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SAG Will Include Anti-Merger Statement With Voting Materials Sent To Members
No surprise on the timing of these SAG and AFTRA National Board Of Directors votes because an announcement will be made at the SAG Awards televised Sunday night on TNT/TBS. Here’s SAG’s statement followed by AFTRA’s:
LOS ANGELES (January 27, 2012) – The Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors today voted overwhelmingly to approve and recommend a plan to merge with AFTRA. The board met in a regularly scheduled plenary meeting in the James Cagney Board Room at the Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters and voted after reviewing a merger package put forward by the SAG and AFTRA Group for One Union (G1) that includes a Merger Agreement and Constitution.
Collectively, these documents outline the plan of merger, dues and finance structure, membership requirements, and other basic attributes of the successor union. The same merger package must now be approved by AFTRA’s National Board of Directors which is scheduled to meet on Jan. 28, to review and vote on the package. Should the AFTRA board approve the merger package as well, a referendum will be sent out for a vote by members of both unions in the coming weeks.
The proposed name for the new union is SAG-AFTRA.
The resolution read:
“It was moved and seconded that the National Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Merger Task Force, approves the proposed Merger Agreement between Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and further approves the proposed SAG-AFTRA Constitution. The National Board directs that the proposed Constitution and Merger Agreement be submitted for membership approval by mailed ballot referendum, in cooperation with AFTRA. The referendum materials and ballot shall be mailed on or about February 27, 2012, with a ballot return and tabulation deadline of March 30, 2012.”
Approved: 87.1% – 12.9%
The G1 held five rounds of meetings to create the successor union merger package. The meetings, which began in June of 2011, followed a historic Listening Tour conducted by SAG National President Ken Howard and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon. The G1 finished its work January 16 with a vote approving the merger package debated and approved today by the SAG National Board.
Statement from AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon:
“I would like to congratulate the SAG National Board members on overwhelmingly approving the merger plan proposal at their meeting today, and I look forward to our discussion tomorrow at the AFTRA National Board meeting.”
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About damn time. Merger will make SAG-AFTRA the paragon of Unionism for our industry and for unions nationwide.
Congrats!
It will just make us weak. Lower pay, worse healthcare and unionized with morning dj’s who could give a crap about our needs.
This is a very bad thing
Lower pay as a result of increased size and bargaining power, makes perfect sense to me. There are over 100000 members in SAG, 44000 of whom are also in AFTRA and so actors will continue to rule the day in negotiations. Don’t let fact and logic interrupt your sneering, feel free to continue looking down your nose at our fellow performers.
When has AFTRA ever “ruled the day” in negotiations? Seriously? You call for “facts and logic”? Laughable!
Almost everyone in SAG is in AFTRA, so lets not pretend like the ranks are going to swell that much.
Although, now those AFTRA actors will be able to go out for SAG jobs, so more competition. How helpful.
Pure ignorance.
ha ha ha.
Wow. The delusion.
To have “strength in numbers” you must first have strength in leadership. Is this what you think AFTRA is all about? Because if you do, you’re lying to yourself. AFTRA has a long history of bending over for, and taking it from producers.
But don’t take my word for it. Read some guild history. It’s all there in black and white.
Hey A.C. … I mean “Strength in Numbers”. What a shilly… I mean silly comment.
Anyone who is stupid enough to believe that the “merger” is going to gain aactors any strength should be out buying bridges. The AMPTP is waiting to vacate and void all contracts and forcing negotiations to start all over again and extend for, oh, say, another ten years. You can thank both boards for their clodish behaviour concerning other actors who oppose the efforts to destroy SAG and make a “new Union” which will ultimately fail and send Roberta Reardon and her accolytes back to the drawing board.
Congrats SAG on killing this once great Union…
I wonder, for those who are AFTRA must join… can they now pay the fee and become SAG-AFTRA. I been AFTRA must join for 8 years… but I never did anything to become SAG eligible.
Time to pull up your hip waders, people. This is gonna get nasty.
