Pete Antico is running for the National Board of SAG as an independent:

I am running for the board to attempt to change the internal structure of SAGthe Screen Actors Guild to run it like a productive business to create more effective policy’s going forward that would better enable us to even the playing field with the producers (AMPTP).

The Guild board must be unified or it will be the death of SAG as we know it and all of what our brothers and sisters fought for in the past will be history and our union will be broken apart with no future security. The Guild’s board was publicly divided, conquered, and buried in the last contract negotiation by the producers (AMPTP).

I am committed that doesn’t happen again. That is a tough task with the egos currently on our board. In my opinion the reason this abortion of a contract passed is one third of our board members don’t work in our business. Another third don’t have a clue about running a corporation (when you include the first third who don’t work in our business the figure climbs to two thirds) and fight like children in a schoolyard publicly so the entire world, especially their enemies (AMPTP) can see their positions. That transparency made SAG sitting ducks for the opposition.

SAG needs to operate like a stealth submarine, silent and deadly, never showing its hand, under the radar. Your opponent should never know what you are thinking, or how much power is in your missiles. The Art of War would be mandatory reading if I were president. I would initiate a Guild rule that infighting amongst the Board Members must stay in the board room and not allowed in the press. WHAT YOU DO HERE, WHAT YOU SAY HERE, WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE, STAYS HERE.

All public statements will be given to the press by the President’s office. Any leaks to the press would be “organized”. In my opinion, the hiring of interim National Executive Director, David White was based on an illegal coup against President Allan Rosenberg by a fiscally uneducated irresponsible board faction. (It’s interesting that when Doug Allan was National Executive Director our residuals were processed in 30 days but after David White became NED our residuals are now processed in 60 to 90 days. Whose account is our money (millions) sitting in collecting interest for the extra sixty days? The producers?).

That very same board cost SAG millions in raises by dividing the national and regional boards which resulted in the ratifying of the worst contract in SAG history with UNACCEPTABLE rollbacks that eliminates residuals for all shows pre 1971. I am appalled that the older members who fought so hard to get us residuals were sold out and thrown under the bus in their golden years. I didn’t know some of the board members practiced eugenics. That is why I am running for office. I intend to do something about it.

We need new blood with fresh ideas. It cost SAG members $400,000 dollars to hire David White, not to mention paying Doug Allan’s contract out. That is financial stupidity based on emotion and a lack of forward thinking. Did that move put SAG in a stronger position or a weaker one? FOLLOW THE MONEY. The millions SAG members lost in raises from a year of no decision on a potential strike vote due to infighting by a faction of the board that is supposed to be looking out for our best interests? That board faction led by a guy named Ned Vaugn said if we voted yes on this abomination of a contract that we would all go straight back to work. That never happened, Ned. You mislead the membership and it cost our Guild millions of dollars in future earnings because of the residual giveaways which irreparably damage contributions to our pension and health plans.

You and your blind followers should be proud of providing more Non Union actor work than any other group in Screen Actors Guild History. Thanks for taking jobs, food and health care away from thousands of rank and file performers. SAG members should be furious about that!

I am saddened to learn it was that same board faction who illegally kept our Guild President out of the negotiating room (which has never happened in the history of our union) in the middle of the most important negotiation in Guild history! That is absolute blasphemy. Love or hate President Rosenberg, no business in their right mind in the world would ever negotiate a major deal without the CEO. That was a brilliant strategic move on that same board factions part (they must have read, “The Art of Negotiating by Bending Over”).

My question to the membership is, “ are you going to sit idle and complain or are you going to vote those inept board members (united for strength) who were responsible out of office?”

These same members voted to spend one hundred and twenty thousand dollars of SAG dues money on stuffing member’s residual envelopes with “vote yes” propaganda. (Wasting our dues money.) I am strongly opposed to any Guild dues being spent on political agendas. That money should have be used to hire lawyers and business analysts (like Meredith Whitney of Oppenheimer fame) to work on a plan to merge all performers under the same roof, hire accountants and auditors to go over film companies books to make sure we are getting our fare share of residuals, and track new media on the net.

United we stand, divided we fall… and we fell. I must inform the membership that the only reason this contract was recommended by our national board was that most of the THIRTY OF OUR REGIONAL AND NATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS who got elected and voted yes on this “give away” everything SAG forefathers worked for contract have less than FIVE CREDITS AND DO NOT MAKE A LIVING IN OUR BUSINESS. A list of their names and credits can be found on Guild member Frank Lloyd’s website (www.stuntfacts.org) and at the end of this letter.

If you worked 2 years at a hospital you would not qualify for their board of directors as you would not have the tenure and the experience to make informed and educated decisions. (People’s lives could be at stake based on your decisions) Do you want people who work in other professions to be able to vote for your future? I don’t. SAG member’s careers and pensions were at stake and people that do not make a living in our business had the power to vote on our future and they sold us out. I want members who live it, breathe it, and honor it to vote on it.

