Official SAG Statement Regarding National Board Actions Today

COMMENTS (36)

• Producers are getting stronger in this town. And the fact is that movies are worse because of them. Soon the list of credited producers on a particular film will be comparable to a crew list. Development execs are ruining stories.
  If you don’t respect actors, writers and directors, you should get out of the business.

  Comment by Scott — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 12:42pm PST  Reply to this post

• btlteamster -

  The best thing actors who care – like Dave Clennon – can do is stand strong against the heinous contract SAG’s new negotiator and task force are very likely to recommend to the membership.

  U4S was called out on New Media during the election, and they came out firmly in support of the same principles as MF – 100% jurisdiction of New Media regardless of budget level, and comparable residuals between Old and New Media.

  I’m predicting U4S breaks their promises, and I dare them, rather, I IMPLORE them, to prove me wrong. But if they do as I suspect, the realists who refer to themselves as Membership First will have to fight tooth and nail to get out and reiterate the message that such a contract is the real beginning of the end of SAG as a relevant union in this industry.

  To remind everyone of what’s going on, the moguls are busy as can be migrating content distribution from Old Media to New. They know there’s money there. It’s not some distant future point, it’s the very near future for them, and for us. They just want us to believe it’s still “experimental”. Run that argument past anyone in Silicon Valley and they’ll laugh you out of the room. Anything less than comparable residuals in New Media is a rollback, period. Anything less than 100% jurisdiction in New Media is a rollback, period.

  A rollback in residuals for the creative guilds hurts some BTL benefits as well, from what I understand. Anyone who relies on those BTL benefits from their job is shooting themselves in the foot by opposing Membership First’s efforts to prevent rollbacks.

  I love the Teamsters. I watched a Teamster truck turn around during the WGA strike when he saw a sign. That union rocks, and the creative guilds can learn a thing or two from them – like not allowing “no strike” clauses into their contracts, so if one union hits the line, ALL unions hit the line.

  I would think that someone who calls themself a “Teamster” would have a greater appreciation for union solidarity, AND for standing up against management’s manipulations.

  Dave Clennon is standing strong. I think he’d make a good Teamster.

  Comment by mheister — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 12:56pm PST  Reply to this post

• Actors wonder why every non-actor in Hollywood looks at actors as spoiled babies and jokes. Well, look what happened here.

  Bickering, infighting, backstabbing, stars taking out ads in trades attacking their own union… pure idiocy.

  You’re like the French bitching to each other about cheese while Germany swarms your country.

  THANK GOD the WGA didn’t wait for SAG to strike.

  Comment by speechless — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 12:56pm PST  Reply to this post

• Let’s see Doug Allen wanted to go back to the AMPTP, see if they’d sweeten the deal, and then send it out with no recommendation. The U4S’s want to go back to the AMPTP, see if they’ll sweeten the deal, and then send it out with a yes recommendation. Kind of the same only different… MF had a plan for if the contract got voted down. I wonder if the new guys have a plan. I’ve got no problem voting no on a shitty contract no matter who sends it out. I’ll tell you one small thing I already miss about Doug Allen; every email he sent out to the members had a contact email address for anyone with questions, concerns or opinions to be able to voice them. Granted I don’t know that he actually ever read any that I sent but it’s not unreasonable to think that someone did before they hit the delete button. I just got a “A Message from Interim National Executive Director David White” in my inbox, introducing himself. Guess what, no contact email address or phone number. I guess he doesn’t want to know what the members think. Let’s see we’ve got “Membership First”, that’s pretty self explanatory, and then we’ve got “United For Strength”. Strength against who? Certainly not the AMPTP. The AMPTP calls them “the Moderates”… Oh wait, I’ve got it, “United For Strength”- against the membership. That must be what they meant by qualified voting.

  Comment by D — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 1:13pm PST  Reply to this post

• You can always count on Dave Clennon to remind everyone of the union’s glorious history with organized crime. Threats, smears and other ugliness is the course of action for anyone who dares acts against his idea of what should be done.

  You’re a perfect thug, Dave, and a shining example of why SAG is the biggest joke in the industry.

  Comment by History lesson — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 1:52pm PST  Reply to this post

• Dave Clennon – you are a warmonger. You must get off on striking? You had a good time feeling like you were a part of something during the writer’s strike, and you want that feeling back again don’t you? You would like nothing more than to see a full SAG strike so you can march around in your “Scream” mask again.

  Comment by Fargo — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 2:15pm PST  Reply to this post

• I am so glad to be apart of a union the does not know what the &%@! they are doing. They are not even capable of upholding the current contract of the members that really need it. I would never be a part of this if I did not have to be. There are the good things and the bad things of a job and this is definitely on the bad side. And here we go again screwing ourselves one more time. If you really look at it a lot of the SAG members that have made it have chosen to move beyond the union instead of stand by the group that got them their. They have their lawyers now, what do they care. I have to say, looking at this I hope to do the same thing and have my own lawyers so I do not have to worry about this lousy contract.

  Comment by Disappointed SAG Member — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 2:55pm PST  Reply to this post

• Hey pb,

  We have already lost over $50 million that we will never get back. Time to get the ball rolling. We are after all 3/4′s of a year into “NO CONTRACT” , Wake up.

  Comment by #44 — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 3:32pm PST  Reply to this post

• mheister,

  My hope is that U4S move will re-open talks with the AMPTP and something will change so that SAG members will feel they are moving forward. For whatever reason the currant team wasn’t able to do this. There is so much anger in the industry right now, and angst over the economy, that something needed to change and I hope this is the answer. I feel people need to ban together and support this new team, even if you don’t agree with how this happened. It’s in everybody’s best interest to put anger aside and come together, because if U4S is a success, then all of SAG wins. One concern I do have…I think (I may be wrong)DGA and WGA have a “favored nation clause” regarding New Media, so if SAG gets a “better” deal, then the other 2 unions get the upgrade. This may be part of the problem with SAG not getting what they want in New Media.
  Teamsters DO have a no strike clause in their contracts. When the writers went on strike (which I supported)those of us working got memos from the Studios reminding us of it. It was a warning if you don’t show up for work…say good-bye to your job. The Teamsters not too long ago completed a new agreement for the casting people and there are other contracts coming up, but we’ve been forewarned that because of the economy and the “state of the Studios” not to have illusions of great gains, and of course everyone agrees dealing with the AMPTP is akin to dealing with the Devil.
  Anyway…you can’t change the blunders of the past, but you can create your future…do it as one united front.

  Comment by btlteamster — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 6:38pm PST  Reply to this post

• btlteamster -

  I agree that what is, is, and we have to work with it. We just have to hold our negotiator’s feet to the fire. If he sends a bum deal down the pike, we’re going to have to just send it right back.

  Comment by mheister — Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 11:00pm PST  Reply to this post

• So now that the union is a complete mess, you bring in a black man to fix it.

  Where have we seen that before?

  There is no creativity in this town!

  Comment by Anonymous — Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 7:43pm PST  Reply to this post