As a side note, I’d love to know who the 12.9% dissenters are, and why. Not that SAG will allow any dissenting members to speak publicly and offer, you know, a different point of view…
I think the best part of SAG leadership is making sure the opposition has nothing published or spoken of anywhere which is why committee assignments were changed to be replaced by Unite members who would follow the leader and push the full agenda. Ned Vaughn has made SAG look like the Reichstag and will keep going until ALL opposition is destroyed. There will be no minority report on the ballot.
I’ve read (on DH, in fact) that the board IS allowing a so-called “Minority Report” to go out along with the ballot. I fear that said report will be edited with prejudice by said board. However, the mere fact that they’re allowing it seems to show how confident they are that this will pass. Or arrogant, either one.
One thing I’d like to know is do people who belong to one but not both have to pony up special fees due to the merger?
I never worked on an AFTRA show. I never had to pay the fees to join.
Do I have to kick in something even though I’ve been in SAG for years?
Lord, I hope not. My ’79 Pinto needs a new exhaust.
How cool is it that you have a ’79 Pinto. I thought they all blew up.
Membership requirements are in the plan as reported by Deadline.com.
I don’t know about this merger because the performers report to very different producers who don’t always cross-over from drama to reality for example.
I think the reason they want to merge is to save the pension plans, SAG’s at least. This will be a huge membership and hopefully with lots of cash to save the pension plans.
The end begins.
It’s important, I think, to remind every voting SAG/AFTRA member this: if you don’t like something in the deal, you’re perfectly fine voting ‘NO’. It doesn’t hurt anything to vote ‘NO’. This isn’t a one-shot desperate act/vote, it’s a huge consideration which will alter the industry and those of us who make a living on screen into the future, as well as from the past. We members do not have to automatically do what our boards tell us to do. The membership runs this union, not the board.
For instance, if there’s a huge negative outcry for, say, how the single-union members will be inducted into a dual-membership situation (initiation fee structure); or changes in day player rates; or whether or not non-residual income members (broadcasters) will be voting on actors’ contracts – voting ‘NO’ merely means that the committees will have to go back and adjust the plan to our liking. Same with the pension questions. Voting ‘NO’ won’t really slow the process down, since the new union likely won’t take effect for some time – years, probably.
This isn’t so much a vote for a merged union (the vast majority of us want that) as it is that we all agree on how to merge. Please read the proposal carefully and ask tons of questions of supporters of both sides of the proposition.
Let’s not screw it up by being hasty, huh?
P.S. I appreciate very much the time and effort of the committee members in producing this plan. Must’ve been very difficult.
What does this mean for all of us SAG eligible folks out there?
It means if you join SAG now you’ll pay just under $2300, if you wait until after the merger it’ll be $3000 or more. Less than paying for both SAG and AFTRA ($1700) separately but still…
ok the better thing to do if you are sag eligible is to join sag now before the merger officially goes in to effect right? Because then for $2300 when the merger goes into effect I will be able SAG and Aftra?
That is my understanding, that those of us in SAG will automatically become members of SAG-AFTRA and not have to pay another “initiation” fee. Anyone who is new will of course have to pay the fee to join and it will be higher after the merger, probably since the union is about to double in size. I got the $3000 figure from a Jonathan Handel article, and you might want to call SAG Membership just to confirm that new members will also be grandfathered in to the combined entity, it’s what I was told but still never hurts to check. Good luck.
It seems like the best thing to do if you’re SAG eligible is to join AFTRA now. Why join SAG now and pay $2300 when you can join AFTRA now for $1600 and be in both unions once they merge?
This is great news for all of us! I can’t wait to vote yes!
Sure Rik, but what if broadcasters are allowed to say, “I don’t give a crap about actors’ residuals! I’m voting yes on the contract that gives me a better payday and no residual income down the line. Actors don’t deserve residuals anyway!” Newspeople should absolutely NOT be able to vote on actors’ contracts, but that may be part of the “plan”. If so…
Would you still vote YES?
