Stars Urge “No” Vote To Authorize Strike

COMMENTS (92)

• Well, these people are just voting with their pocketbooks. Stars don’t depend on residuals for their income. It’s the struggling actors who do. And I think that they will vote YES.

  Comment by John — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 3:55pm PST  Reply to this post

• As some have said above: game… set… match. The signatories of this letter have made the right call. They understand the implications of both a “yes” vote on the strike authorization and the pragmatic reality of what a work action would mean to hundreds of thousands of people in this economy.

  It would be great if some of the more militant pro-strike advocates who post on this board would follow their lead and spend less of their energy angrily advocating for yes votes and work stoppages and more time coming up with proposals on how to move forward.

  Still, a major sigh of relief that it appears the tide has turned and the de facto we’ve all been struggling with might actually end in January instead of becoming an actual strike. Here’s hoping.

  Comment by WGA Writer 2 — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 3:55pm PST  Reply to this post

• History teaches us one thing only: we NEVER learn. 20 years ago, the producers f**ked over the guilds on home video – promising to revisit the formula “the next time”. Several billion dollars later… the producers are now laying the groundwork for a new media deal that will benefit them for the next few decades at the expense of the guilds. And three (and twenty) years from now when the producers are reporting blockbuster-sized revenue streams from new media to Wall Street from one side of their mouths while telling the guilds that they’re not yet ready to bump scale payments or residuals… I trust that the illustrious group listed above will sit quietly in the corner and figure out how best to apologize to the day players they hosed.

  Comment by Jay — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:01pm PST  Reply to this post

• Why sign a deal at all? What nobody on this list addresses are three pertinent facts:

  1) When has the last time new media has been addressed in a later contract? If any of these people think they’ll get internet money addressed in the next contract, they’re insane. The landscape will be vastly different three years down the road.

  2) $60 million in force majuere payments – are all of these people basically telling the AMPTP they’re off the hook paying what they owe the actors? And without strike authorization, are any of them that delusional they’ll see those payments? If they are, how about…

  3) The money the AMPTP owes the writers under the terms of the new contract. If the writers aren’t collecting what’s owed, what makes these guys think they will?

  There is no job these days that comes with guarantees of employment, as many people are in the process of finding out now, so why should one screw oneself long-term for a paycheck or two now with nothing to show for later (AKA residuals)?

  Comment by filmlover24/7 — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:06pm PST  Reply to this post

• And what — should Alan come out BIGGER list? This is stupid and should not be played out in public — this should be done behind closed doors. When you play it like this everyone looses, it’s called DIVIDE AND CONQUER! And we are playing right into the AMPTP’s hands . . . SAD!

  Once the internet goes Non-Union for Actors, it goes Non-union for everyone.

  Comment by Scott — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:11pm PST  Reply to this post

• Not only is it A listers but numerous well known liberals (Alda, A. Baldwin, Clooney, Crystal, etc). I’d be astounded if the strike authorization passes after this.

  Comment by richard — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:12pm PST  Reply to this post

• The SAG negotiators cut their own unorganized throat. They have no leverage. If they strike TV will go AFTRA. Tent poles are already shot for next year. They’ve got nothing to hold over the producers. That sound you hear Alan is you being replaced.

  Comment by windowlicker — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:14pm PST  Reply to this post

• This is a great list of A-List Actors who don’t need ANY residuals to pay their rent. I, however, do. I understand that a strike could be devastating, but the current pay distribution has already whacked the majority of we “Middle Class Actors”. Our incomes have decreased by over 40% through the last decade. It’s going to go down more as the residual payments continue to dry up due to content streaming over the internet.

  Our acting jobs come across as part time because we only work a couple days a week at most. However, we are on call 24/7 for this work. My wife and I both have other jobs in order to make ends meet. This cannot be allowed to continue. If the people on that list really cared about this current contract they would guarantee that actors on their shows make a living wage.

  That’s what this contract is about. A living wage.

  Comment by Working Actor — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:15pm PST  Reply to this post

• As a WGA member, I shake my head and feel sorry for the people on this list – they do not understand the slippery slope they’re on. They are doomed to lose and continue to lose bargaining power in their business.

  As a producer, I say, well, okay, it just gets easier for me to make money and not share with the actors.

  If they don’t respect their worth, why should I?

  You get what you are willing to stand up for. Good bye SAG, hello everybody’s a free agent…

  Comment by M.E. Tinker — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:21pm PST  Reply to this post

• “We support our union and we support the issues we’re fighting for”, but not if it means getting tough in negotiations and having some leverage in the talks, which you now don’t. Why not just resurrect Neville Chambelain and say “we have peace in our time.?”

