SAG & AMPTP Agree To Talks Extension…

COMMENTS (36)

• “AMPTP loves loves loves having two actors unions to play against each other.”

  Then, David – you, Doug, Alan, and membershipfirst have been doing the AMPTP’s work for them for the past year.

  Comment by Tom Ligon — Saturday May 3, 2008 @ 9:36pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I’m sorry, this is such crap. I’m in both Unions and all I want to do is work. I’ve been struggling here in LA for the last 5 years to break in. Right now, I hold down two jobs to pay the bills and neither of them have anything to do with acting. It’s my dream to be able to make my living solely with acting gigs, whether they be SAG, AFTRA, Equity or whatever. It’s getting harder and harder to do that every day, and instead of uniting to do something about it, “representatives” on each side just point fingers and blame each other instead of fighting against the common enemy. Grow up and stop acting like petulant children! Either both of you kids (SAG and AFTRA not to mention the little zealot finger pointers that troll boards like this) have to learn how to make nice and share the sandbox together or there won’t be one left to play in. Seriously, you guys are embarrassing me an

  Comment by SAG & AFTRA Actor — Sunday May 4, 2008 @ 2:01am PDT  Reply to this post

• P.S. -

  David, I wouldn’t “dis” your “experience” for the world. Please let me know how you think I have.

  I know what you mean about the IMDB, though. There are over a half-dozen major TV credits of mine that aren’t up there. Tant pis.

  Comment by Tom Ligon — Sunday May 4, 2008 @ 8:20am PDT  Reply to this post

• Note to David Sobolov:

  To notice that SAG is self destructing is not to be either anti-SAG nor part of any made up “AFTRA Propaganda Ministry” as you dishonestly claim. It would be far easier to substantiate the idea that you are nothing more than a mouthpiece for “SAG Propaganda Ministry.”

  Since 95% of my work is under SAG contracts, I am not a blind AFTRA disciple so any claim of yours to the contrary is, of course, bullshit… as is so much of the approved SAG Propaganda Ministry rhetoric you spout. The fact is that I am a HUGE supporter of SAG, SAG actors, and damned proud of my decades long membership. And I resent the fact that the current administrations seem hell bent on SAG’s destruction, even more so than Bill Daniels’ disastrous administration!

  My guess is that Rosenberg (not being a stupid man) is going to scramble to try and salvage something from the current talks (and thus save SAG’s existence) and claim victory even when he gains little or nothing. And I think the producers, knowing how little power SAG now has without AFTRA as a negotiating partner, will let him play out his little drama. It is in their best interest to let Rosenberg have his 15 seconds of SAG fame until a more reasonable administration takes the union back for the members.

  Clearly SAG is not working with or for its members when it is an incontrivertible fact that Rosenberg has rejected the advice of star actors not to push for a strike (didn’t he tell them to “butt out”?), and rejected as “elitist” the very actors who actually manage to get work in this insane business, i.e., the SAG elite. Personally I’m proud to be among the elite. I’ve earned it.

  Since your honesty is clearly questionable (which renders you not worthy of trust), you show my decision to stay anonymous to be a reasonable one.

  Comment by Working SAG Character Actor — Sunday May 4, 2008 @ 12:58pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Sobolov,
  I’ve heard your long-winded diatribes at W&W, membership meetings, etc.
  1) Keep to two minutes. You’ll get more respect.
  2) Your work experience as a gameboy voice hardly qualifies you to speak for working actors.
  3) Your internicine and rather inarticulate AFTRA-bashing is destructive to unionism & union dialogue in Hollywood.
  4) You publicly trash AFTRA while you seek office on its Board?? Really dumb politics in a town with a long memory.

  Comment by ichbinaucheinwerkungactor — Sunday May 4, 2008 @ 11:28pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Working SAG Character Actor: >>My guess is that Rosenberg (not being a stupid man) is going to scramble to try and salvage something from the current talks (and thus save SAG’s existence) and claim victory even when he gains little or nothing. <<

  Posts like this are just laughable. SAG (nor Alan Rosenberg) can’t win with these people. No matter WHAT happens, they’ll blast SAG. If SAG holds out for a GOOD deal, they’ll moan and cry that SAG is a militant, strike-happy union. If SAG ends up settling for a modest or mediocre deal, they’ll gloat that SAG has “gained little or nothing.”

  You really can’t win with these people.

  Anyone with half a brain can see that this isn’t about contracts or deals or negotiations. This is about bitter PARTISAN politics – people who are “really really mad that we didn’t get elected and we’re going to stamp our feet and call the current leadership names and waaa! waaa! waaa!!!!!”

  It’s just like the Republicans and the Democrats.

  There is NOTHING that Alan Rosenberg and SAG could do that would satisfy the AFTRA-First crowd. Nothing at all.

  That’s why SAG needs to ignore them and continue to do what it is supposed to do, which is seek out the best deal possible.

  Comment by Supportive Actor — Monday May 5, 2008 @ 7:47am PDT  Reply to this post

• I am also a SAG Character Actor….I’m not guessing. I’ve met and worked with Alan Rosenberg – and he calls me “my friend, Tom Ligon” – I wouldn’t call him “a stupid man” – but he is not a “smart man”. I believe he has issues that drive him that are beyond and irrelevant to SAG issues.

  You must realize that it is not simply a matter of “winning”. I voted for Alan. I voted for Allen. I have been betrayed by them both.

