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Here’s another sign of the demoralization of SAG’s Membership First: Anne-Marie Johnson is stepping aside as chairwoman of the Hollywood Division after having been 1st VP for 3 SAG presidents (Melissa Gilbert, Alan Rosenberg twice, and Ken Howard). I understand she doesn’t think she would be reelected now that MF is a minority faction, but more importantly she believes it’s time for others to take on the responsibility. She wrote tonight:
A MESSAGE FROM THE 1ST VICE PRESIDENT
This is my last letter as SAG’s 1st vice president. For some, the end of my term as chairwoman of the largest and most prolific division of Screen Actors Guild will be a joyous day. Hopefully there will be others who won’t feel the same. Regardless, my four terms as SAG’s first vice president have been filled with some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in my professional life.
I’ve been fortunate to represent this once great union in Sacramento and in the hallowed halls of America’s House and Senate chambers. I and other SAG elected have marched, protested, sung, cried, compromised and championed worthy causes with some of the most dynamic and legendary civil servants/leaders in this country. All on behalf of unions and unionism.
The era of the union is fading. In the last 27 years, the union membership rate in this country has plummeted to less than 13 percent. There is now a generation of adults who’ve grown up in homes where neither parent was a member of a union. The anti-union movement, whether it be from our own employers or the Republican Party, has successfully weakened not only the power of unions, but the pride and determination that were once natural byproducts of calling oneself a “union member.” Am I the only one who used to tear up with pride when the old “Look for the Union Label” commercial aired on television? Those days are long gone.
I’m fortunate to have had the privilege of serving as SAG’s 1st Vice President when I did. During a time when the sovereignty of the Screen Actors Guild was intact and thriving. I remember during the 2008 negotiations, the SAG Foundation was kind enough to allow the SAG negotiating team, along with staff, to view installments of the Screen Actors Guild documentary. There we were, sitting in a dreary holding pen at the AMPTP, watching a very moving and inspiring film. While watching, I was reminded of the sacrifices made by others to allow me to safely make a decent middle-class living as an actor, with the ability to qualify for health insurance and secure a pension for my retirement. That’s why most of us were there in that room for more than 46 days. We were there working hard to try to protect and build on the legacy left by Cagney, Morgan, Robinson, Pidgeon and others.
I wish you all good health and peace. And I bid a warm and loving farewell to the fading legacy of Screen Actors Guild.
Sincerely,
Anne-Marie Johnson
SAG 1st Vice President
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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SAG was lucky to have her.
She behaved like a petty tyrant and brought SAG nothing but division and discord. Good riddance.
I respect her commitment to our union and the countless she spent on our behalf. But count me among the joyful that she’s done.
Boo f’n hoo.
Thank you for your unwavering support of our Union Anne-Marie Johnson.
I second Zackery’s comment.
And it’s not like she’s fully going away. She still serves on the AFTRA Board.
Ms. Johnson,
Thank you for your hard work.
It’s sad to see SAG implode like this.
Ta-Ta, Anne-Marie. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Thanks for making SAG the laughing stock of the industry. You will not be missed by many.
Opening with her ‘poor me’ stance is more reminiscent of Nixon’s departure then that of an adult, who could have, in her final missive to the guild, accepted gracefully the defeat of her ideologically driven reign and even, I don’t know, wished her successors luck.
AMJ’s demoralization is appropriate in every way.
Yeah, she wasn’t soft and cuddly. She was often pushy, belligerent and short-tempered. She rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. But she is one of only a handful of people I worked with at the guild who ALWAYS had the best interests of the membership and the guild in mind. She was a fierce advocate for those of us who aren’t stars or series regulars, but still manage to make our living as actors. I will miss her (and her like-minded compatriots)… and so will SAG, especially during this time of transition.
Thank you for all your hard work, Anne-Marie.
There’s no one classier, kinder or more dedicated to the membership of this union.