How about if the union members who are almost fully vested in retirement/pension credits are about to lose those credits?
Would you still vote YES?
Maybe you’re an actor with more than a few features under your belt, and you’re due – for years to come – residuals from your work. If the “plan” somehow erases your future income (so that producers will accept the new union)…
Would you still vote YES?
How about if actors’ day player rates are lowered to the AFTRA rate, instead of staying at the SAG rate?
Would you still…
There are questions above your post and there will definitely be questions below this. People should not be eager to vote either way until we see, with our own eyes (not rumors), the proposition, the “plan”. Anybody who says they’re voting ‘YES’ “no matter what” is a reckless voter.
Look around you actors. We live in a country crushing unions, left, right and center, crushing what remains of the middle class, serving up goodies to the 1 % at the expense of the 99.
So, do you REALLY think, in your heart of hearts, this is a PRO-union move, or an ANTI-union move, driven by the corporate overlords of our employers, who couldn’t give a shit about the SAG rank and file actor, they just want to slash costs, and man o man will this plan slash costs – on YOUR backs?
Is this really for the “many” or, in keeping with what is going on all around us every day, the “few?”
Hmmmm.
We are talking about giving up the true, bottom-up, one-actor-one vote SAG democracy we’ve had for decades, and merging with a union that has allowed non-union work for both broadcasters and actors, AFTRA, for it’s entire existence. And elects officers, the same names every year, by vote of “committee,” not one-actor-one-vote, and that will RETAIN a dangerous portion of that voting system to keep dissent as FAR fro the SAG-AFTRA boardroom as possible.
Nice, huh?
Also, understand, this is an AFTRA-dominated merger attempt this time, with SAG subservient.
We already know SAG-AFTRA will allow non-union work, they have just “re-branded it” – in perfect Frank Luntz, Republican-speak, as, “non-jurisdictional.” I actually think that is my favorite thing in the plan.
So, ask yourself, if a producer understands full well that SAG actors are expected to observe unionism, in a merger with a union, AFTRA, that has never respected unionism, how soon will it be before a producer floats a project non-union in front of a name actor who needs a payday? What then? Why would any SAG-AFTRA actor, once that begins to happen, and it will, NOT accept non-union work?
Of course they will. Why shouldn’t they?
Producers will save, oh, half their budget. and they will never pay ONE dime in residuals. No union protections on set, safety, etc, no overtime, what if you get hurt? Meals? Bag your lunch folks. It’s BACK to the future – all the stuff SAG, in it’s 79 years has pried from the producers cold, dead hands, given back. Think what the producers will pull by being able to do non-union work with SAG-AFTRA actors who will simply say, and rightly so “look, if, as Roberta Reardon told us last year, it was ‘All of us, or none of us!’ – then why do SOME of us get to work non-union, while MOST of us are not supposed to?”
Doesn’t rally scan, does it?
How long do you think before that damn of non-unionism breaks?
Then, it’s over. Buh-bye union protections for actors.
It’s about money folks. A two Billion dollar SAG Pension fund, tens of millions if foreign royalty money, 100% due to SAG actors, ALL gone missing, or as they say “stolen” – for 20 years – and a perfect confluence of events for the producers to finally put the hammer down on NOT paying actors anything CLOSE to what they used to pay them, because we will be merging into a union that never strikes, and therefore, if you’re not willing to strike, if you’re not led anymore by UNIONISTS who understand you have to GUARD the advances, benefits and protections gained over many, many years by our SAG predecessors, you no longer have ANY LEVERAGE.
No leverage? No union. That’s how it works folks. It’s really, really hard to fight off the suits to keep what SAG gained – and these people are telling you it will be good for you to GIVE IT AWAY.
And make no mistake: THIS administration, from DAY ONE, UFS-SAG, GAVE AWAY ALL “scripted programming for television” – SAG’s jurisdiction, BY FEDERAL LABOR LAW, in TWO years, after having dominance of TV for 60 years prior. SAG gavie it ALL: away in 2 YEARS.
