My name is Sophia “Sophie” Horsley; I’m a scenic artist working in film, television, and theatrical scene shops.
Despite the uncertainty of these strange times in our industry, I am hopeful there can be forward momentum within our Local. The worker solidarity of 2023’s historic strikes and the work of our Strategic Planning task force (with their 5-year plan for the future) has been motivating to me. Last year, I joined the Majors Negotiation committee and Scenic Artist Best Practices Committee. I would be excited to have the opportunity to further advocate for members of the Eastern Region.
When I joined U.S.A. 829 as a young, idealistic person, “the Union is You” was an inspiring mantra. Worker solidarity and the power of labor unions had been impressed on me from an early age; joining the union was a dream fulfilled. In my imagination, our Local was a powerful community of artists that supported one another.
Eventually I lost sight of this. I felt jaded in the face of the opaque processes of union business and the confusing legal jargon in our contracts. So much frustration, apathy, and anger amongst all of us as members can be traced back to a lack of clear communication. I am prepared to listen to and speak up about the diverse needs of all our members.
I would be honored to be your Eastern Region Board member representative and promise I will commit to:
Transparency and clear communication. An educated and engaged membership equals a stronger Union. This in turn leads to stronger contracts and more wins for workers.
Easy to navigate and understand resources about health, welfare, and retirement benefits. This industry isn’t a viable career path if we can’t flourish and retire happily.
A Paid Family Leave fund we can utilize. Everyone deserves to be able to make the choice about whether they have a family. This would be one small step towards insuring we as members can afford to make that choice.
Maintaining the strength and stability of our Local. With the looming threat of A.I. and so many changes happening in the way that we work, we must protect our contracts.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. We must create opportunities for underrepresented artists by removing financial barriers to admission and support our minority members by strengthening contracts (e.g. Key Industrials need a separate rate of pay commensurate with their responsibilities, Costume Designers deserve pay parity with other department heads, and Coordinators need a minimum wage rate in our Majors Contract.) All members deserve to be fairly compensated and recognized for the work they do so their crafts can indeed be sustainable careers, especially those who have historically not had a seat at the table.
Endorsed by: Hope Ardizzone (SA), Julia Colicchio (SA), Evan Cook (SD), Fiona Gorman (IND), Amanda Hagy (SA), Anna Marie Hurdle (IND), Catherine Nasch (SA)