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The SAG member also expresses outrage over the guild’s smear campaign of those voting against the tentative TV/Theatrical contract with the AMPTP. The “Vote Yes” contingent, whose video is here and on the SAG website, also is robocalling SAG members with 100s of automated phone calls featuring a pre-recorded message from National Board member Adam Arkin. The “Vote No’ ccampaign does not have equal access to the official SAG membership list of telephone numbers.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Now THAT is what I’m talkin about. Ed Harris has been one of my favorite actors for many years, and his full-throated denouncement of this deal, backed by specifics, is what I have been waiting for.
The Martin Sheen video was excellent as well, and the more rank and file video on the hill on what looks like Mulholland was just as informative and important.
How DARE there be an UNSIGNED – what cowardice! – email from an official SAG source, accusing those of us who have or will vote “no” as being engaged in a “smear campaign” and “trying to bring down the union.”
SAG’s response to inquiries as to who wrote that email and DIDN’T sign it? Basically – “fuck off – we don’t have to tell you.”
UNACCEPTABLE.
SAG needs to TELL the membership NOW – WHO participated in the writing of that email, who did NOT sign it, and WHY they made those accusations of the 47% of the national board and the 73% of the Hollywood board voting “no” on this contract, as well as thousands upon thousands of other rank and file SAG middle-class actors, like me.
I’d like to know who my accuser is. Isn’t that in American law? “You have the right to face your accuser?”
I hope members join me in demanding an official answer from SAG NOW. Call them, email them, walk in to 5757 if you can and DEMAND an answer.
It is your right as a Screen Actor’s Guild member to be given that information after being the subject of the accusations that email makes.
Ed needs to be reprogrammed. He needs to read his “official” SAG mail, and be robo-called a few times to reprogram him to the 52.7% borg. Then he’ll understand. How dare that fucker think for himself!!!
On one hand Mr Harris says he doesn’t like the smear campaign launched by SAG and that he doesn’t like being spoken to in a certain way then he proceeds to say that It takes courage to vote no. well guess what I have courage I went to the sag meetings and I didn’t boo anyone I disagreed with like some people did. This is a weak union. all you have to do is go to one meeting to figure out that it’s being run by idiots. how come no one points out that if we would have merged with AFTRA a long time ago the studio wouldn’t be able to switch some of the pilots to AFTRA from SAG. they would have to deal with us. there would be no one else to turn to. what kind of a president of the largest actors union lets AFTRA go in and negotiate a deal before us. besides this union doesn’t know how to strike. let’s not forget that the mere threat of a strike from the teamsters union makes the studios shit in there pants. why? because there afraid of them. The studios don’t respect sag and more importantly there not afraid of us. How is a bunch of actors standing in front of paramount with signs, waiting for UTA or ICM to deliver fucking donuts a strike. get real. most actors are afraid to piss off there agents let alone the studios. my father was a longshoreman for 40 years. talk to those guys they will tell you how to strike. tell guys like Ed Harris to show up at a SAG meeting and see the freak show live instead of making video’s from the comfort of his home. I’m a member of both these unions SAG and AFTRA and there both disgraceful. This is a shit deal on a lot of levels and SAG is becoming Irrelevant every day and the members and leadership of SAG are responsible. everyone on both sides his hiding behind there little video statements and there elitist home meetings. Time to get dirty folks.
What no one is saying because I really think that no one knows; we created the Low Budget Contracts, which has resulted in Academy Award Nominations and propelled careers; Amy Adams, Ryan Gosling; to cope with vast Non-Union Labor pools all over the U.S. We succeeded and now do over 2000 productions a year with budget lines under $15,000.00 a minute. We should allow AMPTP to create Non-Union Contracts under that budget line; to nullify our Union Contracts?
Other than that small detail, I’d follow Ed Harris into the “Void,” or even the ‘Abyss,” which I’ve done many times; and never regretted it. How about we draft him or Marty Sheen, or both; for Presidency. Really shouldn’t wish that upon them, but man o man don’t we need the likes of them now?
Refresh My Memory
Why is this contract good for the Screen Actors Guild members?
Why are loosing residuals good for the Screen Actors Guild members?
Why is loosing the ability to make a living as an Actor good for the Screen Actors Guild?
How is passing this contract going to make the Screen Actors Guild stronger?
Which board members blocked the strike authorization from going out in the first place?
The one thing that is clear to me is, that the Screen Actors Guild members need to get off their asses, and mark “NO” on their ballots and send it in today…
Both sides have stated their case loud and clear. Let’s vote!
So bad ass. I felt like I was being chewed out by my grammar school homeroom/phys ed teacher for some new crime.