Who has the right to choose their bargaining agent, by federal labor law?
ONLY THE WORKERS. That would be us. Do YOU remember getting the chance to vote “SAG or AFTRA?”
Me neither. The producers don’;t have the right to give away SAG shows, UFS-LED SAG doesn’t have the right to give away SAG TV.
ONLY SAG ACTORS HAVE THAT RIGHT – BY LAW.
Again, do YOU remember being asked to be represented EVER in ANYTHING, by AFTRA. Did any of you EVER vote for AFTRA to represent you as an actor in ANYTHING?
Me neither.
And the merger people will tell you that was simply a COINCIDENCE of AFTRA signing the 2008 contract first, NOT, in fact, a conscious effort to TOTALLY destabilize SAG financially by giving away all its TV – WITHOUT ANY PROTEST BY SAG LEADERSHIP – in two years, solely to CREATE the issue of “split earnings” they now cite as maybe their biggest justification to merge with AFTRA.
We’ve been PLAYED folks.
They announced in the info of the SAG board voting this up – in that press release tonight: “your pensions will be safe!”
How do they know that? The simple answer is – they don’t. In fact, minus the study they should have done, they have absolutely NO IDEA what will happen to SAG pension and health when they try to graft it together with AFTRA’s plan. They may not be able to do it at all, in which case, we’ll end up with three plans, Two, frozen in place, SAG and AFTRA, and a third, SAG-AFTRA, that may not work at all. They have NO IDEA. They didn’t even do ANY research, and present a report. Can you BELIEVE that?
We have a new media deal (where ALL our work will be, soon enough) with NO MINIMUMS and FREE WINDOWS that ABSOLUTELY can and will lead to the end of residuals, as the Hollywood producers announced they were going to do – “end residuals” – in the NY Times, in the summer of 2007.
Look it up. It’s an article by Michael Cieply in the NY Times from… Aug of 2007. July?.
It has been announced there will be NO MINORITY REPORT in the SAG information sent out with the vote, so, any SAG member hoping to read “the other side of the story?” Sorry, your national board doesn’t want you to hear it.
The SAG constitution “recommends” a pre-merger P&H study on the possible effect of merging the SAG and AFTRA plans, but they simply didn’t want to do it, because they know it will contain substantial reservations, so, they just… didn’t do it. They simply chose NOT to do a pre-merger study, that you could read, absorb, and then vote your conscience. Why? Because they don’t want to allow ANY facts to cause the average SAG or AFTRA member to BEGIN to understand what a complete fucking disaster this will be for TV, movie and net actors, going forward.
Still No Answers to questions. What will happen to our Pensions? What about our Health Plan? Who will qualify, what will the plan look like and what will happen to Credits already earned? Will there be a Global Rule One? SAG has one where is AFTRA’s? Will the new Union enforce non union violators? Currently Announcers/ Broadcasters work Union nd Non-Union. There’s trouble, right here in Hollywood City.
Fiduciary Responsibility!!! Warren
L O N G T I M E COMING…….AND FINALLY. POSTURING and POSITIONING FOR WHAT’S COMING NEXT. ‘Bout time. Good timing.
This was posted before but I feel it’s the best post I’ve seen regarding the merger. It’s sane, unemotional and logical. And something for us all to consider:
“Just remember, fellow SAG and AFTRA members:
When any proponent of merger, tells you that — “The SAG & AFTRA pension & health plans have nothing to do with the proposed merger. The merger is between the unions – not the pension plans” — think again.
To state that the proposed merger of SAG and AFTRA into one union and the possible merger of the SAG and AFTRA pension and health funds are not related is patently absurd. Of course they are related. They are intricately related. They’re related by member earnings and they’re related by employer contributions. They’re related by eligibility and they’re related by service. Every actor who joins these professional guilds does so not only because they love acting – they do so in the hopes of one day earning a living and of building a secure future for themselves and their families. And with pension and health benefits, they can turn those dreams into a reality. If these two unions merge, it would directly impact every pension credit and every co-pay premium on the road to financial and medical security.