I will fight to change the Guild’s bylaws to mandate that every board member must be vested for a pension to qualify to be a board member. That means 10 years making approximately fifteen thousand dollars a year. My definition of new blood would be a member who is educated not only in our contract, but in the needs and the issues of rank and file actors, STUNT PEOPLE, dancers, singers, performers with disabilities and background performers.

Any member who sits idle is a part of the problem. You must get involved if we are to have a chance at survival. Guild business should never be personal. We must be 100% committed and 100% unattached to see clearly as there is a long road ahead. We must have unity to survive.

I have been informed that Guild Presidential nominee Ann-Marie Johnson has been challenged to a debate by Ken Howard. Mr. Howard requested an emailed questionnaire with several days for each candidate to respond so they can pick and choose which questions they would respond to. That is not a debate by definition. Mr. Howard, if you don’t have the balls to debate with a moderator in front of a live audience, televised, to be played nationally on SAG’s website, I suggest you are unqualified and should respectfully with draw your request, and I would ask you withdraw your candidacy for the simple reason than any person wishing to be the President of the Screen Actors Guild should have a commanding knowledge of its governance and issues while standing alone on your own two feet.

What would America say to a Presidential candidate who would only debate by email so a team of puppet masters can answer pre chosen questions? Step up to the plate Mr. Howard. I believe you have no choice at this point. If you step up, the membership will know the truth about your abilities and those of Miss Johnson. If you stand down, the truth will be self evident.

We need 100 percent support from the acting community if we want to have a shot at effecting a change. TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO READ THE ISSUES AND GET INFORMED AND VOTE!

Board Member Credits

In a business that revolves around credits it’s a crime that these people are making decisions in regard to our pension & health when it will never involve them to take part in either.

Since, the only credits pertinent are the TV/Theatrical credits, those are the only ones that count. The following list of names are those who fired SAG’s NED Doug Allen for standing up to the AMPTP, eliminated the negotiating team — which SAG Hollywood controlled and they replaced it with a, so-called taskforce, which New York & the branch board members have control of — even though many on the board have little if no IMDB TV/Theatrical credits.

It looks like only 8 of the 41 that are on the NY side have a pension.

Check out these who made the decision to disallow members to vote on a strike authorization, break up the negotiation team behind the backs of the LA based National board 52 % to 48% with a letter of assent. Unless stipulated, they are New York or Branch Board Directors.

Richard Masur (Established actor, former SAG President and the real leader of this group and their current action. HE IS THE SAG PRESIDENT WHO TOLD THE STUNT COMMUNITY TO TAKE WHAT THE PRODUCERS OFFERED US IN ’94 AND HE WOULD FIX IT LATER. WHEN LATER CAME HE SAID THAT THERE WEREN’T ENOUGH TV COORDINATORS FOR SAG TO CARE ABOUT.)

Adam Arkin (Hollywood Board established actor).
Molly Ballard (5 credits in 12 years)
Mark Blum (actor/producer 50 credits in 12 years)
Amy Brenneman (Hollywood Board established actress)
John Carter Brown (5 credits)
Suzanne Burkhead (1 credit in 1983)
Tom Chantler (6 credits in 12 years)
Paul Christie (mostly cartoon voice, worked a few related to the TV/Theatrical contract)
Dave Corey (37 credits 21 years)
Roy Costley (3 credits 4 years)
Rebecca Damon(2 credits)
Maureen Donnelly (no credits)
Cece DuBois (no credits)
Nancy Duerr (23 credits in 24 years)
Abby Dylan (4 credits)
Morgan Fairchild (Hollywood Board established actress)
Sam Freed (37 credits in 31 years)
Steve Fried (none)
Nancy Giles (44 credits since 1986)
Traci Godfrey (1 credit)
David Hartley-Margolin (none)
Todd Hissong (none)
Liz Lazzi (1992, 2 credits as an actress, 1 credit as herself.)
Mike Hodge (69 credits since 1984)
Ken Howard (Hollywood Board established actor)
James Huston (14 credits since 1984)
Jim Hutchison (6 credits since 1974)
Ed Kelly (1 credit)
Art Lynch (none)
Mary McDonald-Lewis (no TV/Theatrical credits, worked a lot of animation prior to 1995)
Helen McNutt (3 credits)
Bill Mootos (6 credits since 1999)
Sue-Anne Morrow (5 credits since 1999)
Debra Nelson (8 credits since 1992 )
Pamela Reed (Hollywood Board established actress)
Sam Robards (established actor impressive credits)
Stephen F. Schmidt (5 credits since 1986)
Matt Servitto (working actor lots of credits)
Kate Walsh (Hollywood Board established actress)
Sharon Washington (30 credits since 1989)

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