  SAG can say goodbye to the middle and working class actors. SAG did the same thing on VHS, gave it away, said they’ll get it back at the next round, but never did.

  As Shirley Bassey sings, “It’s history repeating.”

  Comment by nick hronis — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:23pm PST  Reply to this post

• 123 SAG Members = ~0.1% of SAG membership

  This letter is meaningless.

  The quick flurry of one line congratulatory posts afterward are just as staged as the letter. No one said the AMPTP was going to play nice with this. Clearly, a strike scares the shit out of them and they are playing for keeps (i.e. to keep all future revenue). Remember they HATE the idea of residuals.

  Do yourself a favor and read Fatal Subtraction to see how the studios really operate. If you ever thought they were on-the-level honest businessmen, it will be real eyeopener. And if you think they are crooks, you have no idea.

  The three years down the road argument is just a way to get this deal done and in writing as precedent after which it will NEVER, EVER be undone. LOOK AT HISTORY. It has NEVER happened, and NEVER will, just like DVDs, a dying technology that is still a non-starter deal breaker. Precedent is King. That is why THIS CONTRACT is so important. That is why they will stop at NOTHING to set anti-actor/writer/director precedent. THEY ALMOST HAVE IT. They have it with the Directors and with the Writers. Actors are the final domino they have to topple…

  The real question is why these “A-listers” aren’t putting the pressure where it belongs, on their masters the studios. Perhaps some are actually more producer than actor. Perhaps some don’t want to have to part with their private jet over some silly matter like New Media residuals when it really doesn’t pertain to them anymore. Maybe some of them can negotiate their own contracts without help from the union. Besides the studios, they are the real scumbags in this, hiding their greed and self-interest behind populist platitudes about the good of the economy while 99% of their “fellow” actors suffer. They don’t give two shits about any economy other than their own. When the fuck is someone going to stand up this shit?

  Comment by Venice — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:24pm PST  Reply to this post

• Thank God. And no cries of “AMPTP Shills!” on this site yet, so double Thank God.

  Sign, work, live to fight another day.

  Comment by WGA Member — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:24pm PST  Reply to this post

• Agreed! it’s a crappy deal but SAG can renegotiate and w. the others unions at their side

  Comment by F. — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:25pm PST  Reply to this post

• In three years the economy won’t be any better, and there sure as hell won’t be a better contract. This is just the beginning.

  Comment by DG — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:43pm PST  Reply to this post

• THANK YOU!

  Comment by Wardrobe 705 — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:46pm PST  Reply to this post

• Alan Rosenberg: End this thing by Christmas! Those of us struggling and suffering need something, anything, to give us hope going into the holidays. If you prolong this insanity into January you will further wreck the lives of SAG & IATSE members, our kids, businesses, restaurants, store owners, and the whole city of Los Angeles.

  End this thing now. Forget about covering your ass or trying to save face. Do it swiftly.

  Comment by UnemployedBTLer — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:53pm PST  Reply to this post

• I’ve read both lists, and I’m curious… If you take out the names of people who are currently working on shows or are making deals in excess of the minimums, who do you have left? What about when you take out Trek actors who aren’t working so much anymore anyway? Then who’s left?

  The majority of these folks are fairly successful and don’t have much trouble getting work. Are they really the voice of the actor who has two OTHER jobs to make ends meet?

  I’m open to both arguments, but I would rather hear the opinions of people who work for “minimum wage.”

  Comment by Hmmmm — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:58pm PST  Reply to this post

• Do what the millionaires say!

  They know best!

  Comment by Anonymous — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:01pm PST  Reply to this post

• You can kiss residuals goodbye. Everything Sag has fought for over the years… goodbye. The studios will fight you ten times harder in three years when the economy has recovered. You people don’t get it! They will prepare for your multi-union strike and have shit stockpiled for years. They will wait you out and you will cave. It’s over. You will never make back what you will sign away if you agree to this contract. And, trust me, in three years they will have figured out how to completely cook the books on new media. I worked for these people. They are five steps ahead of you. The only way to beat them is at their own game. This is a perfect time to get them. Not when things are going well, because, if things are going good for you, they are a hundred times better for them. Three years from now you are fucked.

  This is why the studios will always win. At the end of the day, nobody in this business has any balls to truly stand up to them. And its certainly not the names on this list. They are rich and could give a shit about you. If they wanted to help the worked class actor they would do it now, but, they won’t. In three years you’re going to have to put a lot more people out of work for a much longer time. You’re kidding yourselves if you think it will be easier. It won’t. The studios are getting prepared right now for your perfect fight. They will never give you back what you are about to sign away. Have they ever? No. Remember that when you’re voting…

  Comment by Cecil B. DeMille — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:15pm PST  Reply to this post

• THANK YOU! People are scared, thanks for stepping up to the plate and displaying kindness and concern for others.