If the unions merged tomorrow and the Trustees of both P&H plans then began their feasibility studies, by all accounts, with all forensic due diligence, it could take anywhere from 2-5 years to complete before making their recommendations. Whatever the cost — two-to-five YEARS. And in that time, the following will continue — the existing contracts we’re working on will remain in effect until 2014 – which means that SAG earnings will go to the SAG plan and AFTRA earnings will go to the AFTRA plan – so split earnings will continue for a minimum of two years. Why – because there is no new plan.
And with a newly-merged union, what will happen to new shows and new features that enter the production pipeline during that time? There’s no plan in place to account for those contributions while the study moves forward so — where does our money go? SAG? AFTRA? Again, there’s no new P&H plan. And after the contract expires, how do we negotiate with the producers re: contributions if the studies remain incomplete and our P&H plans remain in limbo?
Secondly – what if the trustees decide, after their study, that it’s not feasible to merge the plans — so they instead freeze both existing plans and form a third one, a new one? Will members just shy of vesting their pensions or qualifying for lifetime medical when they retire – with their old plans – will those pension credits be grandfathered into a new plan? Will the Trustees create a pathway for cross-crediting? Or will the members have to start from scratch – and their pension credits forever frozen? Those performers at four years – one shy of a partial vesting; those at nine years – one shy at a full vesting; those at fourteen – one shy at qualifying for SP 25 (Senior Performer Health Coverage at 25 per cent premiums) or those who are one or two years shy of LIFETIME secondary medical coverage when they retire – what’s the plan for all these performers? No one knows.
And if they do merge the plans, SAG members may very well get clobbered. The plans are so vastly different in premiums, in accrual rates, in earnings requirements, in contributions – how will the Trustees reconcile it all? The numbers bear it all out – everything right now, if you’re a SAG member, is far superior for you and less so if you’re an AFTRA member – so will the Trustees then take away from SAG and give more to AFTRA in order to reconcile the two? Guess what? No one knows.
And, even more importantly – if the Trustees decide to form a new P&H plan – how will it be funded? How was the current one originally funded? What did the producers put in to get it started back in the early sixties? What did actors give up to get it started – because we all know the producers don’t give without taking – and guess what: Actors gave up all residuals pre-1960 to get a pension and health plan. What will they give up this time – because they will have to give up something.
The bottom line is – no one knows. No one has answers. The NOTHING TO DO WITH MERGER mantra borders on naivety.
Trust Us: Vote for Merger And We’ll Figure Out P&H Later –that’s what all these pro-merger advocates are saying to you. So here’s a question: Why on earth would you vote for a merger plan before having the answers to these very critical and very fundamental questions regarding your money, your benefits, your investment — your future.
And just to be clear – this is not an assault against merger. This is about getting you – the members — the facts — all the facts — regarding the consequences of merger – before you vote. Not after. Now. Not later.
Pension and health has “NOTHING TO DO WITH MERGER”? I’mm sorry – but it has EVERYTHING TO DO WITH MERGER!
Comment by Emauel — Wednesday January 18, 2012 @ 2:37pm EST REPLY TO THIS POST”
I am voting no. Why? A million reasons but the most important to me is…
Because I am vested 23 years in SAG and have a pension coming to me when I turn 65.
It is beyond comprehension to me that anyone would vote yes…when SAG and AFTRA have repeatedly said they will deal with Pensions and Health….AFTER!!!!… the vote. I think that’s probably even illegal for them NOT to address these issues before the vote.
Don’t people realize then that if a yes vote is given…they can then do whatever the hell they want with our pensions and health plan?
They can say…”Oh, sorry. It was necessary to dig into the pension funds to pay for all the new letterheads and …ya know, stuff…we need to do for the new awesome name we’ve given ourselves”.
A yes vote is a vote that will hurt thousands and thousands of actors.
I will never vote yes. VOTE NO!