This intensity jam/sage guidance session had more moments of terror, more bracing, brutal militaristic self-determination than two hours and thirty minutes of Terminator:Salvation. Better vote NO
love you, Ed. inspiring to see a man stand up and be counted.
i’m not an actor but, from the outside, it sure looks like actors are getting stiffed by their own weak new ‘leadership’. when iger et al start taking permanent pay cuts because new media doesn’t pay, maybe then they can tell everyone else to.
zoots
I know I’m repeating myself here, but in case someone didn’t read the previous threads…
It is JUST as important to vote for the AFTRA board elections. It is every bit as important as the vote on this contract. In fact it is the very reason we are in the situation we find ourselves in. Think about what AFTRA has done and vote for who you think serves dual card holders the best.
AFTRA took a deal that many didn’t want just to keeping working, And they have. Witness pilot season 2009.
It forces SAG to now consider a contract they themselves refused over a year ago.
There are many people running for the AFTRA board who understand this and feel the AFTRA has undercut the SAG rates. You know who they are.
Vote for them if you agree.
Plain and simple. But VOTE.
Peggy Lane O’Rourke
Re: Comment by Saverio Guerra
“my father was a longshoreman for 40 years.”
You should be proud of your dad and the Longshoreman, The Longshoreman are what a union is all about, I know I have been on the line with them and have the greatest about of respect for them.
“let’s not forget that the mere threat of a strike from the teamsters union makes the studios shit in there pants. Why? Because there afraid of them.”
That might have been at one time..one time long ago, but I assure you that this is not the case today. I can’t think of one thing 399 has gotten back from the Lockout in 1988. They have the same problem the rest of the Unions and Guilds have” Not Raising the next generation of members properly. I know, I also have a Teamster card.
“How come no one points out that if we would have merged with AFTRA a long time ago”
Sorry …I will have to disagree with you on this one, because we would be working at a sub-standard rate, terms and conditions. If AFTRA really wanted to merge they would have gotten a better deal than the one the signed, raise the bar…not lower it.
But the rest of your statement, I pretty much agree with.
Vote NO and let’s get on with it.
I’ve always admired Ed Harris, but THIS is in the stratosphere! The best statement yet, for voting NO.
SAG’s unbelievable email was anonymous (i.e. cowardly), illegal (against SAG policy) and bitterly ironic (accusing its opponents of the exact same crimes it’s guilty of itself: spreading misleading info and trying to bring the union down).
I hope it backfires in their sneaky faces, and converts a few thousand voters to NO!
Ed Harris is to be commended for his acting and sticking his neck out.
But someone’s been feeding him a line of bull.
A strike autho. vote is not a plan.
There are many good things in this contract, including covering streaming media (Hulu, eg.) for the first time, but more to the point, how to change the bad things. You say if the AMPTP says ‘no’, then we should go down the strike path.
But that seems to be the end of your plan. We don’t suddenly get what we all want just because we yell strike, especially when the producers have a TV/New Media deal on their desks already.
You do films; I do TV. If we go on a 4 month strike, I lose my house; you take a dip in salary.
That’s not a plan. That’s Cancun for you and nightschool for me.
Vote Yes. Get the raises. Get covered in New Media. And get working.
The minuscule amounts being made in New Media by anyone don’t justify pouring more money into AFTRA’s coffers at the expense of SAG’s and it’s membership’s pockets.
You can dwell on the flaws until there’s no SAG left, or you can vote yes and start building our clout with AFTRA for the next round.
Now that man makes me proud to be an actor again. Voted no last week.
“cover ourselves with maple syrup and let the ants devour us” – Like the visual. Gotta try that some day.
Strong on arguments against contract. The “Yes” side still needs to respond to the listed issues if not correct.
Describes a plan (“no”, negotiate, then strike)but might be helpful to set forth what would be asked for when back at table (and Harris, Sheen and Brown (wearing his Shawshank guard uniform) should be at the table). Many might be spooked by long strike but if shown strong arguments why unfair AND proposed compromises providing a path forward, more likely to say “no” and give the negotiation another chance. What’s being looked for? How far apart? If they think the negotiations will be protracted, might vote Yes just to get it over with. For example,
a)no residuals for original product made for new media – currently, there are works that go directly to DVD, soon straight to internet. Reasonable request.
b) protection against force endorsement: what if allowed so long as doesn’t force actor to violate another agreement? Or, is the counter “no product endorsements w/o consent”. Is there room to compromise?
THANK YOU ED!
well done…
VOTE NO and have some courage…
Very slick No voters. Keep spinning them out MF. Seriously. I respect Mr Harris as an artist but I’m afraid he wasn’t given the details like:
This contract increases compensation 6.5% over two years.
This contract increases pension contributions.
This contract increases jobs for background actors in the Western Zone.
This contract increases guest star payments
This contract has wages, working conditions and residuals structures for new media formats–which we DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE.
