and ease. Tell us about the average Screen Actors Guild member.
It's really difficult to earn a living as an actor. Our average member is constantly looking for work and has an alternative job. Seventy percent of us earn less than $7,500 a year as actors!
Our jobs can mean 16 hours a day of intense work. It's extremely physical and emotionally wrenching.
Why do professional performers need union representation?
We need access to decent health care. We must bargain collectively to make sure that our pay rates are reasonable and our environment is safe. SAG also serves to join us together in the commonality of what we do as actors. There are all kinds of areas that we cover [puppeteer, stuntman/woman, singer, dancer, child performer], and we need to make sure that everybody is protected.
Do you have a favorite role? What have you learned about yourself through the characters you have portrayed?
It's hard for me to pick a favorite because I've had so many wonderful opportunities. Helen Keller was pretty incredible. And I played Laura Ingalls for 10 solid years.
The women I play fight and struggle to make their dreams come true. And that's the way I want to be with my life. One of the things the women I've played have in common with me is, if someone says, "You can't do that," I do it. If something scares me, I do it, too. And that's what they do.
You strongly support consolidation between SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) — even though many SAG members have opposed it in the past. Why is this so important? What advantages would it have for rank-and-file members?
We've been dancing this dance since 1937. When the merger proposal went to a referendum in 1998, it was voted down. Our members didn't believe that the entertainment industry could change so fast. But that has happened. [In 1985 there were 26 major employers of performers and media artists. Today there are six — giving management much greater bargaining power.]
To win better contracts and to prepare for coming technological changes, we have to move forward. Digital production is the way of the future. And neither SAG nor AFTRA has jurisdiction for digital work. The employers can get us to undercut one another. And when two unions go to war, the employer wins.
One of the greatest advantages of consolidation is more bang for your buck. The savings are phenomenal. We'll be paying for one administration, and there will be money for organizing.
We will also be able to deal with producers on the digital issue as a unified voice. There's power in numbers. If we consolidate, we can get Walter Cronkite, Tom Cruise and Don Henley to speak for us together — with 150,000 people supporting them. They can be the face, and we can be the heart.
In addition, there'll be a single dues structure. We have up to 44,000 members who are dual cardholders. That's ridiculous: Some of us are paying dues to three unions, or even more.
How do you use your membership on the AFL-CIO Executive Council to speak out for actors and other professional artists? How does the solidarity between SAG and the rest of organized labor help strengthen both?
Just my presence on the executive council makes its members aware of the fact that actors are laborers. We're workers with children to feed — workers who need health care, pensions, the strength and protections of a union to guarantee us safe conditions on the job and a living wage. That's all we're looking for.
I recently discussed the Federal Communications Commission proposal with the executive council. The plan would change regulations on ownership in television, cable and network. A small handful of people would control the media [see related story]. That's a big problem for the entertainment unions and for the Communications Workers of America.
Any opportunity we have to focus attention on the labor movement — particularly now — is valuable. SAG can help to bring a familiar face to union concerns. Our members can speak at various events. Consequently, we'll get the recognition we've always wanted as people who actually work for a living and don't just kick back and get our nails done and shop.