I am so frightened by this possible merger. It cant happen. SAG must remain alone.
The people who are against it, give accurate and many examples of why it is a bad idea…a horrible idea.
I believe them, and agree with them 100%.
Those who want the merger never say anything supporting their view, except that “We’ll be stronger as a union”. That is utter horsesh&t. And at best it’s a guess. How stronger? We’ll all suddenly be one big happy family always getting each other backs…anchors, reporters, actors, etc? Horsesh&t
It is clear that only those who are against it, know what they’re talking about.
If you are for the merger…I would ask you to please examine why you’re for it. If you can’t come up with anything except that “We’ll be stronger”…then you have to vote against it.
More important than a merger is the issue of “What is an actor?” It needs to be defined once and for ever.
There is no way to have a level playing field if the Staff and leader ship give away the house.
Non-union work has its place but not in a union industry.
Hasn’t new media taken away enough already?
Can I get my joining dues back?
As I see it I am paying to have a staff that get health and pensions and a pay check every week and are doing little to help the actor cause.
I guess when only one tenth of the members show up the actor cause is lost.
“JUST SHOW UP”
I was a Sargent at arms and when I voiced my opinion on a board meeting I am no longer called to duty.
What does that say about our freedom of speech?
I don’t know about you but this is making me ill.
Good luck to us all.
All the doom and gloom predictions are so…. predictable. You all sound like the Republican party. “Don’t ever change anything! Don’t move forward! If we don’t do things exactly as we have in the past, the world will end!”
Most of the conjecture is dead wrong. Most of you don’t have your facts straight and are guessing at what is in the merger and guessing about what it means down the road. And trying to come up with the worst possible scenario you can imagine.
The vast majority of actors are so happy that this is happening. It is vital that we have one union so that we can qualify for health insurance by accumulation weeks in ONE union instead of having the work split into two so that it becomes impossible to meet the mark.
Why on earth should the same work (acting on an episode of a television series) be covered under two different unions based on an arbitrary decision of whether the show is designated SAG or AFTRA?
One union makes us stronger and makes our lives much easier. If you think having two unions makes us stronger, I would suggest you look at what has happened over the last 6 years and tell me how AFTRA stealing all the new shows that used to be covered by SAG has made anybody stronger?
“But if we move forward it will bring on armageddon!” right.
If they merge, hello ficore!
I’m still trying to educate myself as to the pros and cons of this merger.
At this point, I am neither for or against.
However, I can tell you that this “We’ll deal with pensions and health plans later” bull has made me certain that I will vote NO.
Vote NO until they come back with EXACTLY WHAT will happen with these two items.
As a poster above said, voting NO simply means they’ll have to go back and figure it out. When they know and can tell us specifically what will happen with pensions and health care then we’ll entertain a YES vote.
Vote NO until they tell us where the money is going.
What workers from any Union from any industry would vote without knowing the full details of what they are voting on?
Who asks for a YES vote with a pinky swear?
It’s like a friend asking you to loan them $10,000 and when you ask when they will be able to pay you back, they say, “We’ll talk about that later.” Would you just say, “Okay. Here you go.” NO. You wouldn’t give them a cent until you had the details worked out for your protection.
What an insult.
Nobody commenting here has said anything about the fact that while SAG-AFTRA squabble over pensions and residuals, the industry is changing irreversibly away from the cash cow TV networks model?
I’m not normally a conspiracy theorist, but I think this issue pops up whenever AFTRA needs a quick infusion of cash.
Talk of merger = people joining AFTRA for $1600 a person so they can then be a member of SAG. I wouldn’t be surprised if SAG gets a cut.
We’ll go through this again in a few years.
As someone who makes a living doing tv and films (no other job) and has seen my yearly income cut in almost half over the last decade for the same amount of work, yes, in my opinion, we have no viable option left other than to form one union. But before you all get your knickers in a twist, why not wait and see what the two unions are actually proposing? Stop with the scare tactics and the doomsday predictions. Hell, according to the Mayan calender we won’t even be around long enough to get the vote on the table, so, relax!
