December 14, 2000

Jack Shea
President
Directors Guild of America
7920 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Dear Jack,

It just came to my attention that the Directors Guild was never properly thanked for their extraordinary generosity in forgiving the rent for our New York office space during the strike. I hope you know how much this meant to us and the genuine appreciation we feel for the DGA as a result of this kind gesture. As you are probably aware, on December 1,2000, Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA members voted overwhelmingly to approve our Television & Radio Commercial Contract, thus officially ending our strike. Our members are now back to work in full force and our unions are stronger than ever.

Our members know we could not have reached a fair agreement without the resounding support of our sister unions throughout the United States and Canada, the AFL-CIO. This combined effort made the advertising industry realize that our solidarity would not falter and that we had the commitment of the entire labor community and its collective membership behind us 100%. I also know of many directors who courageously took a stand on behalf of union actors by refusing to shoot commercials during the strike and publicly recognized the importance of the union actors’ contribution to the quality of the creative process.

On behalf of the 124,000 members of SAG and AFTRA, thank you for standing proudly with us through this difficult time. We applaud your commitment and look forward to fortifying our relationship with you in the future.

In solidarity,

William Daniels
President

cc: Jay D. Roth
John T. McGuire