  Comment by btl teamster — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:22pm PST  Reply to this post

• No one is RIGHT OR WRONG. This is YOUR vote. You decide what works for YOU. Listen to both sides and make the decision that works in YOUR career. I will be voting for the strike because I feel we have to start now to protect ourselves from future losses on the internet. In 3 years the issue will be moot. I don’t need celebrities to make my decision. I’d like to hear from the actors who used to make a living as guest stars and co-stars on TV and did a commercial now and then. Can I see a hundred of their names on an open letter?

  Comment by Anonymous — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:26pm PST  Reply to this post

• “You get what you are willing to stand up for.” I like that M.E. Tinker

  Big stars, shmig stars. Who cares?

  I just saw this everyman’s take on the strike vote on youtube and I’m going to the SAG meeting Wednesday to support my union instead of supporting the AMPTP, George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Garner and their neighbors who signed the above letter from their homes in the Palisades, Malibu, Bel Air…
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwME8xRWeQM

  Comment by Janice — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:26pm PST  Reply to this post

• For all of you who say this letter is meaningless, keep in mind that many of these successful actors bring in a huge amount of money to the pension and health plans – money that subsidizes the benefits of actors who don’t make as much. Many of these people have full pensions so whatever P&H contributions come in under their name do not go to them anymore but to the rest of the acting community. If they get frustrated enough to leave the fold because our leadership simply refuses to see the light, what goes with them is the subsidizing of your pension and health plan along with a considerable sum in dues that is used to run the union itself. This results in what? A considerable depletion of union resources simply because those who don’t make as much can’t keep the thing afloat themselves. Seriously…wake up!! These people don’t need to stick their necks out. They are stepping up because they care about these issues. Calling them shills of the AMPTP just because they are successful is a load of crap in my opinion and sounds more like jealously than reality. These people want the business to keep going for everyone’s sake, not just theirs. They do not want the business stopped in its tracks over a contract negotiation gone terribly awry. Bottom line: We CAN live to fight another day and whether you like it or not, I feel these folks are looking out for their fellow actors in a way our current leadership has been unable to.

  Comment by Are We There Yet? — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:28pm PST  Reply to this post

• While SAG and the AMPTP dithers there are no movies being shot or greenlit.
  Just a reminder….

  Comment by ReelBusy — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:29pm PST  Reply to this post

• Interesting. The list includes the following “A-list” stars, directors, multimillionaires, etc:

  Dave Annable
  René Auberjonois
  Diane Baker
  Bob Balaban
  Barbara Beck
  Maria Bello
  Barbara Bosson
  Lizzy Caplan
  Jennifer Carpenter
  Mark Cassen

  Erika Christensen
  Scott Cohen
  Jack Coleman
  James Darren
  Bruce Davison
  James Denton
  Brian Dennehy
  Garret Dillahunt
  Larry Dorf
  Bill Fagerbakke

  Kate Flannery
  Christopher Gorham
  Jennifer Grey
  Annabelle Gurwitch
  Michael C. Hall
  Tess Harper
  Mariette Hartley
  Ed Helms
  Kathryn Joosten
  Mimi Kennedy

  Sarah Knowlton
  John Krasinski
  Diane Lane
  Melanie Mayron
  Andrew McCarthy
  Mary McCormack
  Chris McDonald
  Neal McDonough
  Rob McElhenney
  James Naughton

  Gail O’Grady
  Kaitlin Olson
  Sam Page
  Adrian Pasdar
  Steve Pasquale
  John Saxon
  William Schallert (former SAG President)
  Adam Scott
  Armin Shimerman
  Jerry Sroka

  Marcia Strassman
  Brenda Strong
  Kitty Swink
  David Tadman
  Ally Walker
  Tracey Walter
  Belinda Waymouth
  Lee Wilkoff
  Brian Wimmer
  Kevin Zegers
  Louis Zoric

  I don’t mean to insult these 61 people–and some are probably quite well off– but “A-List Actors who don’t need ANY residuals to pay their rent,” “rich way-above-scale actors are comfortable with the 6-figure and some 7 and 8 figure deals their agents negotiate for them,” “mostly millionaires who don’t have to worry about what’s in the contract… they write their own deals?” I don’t think so.

  Face it–this list includes “A-list” AND non A-list.

  If a strike is a good idea–defend it on those grounds (as some have done). But don’t claim that ONLY A-List Actors who don’t need ANY residuals to pay their rent feel that way. BOTH sides have stars and working class actors.

  Comment by Sarcastic Cynic — Monday December 15, 2008 @ 5:47pm PST  Reply to this post