Sheesh people… what a bunch of old farts moaning and groaning. Wake up and realize there is no more FILM or tape..its mostly all digital now…and will be 100% VERY SOON. remember SAG=film AFTRA= Tape/Audio.. anyhoo.. For all of you bellowing its a bad idea..we are in a different world. you have not seen the paperwork yet to read the details. Ultimately we all will, when we see the final document because we have to vote. CHANGE is good.. and sometimes a little painful. I, myself…can never quite make enough to get health insurance..cuz the one job i need..Is always under a different union..and I miss it by a hair. THIS is good thing..I look forward to it..and if you’ve done any research..it will be stricter to become a member.. the AFTRA laxness will no longer be there. So wait before you start screamin. Just saying..
Ester
SAG=Film AFTRA=tape?
SAG and AFTRA: “shared jurisdiction in digital?
Where did you hear that, or more importantly, read it?
The actual law? Has NEVER said what you say.
Again, has ANY actor reading this EVER voted to be represented by AFTRA for ANYTHING?
No.
And yet, Federal Labor Law says ONLY the workers can choose their bargaining agent (union).
So, if a referendum were put out tomorrow, FINALLY giving the only people with the legal right to choose, US, the actors, the WORKERS -
“SAG or AFTRA?”
This would be over, we’d be represented in ALL areas by one union, SAG, and there wouldn’t be a thing AFTRA could do about it, because the WORKERS had decided they wanted to have ONE union
SAG.
The total lack of understanding of the actual law, and the mistaken belief AFTRA has ANY legal right to ANY SAG jurisdiction, or that ANY method of capture: film, videotape, digital – has ANY determination on jurisdiction?
Is mistaken.
SAG: “ALL motion pictures” (movies) and “all motion pictures for television.”
AFTRA: “Live TV, or, television done in a LIVE manner.”
Method of capture? Does NOT determine jurisdiction.
It’s the LAW, you know, if anybody cares…
I am not an old fart, BUT it’s easy for you to call some of these people old and whiney right now. Let’s see how you feel when you are an old fart and your pension and or health benefits are at stake. It’s no big deal to you because it doesn’t affect you RIGHT NOW.
We’ll see if you even make the long haul. Most likely, you’ll give up talk about how you, “…coulda been a contenda!”
CHANGE is good only if it’s actually GOOD CHANGE.
Sounds like you are the one who needs to do some research.
Right now your reasons are:
1. I just missed that job.
2. It will be stricter and stuff.
You haven’t seen the paperwork. Yet, you are already championing the merger. What kind of research is that?
Sounds like you’ve made up your mind without “knowing the details” yourself.
You started off saying, “Wait and see.” Then went on to say, “Let’s vote, yes! Change is good!”
I’m scared that someone who has such little self awareness as to not know that they are contradicting themselves has any kind of vote whatsoever.
Vote no on a merger that is being crafted by a staff and leadership who obviously feel
they are above transparency.
They refuse to be accountable for anything.
The giveaway of scripted TV happened on this, the watch of the merger-zombies.
All part, apparently, of Ned Vaughn’s plan to weaken SAG to the point where she would
have to merger and do so on Aftra’s terms.
To those who think just merging will solve all of your problems
and now you’ll be able to qualify for health care?
You’re dreaming.
The qualifiers will be higher and the benefits will be less.
The votes to shoot this ridiculous merger down are still in Los Angeles,
where like it or not, the majority of the work is
and where the majority of the actors are.
Ester Goldberg, NO, you’re wrong.
It’s not SAG = film and Aftra = tape;
it is and always has been: SAG = done in the filmed manner
Aftra = done in the live manner
Which means that all SCRIPTED TV that is shot in ANY medium, including digital,
and is then edited and shown at some later date . . . is SAG’s JURISDICTION.
When digital came on strong about 10 years ago,
AFTRA POACHED SAG JURISDICTION and no one called them on their shit.
