SAG Will Include Anti-Merger Statement With Voting Materials Sent To Members

COMMENTS (51)

• Merger? Who is I good for? Hopefully less paper work? Hopefully more money for the actors? I am a member of both and everything is a burocracy and every process is outdated. Also, we need an explanation about health and pension benefits. We need the benefits to be improved! For some, If the total earned was merged we would have a better coverage, but since Sag and Aftra are two separate unions, we end up with the worst health benefits, not being able to cover for our families, and this is not fair! After all, we all have to pay our dues, yet no real benefits? What will happen? We need to know!

  Comment by L — Monday January 30, 2012 @ 6:13am PST  Reply to this post

• There’s a good reason that merger was voted down twice; AFTRA does not represent the best interests of their actor members.

  If merger goes through; AFTRA’s current policy of allowing broadcast members to work at NON-UNION locations will remain intact in the proposed merger. What’s next? NON-UNION actor members?

  Merger will play havoc with SAG’s PENSION & HEALTH PLANS plus; there is no guarantee that the industry trustees of these plans will support merging the SAG & AFTRA plans. What then?

  Merger will not make for a stronger union. SAG & AFTRA have negotiated jointly for 30 years-except for the 2008 primetime TV negotiations when AFTRA abandoned SAG at the bargaining table and undercut SAG’s contract.

  As a senior performer; vested in SAG, AFTRA and AEA and dependent on my PENSION & HEALTH coverage, I’m terribly frightened of this proposed merger.

  I will vote NO! I will advise all of my peer group to vote NO!

  Comment by Sy — Monday January 30, 2012 @ 5:14pm PST  Reply to this post

• this background actor is undecided!

  Comment by robin — Tuesday January 31, 2012 @ 1:26am PST  Reply to this post

• What do you have to say to actors that are members that payed into both unions and now have to watch free entry into 1 of the unions by members that only payed into the other- How is that fair- Aftras open door policy allows anybody off the street to join for a few hundred dollars, and now that would make them members of both unions. How is that fair. Aftra is constantly lowering the bar. The requirements to join are a joke their side deals with shows to pay lower hourly wages and less than 8 hour minimums are unfair.(screws backround actors) No residuals on some shows,( screws principle actors) & they allow their members to work non-union.(why even be a union) They have failed to secure agreements with CNN and other cable news. Come on they represent newscasters, its 24 hour news and they can’t even get that done. (Speaks volumes) Now SAG has to join that mess to survive? AFTRA bent over for the producers and cut a tv deal undecutting SAG and weekend them. I am a member of both unions and admit SAG has many flaws but is clearly been the better of the 2 for me when i have had work issues, or needed information. Since aftra stuck its nose into TV its been down hill. You find morons on set doing backround union work that dont know anything about the biz or much worse have admitted to not even caring about it or even worst don’t even care about the backround job they are doing that day. It is what you get with an open door policy. Sadly it is becoming more common with a bad economy it is becoming increasenly common. As a duel card member can testify that Aftra is bad news with its history of lowering the bar- Aftra and SAG merger is not necessary. All that is needed is an agreement between the unions to bargin collectively like they had been. An agreement Just like the agreement they currently have in place not to say disparaging things about each other. An agreement not to undercut each other. You know not to aftra the situation. Cooperation instead of merger- Makes no sense to have actors voting on singer, newscaster contracts vice versa. As for pensions the devil is in the details- If it is that easy and there will be no problems, the responsible thing to do would be to put it on the table. After you vote there is no do overs and you’ll be stuck with whatever is decided with the pensions.

  Comment by Alex — Tuesday January 31, 2012 @ 12:44pm PST  Reply to this post