Her loss is immeasurable, let there be no doubt.
“Once great union,” indeed….
She was a great member of SAG and fought the right fight. The last contract was a joke. If you still think that “New” Media is in some kind of developmental phase, you are old and/or an idiot. MF had every reason to try to hold the line there because most people learn from their mistakes and defeats (basic cable, DVD, etc). Actors seem to be the exception. Did you idiots know that the FCC will now allow VOD release of theatricals in a 45 day window? The DVD is essentially dead and will be replaced by VOD– y’know NEW MEDIA. Now go take a look at the deal we signed. It’s a real peach.
As for UFS, it’s on your asses now. You think you know what you’re doing? Are you sure because actors are in real trouble now and it ain’t the economy. The entertainment congloms are doing quite well but actors seem to be drowning. It’s on you now. Personally, I think you all just wanted to sign any deal so that we could all “get back to work.” Well that hasn’t happened quite the way you thought, has it? And now you’ve ensured that we won’t be getting paid for any new media revenue because we wanted to help out the studios “develop” this new technology which, amazingly, has already arrived. Nice job UFS. Way to give them a helping hand. Furthermore, any work you get now will probably be AFTRA (thanks Roberta, it’s on you too now) which is really helpful when you want to qualify for SAG insurance. The merger is pointless if you can’t negotiate a decent deal that doesn’t screw us out of residuals for decades. New technology should not present another opportunity to screw ourselves.
So fine, UFS. Let’s see how you do. Just remember that it’s on you. Just try not to start shooting at the other foot.
Thank you Anne for fighting for us (and also with us apparently). We will get what we deserve.
By the time you morons comprehend what is happening here, it will be far too late. “Petty tyrant”? Really Pendalian? Read “The Walrus & The Carpenter” and then see if you don’t find a dumb oyster ripe and ready for “the feed” staring back at you the next time you look in the mirror.
misguided and out of touch…
Can somebody explain to me a single thing UFS has accomplished since they threw out all of AMJ’s co-leaders of the last administration?
Here’s a couple:
1.Signing the worst contract in SAG history.
2. Allowing the entire TV space to go to AFTRA without a peep, let alone an NLRB filing to regain their lawful jurisdiction.
What does the L.A. Times, a couple days ago, have to say about UFS moderate-SAG and their ilk in the entertainment unions?
“showbiz unions have been getting their clocks cleaned by giant media companies in nearly every recent labor dispute.”
(Uh, that would be YOU, UFS)
“with studios showing less patience than ever with union demands”
“And when it comes to looking like bully boys, no one can top New Line, Warner Bros. and MGM, the trio of studios involved with “The Hobbit,” who have now released a statement that basically tells Australia’s MEAA union to butt out of its business. The studios also raised the threat (whenever you read the phrase “we are exploring all alternative options in order to protect our business interests,” you know it’s a threat) of moving the movies to a country with a more docile labor environment.”
(more “docile labor environment?” Uh, again, that would be YOU, UFS)
“But at a time when showbiz conglomerates have been doing virtually everything in their power to marginalize unions all around the globe”
(UFS)
But, yes, “progressive SAG” did NOT have the right idea regarding the toughness required to face the AMPTP and avoid roll-backs and give-aways, hallmarks of the UFS endorsed 2009 TV/Theatrical contract, the worst in the history of SAG.
Yeah, according to the L.A. Times (and anybody with an ounce of common sense) UFS-led moderate SAG is just kicking ass and taking names on behalf of SAG, and SAG rank and file actors.
Johnson’s rather melodramatic farewell demonstrates exactly why she and her ilk are no longer viable in the union movement. The role of unions has not disappeared, it has evolved and changed. Johnson failed to change with the times. Just as management has had to evolve new models and new strategies to deal with the changing marketplace, so must the trade union movement. Simply demanding MORE is not the only role or perhaps today the most important role the union must play. Demanding more and more turns out to be a short sighted strategy as the unions are now feeling the results that has had on the overall economy.