VOTE NO.
WHEN THIS MERGER IS DEFEATED, THE NLRB AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR NEED TO
OVERSEE A SIMPLE VOTE AMONG ACTORS WHO ACTUALLY WORK THESE CONTRACTS:
“AS IT IS UNTENABLE TO HAVE TWO ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING THE SAME GROUP
OF WORKERS DOING THE SAME EXACT WORK FOR THE SAME CORPORATIONS,
WHO DO YOU, THE WORKERS, CHOOSE TO BE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ?
SAG or AFTRA ?
It will be a landslide for SAG, not even close.
Even some vociferous merger maniacs will find themselves succumbing to
the Bradley Effect and voting for SAG, because, at the end of the day,
this is all about money and who will do the best job for you when you do land a gig.
Some Aftrans will say that a vote like this is illegal.
They are full of shit.
There will probably be lawsuits filed by Aftra when the workers, we, tell them to hit the road.
And the judge will say, “Too bad. They don’t want you. They want SAG”
VOTE IT DOWN.
DECERTIFY AFTRA.
THEN YOU’LL HAVE A SHOT AT A DECENT FUTURE.
Consider here, if you please, a little historical perspective, based upon a letter written by a SAG member to a staff member at the Screen Actors Guild:
Prior to the “Listening Tour” Merger meeting held back in May of 2011, I had the opportunity to pose a question to President Ken Howard regarding the possible merger of the SAG/AFTRA pension
plans and what steps would be taken to protect a member, like me, who is two pension credits shy of lifetime medical eligibility.
His response to me was nothing short of astonishing: “You may well just fall through the cracks”.
“I’m sorry — what?”
“You may be one of those five per cent who just falls through the cracks”.
“What does that mean?”
“Well, what would you do — protect ninety-five per cent of the
membership or the five per cent of people like you?”
“Mr. Howard, I’ve devoted twenty-five years of my life to the Screen Actors Guild. What am I supposed to do now?”
“Get more SAG jobs”.
“There are no more SAG jobs”.
And with that, he excused himself. While watching him make his way toward the dais, I turned to the member standing next to me, who witnessed the entire exchange — and both of us blurted out the only word either one of us could utter – “Wow”.
Considering that the tone of that May 2011 meeting was one of “We just don’t know yet” or “We don’t have the answers yet”, Mr. Howard’s response to my question is even more startling because it was so definitive, so crystal clear and so matter-of-fact — basically, you’re out of luck, we can’t protect you, we won’t protect you, get used to it, move on.
What the president of the Screen Actors Guild was not, in that private moment, was reassuring. He was blatantly dismissive of a nervous constituent’s fear for his future – a future that was all but assured until the bottom dropped out of SAG-covered television two years ago. And he was utterly insensitive to that so-called “five per cent“ — the untold number of members so painfully close to eligibility — whose lives will forever be up-ended if their ability to qualify for medical coverage upon retirement, let alone a fully-vested SAG pension, is derailed.
Eighteen consecutive pension credits, two away from the lofty goal of lifetime medical — always working, always pushing, always blessed, eighteen consecutive years of always crossing the threshold — and now — political infighting, jurisdictional one-upmanship, bargaining lines in the sand and economic storms aside, the last two years of my work life have vaporized – and the president of my union tells me: Sorry, my future is toast.
Or Vice-President Ned Vaughn — when pressed by the members that Tuesday night with the very issue of pension and health time and time again – admonished them for “beating a dead horse” — and suggested that the 20-year lifetime medical qualification may no longer exist when all is said and done.
And honestly, after listening to what my leaders said this past Tuesday both in public and in private, to the members and to the member that is me — all I can say is – “Wow”.
So now consider this: Would you vote for the merger of two unions when the leaders of those unions will only provide you with the critical details of the viability of your pension and health plans — your future and the future of your families — AFTER they merge – not before — and would you seriously vote for that merger when the president of your union tells you to your face that your vested service to the union will “fall through the cracks”?
Just consider it……..