SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon Receives Labor Press Leadership Award

SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President and New York Local President Rebecca Damon was among the labor leaders honored with the New York LaborPress Leadership Award yesterday. Damon was selected for her outstanding advocacy for SAG-AFTRA members and her longstanding dedication and support of the labor movement. Well-known broadcaster and SAG-AFTRA New York Local Vice President Jim Kerr presented Damon's award during the ceremony in downtown Manhattan.

"I am so proud of Rebecca Damon for receiving this prestigious award. She has been a strong and tireless advocate for SAG-AFTRA and this much-deserved recognition further underscores her work as a union leader for the New York Local as well as across the nation," said Kerr.

Added Damon, "It isn't exactly an easy time to be a labor leader in America, but I have come to realize you don't need leaders for easy times. It is in these moments when we must stand together, stand for what is right, for what is fair, for what is just-that we actually find out the true measure of a man or a woman."

"Rebecca is not just a labor leader; she's an active labor leader. Often union leaders don't see entertainment as part of labor. Leaders like Rebecca not only reshape that view, but also serve as a reminder that entertainment is a critical part of unionism," said LaborPress' Founder and Publisher Neal Tepel.

Other award recipients include:

• Angelo Angelone, president, Laborers' International Union of NORTH AMERICA (LIUNA) NY Concrete Workers
• Kim Medina, executive director, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) DC 1707
• Mike Smith, president, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 810
• Patricia White, president, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 764

About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at sagaftra.org.