I could get very upset at a time when workers were fighting for clean, healthy working conditions and a living wage. That is far cry from fighting over earning $80,000 a year vs. $90,000 and whether one gets two vs. three weeks of paid vacation; or a pension that is sufficient to bankrupt a company and destroy scores of jobs. Those things I cannot sympathize with at all. Yet those are the types of things many unions today are willing to cripple an industry over.
As for her gratuitous political snipes: yes, Ms. Johnson we know where you stand and see your desire to blame everything wrong and evil in the world on the “others”. Another outmoded tactic that does not serve well our country much less the union.
Johnson is the relic, not the union movement. SAG is fortunate to have a majority leadership that sees this and will adapt and move forward with the times rather than cling to an outmoded paradigm that no longer suits the realities of today’s marketplace. Long live SAG. May it evolve and grow.
Sour fucking grapes.
She’s certainly right about the state of unions. Why is there a WGA, DGA, SAG, AFTRA etc. etc.? Their time has come and gone.
Yeah, she rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
Probably because she was continually exasperated trying to explain the way things WILL go down to a bunch of headstrong, Hollywood-hating nincompoops.
In their full on press to wrest power away from Los Angeles, the Regions have ensured that they will be further marginalized.
The merger will do nothing to improve their lot.
They will be the first casualties.
Work will continue to go non-union in right to work states.
It will be harder and harder to qualify for pension and health.
Save for the handful of performers who have carved out some sort of niche.
The Regions have been played.
One who forms an opinion and espouses said same without first learning and considering the facts is by definition, a fool.
Tough minded, focused and fair, AMJ, you will be missed.
Thank you, Anne Marie for your selfless service. You have followed the footsteps of some greats that held as you always have, the best interests of the membership to heart, mind and action.
I am honored to know you.
Thank you.
I am researching this subject, who are the other greats who has been writing about the SAG intellegently ?
She is fearless.
As such, she is a rare and indispensable asset.
The fear that rules our unions cannot abide her, so pure is her commitment to the least of her brothers.
I hope and pray she is mistaken but right now it seems like another victory for the old, rich white guys.
Fear and vanity dominate the boardroom while ambivalence among the membership is cultivated by those most fearful of a strong SAG – the ROWGs
AnneMarie will be needed again. I just hope it will not be too late when the membership calls for her.
Wow, to all the bitter MF’ers out there all I can say is…”let your hate guild you, young Jedi’s”
I very much appreciate Ann Marie’s comments regarding the Screen Actors Guild documentary, which is entitled “Behind the Masks: The Story of the Screen Actors Guild”. “Behind the Masks” is a 4-part, 5-hour broadcast documentary mini-series, produced 3 years a go at total cost of almost $2 million. It has been very well-received by the few hundred SAG members who have actually seen it. It is a sickening tragedy that the SAG Board, the SAG Administration, and the SAG Foundation have not the where-with-all to even attempt to distribute or exploit this thoughtful piece of work anywhere outside of the myopic and insular environment of the Guild itself. Bizarre, and a perfect example of the short-sightedness, waste, and lack of institutional focus and direction that has plagued SAG since the late 1990s.
William Gazecki
DGA Member
IATSE Member
Producer/Director/Editor
“Behind the Masks: The Story of the Screen Actors Guild”
Well, you certainly won’t have AMJ to kick around anymore…
Ann Marie was the best thing that ever happened to SAG leadership; she will be deeply missed!!
YES, I AGREE. MY UNION WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE HAD HER. THEY TOOK CARE OF US, HAD OUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART, AND WORKED TIRELESSLY TO MAKE OUR UNION STRONGER. Those fools at SAG now, could give a sh@%, except for themselves and their own welfare. Let’s see if this idiotic merger goes through. More power to them all for and I only wished my name could have been on that lawsuit AGAINST this stupid merger!