Let’s end the defacto strike. Vote YES.
GOD BLESS YOU ED HARRIS!!! I VOTE NO! I SUPPORT YOU AND MARTY AND THE OTHER COURAGEOUS LEADERS WHO VOTE THIS CRAP DOWN WHERE IT BELONGS. FLUSH THIS IN THE TOILET!!!
VOTE NO!!!!!!!!
I worked with Ed on an Avnet/Kerner Project and found him to be smart, and very much pro-union. He’s right-on with his comment and I hate to say it, (’cause I’d like to go back to work as much as the next guy), but a bad contract is no union member’s friend.
We all have to hold one another to the highest standards! Ed I’ll see you after the strike.
Rik-
you say this increases compensation 6.5 % ?
that was already in our contract before and has been for decades, it goes up every year, and I have been a member for 37 years. and by the way, 6.5% is over two years and amounts to 50.00. basic daily rate is now 759.00 and they are going to be paying 809.00 in 2011.
this is not about 50.00 or a .5 % increase in our pension which amounts to 14.00,
this is about NEW MEDIA which is about to EXPLODE and they ( amptp) know it and are going to make billions of dollars and if you think they wrote this thing and want to pass this thing for any other reason than to remove our future residuals, than you have not read the 21 page contract and all the viewpoints.
Ed Harris is right on the money. Thank you Nikki for posting!
Todd Waring writes, “Ed Harris is to be commended for his acting and sticking his neck out.But someone’s been feeding him a line of bull. A strike autho. vote is not a plan.”
This argument we keep seeing from the “vote yes” contingent is that those who don’t vote yes are stupid.
It’s not much of an argument. It’s not an argument at all.
It’s an insult. And by that I don’t mean I’m insulted, or that anyone is really. I simply mean when you tell folks they are being tricked or fed and digesting bull you have delivered an insult.
When you counter an intelligent, well thought out and well presented commentary like the one spoken by Mr. Harris and come up with “someone’s been feeding him bull,” the implication is you think he is too foolish to know what he is being fed. You think he is being tricked.
Your argument is simply that you see the truth and he cannot because he is too foolish to think on his own.
I’ve seen your one-note commentary on voting yes over and over. And yet I’ve not seen any evidence you are smarter than anyone.
If you can somehow demonstrate your superior intelligence people might be more inclined to believe you when you insist that those who think differently than you are fools.
In my estimation, after reading the contract, an intelligent SAG member will vote no on this contract. Maybe you could start with that.
Reply:To Comment by Rik Deskin
“This contract increases jobs for background actors in the Western Zone.”
WOW…Is it in parity with N.Y.? And why not?
“This contract increases pension contributions.”
WOW…Is this the one that a lot more of the members won’t qualify for, due to loss of residuals?
“This contract has wages, working conditions and residuals structures for new media formats–which we DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE.”
Based on residuals structures that are 20 years old.
So anyone who disagrees with you is ether MF or MF supporter.
“Let’s end the defacto strike. Vote YES.”
I think your fear mongering made my discussion for me, I will be Voting NO!!
To Comment by Rik Deskin — May 27, 2009 @ 9:22 pm that said:
This contract increases compensation 6.5% over two years.
This contract increases pension contributions.
This contract increases jobs for background actors in the Western Zone.
This contract increases guest star payments
This contract has wages, working conditions and residuals structures for new media formats–which we DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE.
AWESOME!!! Let’s get some more gains on the final contract, until then, vote NO!!
Classy guy. Classy message. Contrast that to the classless message informing us we are so stupid we are being “tricked.”
Ed Harris, Martin Sheen and the others have the guts to speak out about the proposed contract without trashing their fellow actors, and they put their names on it. The other side has cowards who hide behind anonymous e-mail blasts that attack fellow SAG members using union resources.
This is now an easy call. Nobody should have any hesitation about voting NO.
“You do films; I do TV. If we go on a 4 month strike, I lose my house; you take a dip in salary”.
That’s the business you signed up for, sir. Agreement or no agreement, strike or no strike.
When you go 4 months without booking a gig, that’s the business too, isn’t it?
He’s luckier than you because he takes a dip in salary, you’re luckier than me because you work in TV, and so on…but the tide turns.
It’s LONG TERM, and a much bigger issue than your house, or mine. Someone fought for your benefits, probably long before you were born, or soon after. You don’t think it affected them? How quickly we forget.
“this contract has wages–expected,
working conditions–expected,
and residual ‘structures’–too broad a term, man
for new media formats–which we DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE–exactly, because they didn’t exist.
Knowing what you know now about DVDs, would you have said yes to receiving residuals only after they were no longer ‘new releases’? Probably not, huh? That’s how silly this ‘new media’ language sounds.