  There have been others that declared anything by Pisano/ Gilbert as results from hell.

  You couldn’t win with them.

  There is no “Aftra-First ” crowd. Doesn’t exist.

  Comment by Tom Ligon — Monday May 5, 2008 @ 5:01pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I’m not an AFTRA guy, rarely doing any work under an AFTRA contract, so your argument there is BS.(Since I don’t do muh work under AFTRA, I don’t vote in AFTRA elections. (It’s an ethics/elitist thing.) And I hate the cesspool of SAG politics. I would never run for anything in this union so I can’t be pissed that I wasn’t elected to an office I didn’t run for. So it seems that you don’t know what you’re talking about, and just making up bullshit as you go along.

  What I am is a SAG guy who would like some honesty and intelligence from the SAG leadsership. We’re not getting that now.

  Some, like David Sobolov (and maybe yourself), will cling to the proscribed and approved party line ’till their/your dying breath. To that, I’d suggest your own words, “You really can’t win with these people.” I’ve learned that it does little good to try to open a mind so firmly and desperately closed. You’ve got all the excuses ready to go. At the same time, I’m not going to sit idly by while dishonest people like him (and you?) rant and rave as if they had a clue or spoke for actors in general. He doesn’t, and he doesn’t. Neither do you.

  You already drank the Kool-Aid. My guess is that, given that Rosenberg sees that his bullshit and bluster has not impressed the studios, and knows that he does not enjoy universal support even among SAG members, will finally get down to some legitimate negotiating. Either that, or SAG is effectively gutted and AFTRA will take more and more prime time scripted episodics.

  Then who will you blame?

  More Kool-Aid?

  Comment by Working SAG Character Actor — Monday May 5, 2008 @ 5:49pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I believe there is a defined role for shows that AFTRA can cover and it has to do with shows that are filmed live performances. Justine Bateman posted this somewhere and I don’t believe I am misstating it. I was actually unaware of the defined area for AFTRA until I read that post. AFTRA can NOT cover non live shows that are performances meant for video or film delivery and it doesn’t have to do with whether they are shot on film or video(as I had always been told).

  They can no more cover any show they want than a plumber’s union can claim to take over electrical work.

  The shows cannot go to either SAG or AFTRA. It’s a myth legally although perhaps the rules are not being followed.

  Fact is AFTRA and SAG are NOT in competition anymore than a plumbers union is competing with a pilots union for workforce coverage. IF the rules are legally followed. What we may need to have happen is a court case that clearly draws those lines so we can get back to one union covering one worker type in one arena whichever union it may be.

  And to all those who voted against SAG joining with AFTRA – do you now see that the result was much worse than the join?.

  Comment by Gypo — Monday May 5, 2008 @ 7:47pm PDT  Reply to this post

• >>>>What I am is a SAG guy who would like some honesty and intelligence from the SAG leadsership. We’re not getting that now.<<<<

  Examples?

  Or is this just some of YOUR BS that everyone is supposed to cower and believe?

  “Legitimate negotiating”??

  Are you on the negotiating committee? Have you been sitting in on the negotiations? Unless you can answer “yes” to those two questions, your post is as much BS as you are accusing others of. You know NOTHING and yet imply that you know everything.

  Or maybe you’re just a studio troll with a really unimaginative posting name…

  Comment by Supportive Actor — Monday May 5, 2008 @ 8:49pm PDT  Reply to this post

• >>>>What I am is a SAG guy who would like some honesty and intelligence from the SAG leadsership. We’re not getting that now.<<<<

  “Examples?”

  Sure. Allen said “Unions don’t cause strikes….” That, of course, is pure bullshit. Unions are the only ones who cause strikes. Management causes lockouts. Now, clearly Allen was trying to deflect the truth and blame the producers, but couldn’t he have said something that was true instead of bullshit? Makes SAG look stupd and dishonest.

  And I think Rosenberg has been itching for a strike ever since he got involved in SAG politics, giving signals about how actors had “special needs” and made ridiculous demands. SAG could have found a way to make a contract happen. I don’t think that’s what Rosenberg (and his mentor Bill Daniels) wanted. Read Rosenberg’s quotes. Ah, but you’ll find a way to avoid what you don’t like. I can anticipate your response already.

  Daniels screwed SAG and now Rosenberg is going to do the same damned stupid thing. What arrogance! He calles others elitists yet he is the most elitist of them all! If you don’t like my verifiable and substantiable opinion, that’s your right… not that I care. I have always been allergic to closed minds like yours which is why I have no respect for you.

  And you can make that stupid (and totally inaccurate) “studio troll” bullshit claim all you want and you can shove it up your dishonest ass. What you show me is that you’re a brain dead puppet who obediently buys the Rosenberg gospel hook, line and sinker. Should I call you a Rosenberg troll?

  I just want to keep on being able to audition and work. Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen for a while, now. Way to go, Mr. Rosenberg. Bill Daniels is proud of you. And so is that actor among actors, Kent McCord. (Okay, now I can’t even say that one with a straight face.)

  Okay, now on action, just drink the Kool Aid. Ready? And… Action! Drink it up. That’s right. Drink it all. Ready for take two? Cue more Kool Aid!

  Comment by Waorking SAG Character Actor — Wednesday May 7, 2008 @ 3:12am PDT  Reply to this post