Comments (15)

• This is how you judge a celebrity’s honesty…

  There’s very little in this current contract that affects Marty Sheen, yet he fought against it vigorously. Same if SAG were to merge with AFTRA – nothing in it for him one way or the other. His legacy (and wealth) is already accumulated (and growing, I might add). As is Ed Harris’, and the other outspoken celebrity supporters of Anne Marie Johnson and the Membership First slate of board members, most all of whom were against this contract ratification. He has nothing to gain financially or career-wise by getting deeper involved in SAG politics and publicly supporting less-popular choices. Why would he do something like that?

  He does it because it’s the right thing to do.

  The producer/actors who support U4S all have financial and career interests in having the contract passed (which it did) and for making sure that U4S merges with AFTRA, limits members’ voting privileges and continues compliance with management – all great things if you’re a producer.

  Listening to advice from anyone begs two questions: why are they telling me this, and what’s in it for them? Think about that while you listen to all of Anne Marie’s vids, as well as Ken Howard’s.

  “Why are they telling me this, and what’s in it for them?”

  Comment by Gary A — September 9, 2009 @ 11:49 pm  Reply to this post

• Martin Sheen is a true Unionist and an actor’s actor. Tom Hanks is more of a producer than an actor. So, why would any SAG Member listen to anything Hanks has to say about the Guild?

  Comment by Bezalel — September 10, 2009 @ 12:10 am  Reply to this post

• Martin Sheen needs a fact-checker. He says, “Membership First was directly involved with the successful negotiation of 6 out of the 8 SAG contracts since 2006.”

  FACT: Since May 2006, here’s how many SAG contracts were successfully negotiated by Membership First and their handpicked negotiator Doug Allen (hired 1/07): ZERO

  FACT: Since January of this year – when Unite for Strength took control, firing Doug Allen and replacing him with David White as Executive Director and John McGuire as Chief Negotiator – here’s how many SAG contracts have been successfully negotiated: SIX

  I suppose in Membership First’s fact-challenged world, that timing is just a coincidence.

  Comment by JB — September 10, 2009 @ 12:13 am  Reply to this post

  • JB,
    Don’t you mean “HANDS TIED” negotiator? Because that’s what the U4S team did… they tied the hands of the man who was handpicked to stand up to the producers because he wouldn’t roll over and take their crap like John McLiar, er McGuire does and has done for 4 contracts.
    Honestly, how do you expect to bring about change for the better when Ken Howard and U4S are asking us to make peace now and deal with the contractual inequities later? Do you know the definition of insanity? It’s doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Can you say CABLE CONTRACT? Two words for you JB… Membership First

    Comment by mgreyman — September 10, 2009 @ 12:18 pm  Reply to this post

• Dear fellow SAG Members

  I’m Marcus Lindsey (SAG Hollywood/National board candidate): Ballot #77

  Here are the facts:

  Membership First vs. U4F

  MembershipFirst
  Inclusion:
  M1st fought for a better TV/Theatrical contract for the Members. We faced hurdles like the WGA strike, AFTRA ‘s going on their own and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. But we heard you and have begun preparing for 2011 NOW!

  Unite 4 Strength
  Exclusion:
  They pushed for (and they are taking credit for) the worst TV/Theatrical contract in SAG history. U4S promised you that if you voted “yes” you’d get “Back to work.” Well, are you back to work?

  MembershipFirst
  Successes:
  Led the Commercial Contract negotiations and Basic Cable Animation Negotiations to successful conclusions. Negotiated the 2006 Basic Cable Contract and achieved an increase in residuals for the first time in 17 years.

  Unite 4 Strength
  Fair Weather Friends:
  Aligned themselves with Producers/Celebs who didn’t support actors when we most needed them. They are more concerned with the health of AFTRA than they are for SAG.

  MembershipFirst
  Solidarity:
  For the first time in SAG history we opened up the Hollywood Board room to allow members at large to attend regularly for greater transparency and inclusion.

  Unite 4 Strength
  Elitist:
  U4S only tells you what they want you to know. Remember the SAG sanctioned email they sent out accusing those who were against the 2009 contract as “trying to bring your union down” and “tricking you.” Ken Howard, Amy Aquino and U4S want to take away your right to vote: they support “Qualified Voting.”

  MembershipFirst
  Dedication:
  M1st Board members show up for meetings and events. Presidential Candidate Anne-Marie Johnson has attended 100% of the last 19 Board meetings. Our attendance record speaks for itself.

  Unite 4 Strength
  Too Busy:
  Presidential Candidate Ken Howard has only attended 5 out of the last 19 SAG Board meetings since he was elected.

  YOU DESERVE MORE

  The Big One:
  U4S says “merger at all costs” is the answer, but they haven’t done their homework and they have no plan. When one pension and health plan merges with a poorly funded one, the healthy one suffers and YOUR BENEFITS ARE DIMINISHED! That’s a fact. Can you afford to gamble your future away?

  U4S HAS NO PLAN!

  MEMBERSHIPFIRST HAS A PLAN
  For more information regarding our 33 Candidates and our “Shared Services” Plan go to “http://www.membershipfirst.com” or http://www.membershipfirst.com for details.

  Ballots must be received by September 24

  In Solidarity,

  Marcus Lindsey

  Comment by Marcus Lindsey — September 10, 2009 @ 9:26 am  Reply to this post

• frankly, after actors continually shut this town DOWN with their lame brain strike antics,
  it galls me beyond believe to see this much continuing coverage.
  it only feed their obscene egos.

  Comment by alec rand — September 10, 2009 @ 12:30 pm  Reply to this post

• JB,

  FACT: UFS accepted six contracts from the AMPTP if anything. They didn’t vote for them, not did they negotiate for them. They took em. And half if them they did not even want send out to the biters to ratify. And that’s who u want leading ur Union?

  Comment by Member — September 10, 2009 @ 12:40 pm  Reply to this post

• Marcus,

  You state U4S said “merger at all costs.”

  I can’t find the source of this quote.

  Can you tell me who said it and when?

  You wouldn’t have made this “quote” up to overstate your case, would you? I mean, you’re running for office and we all know candidates never exaggerate, right?

  Thanks,

  Puzzled

  Comment by Puzzled — September 10, 2009 @ 1:42 pm  Reply to this post

• And the drama that is SAG never ends…

  “Dare to be wrong and to dream.”
  - Friedrich von Schiller

  Comment by HelenofPeel — September 10, 2009 @ 1:42 pm  Reply to this post

• Sorry, Marty.

  That is bilge, delivered badly.

  God – what this has descended to.

  Enough, already.

  Comment by truthteller — September 10, 2009 @ 7:42 pm  Reply to this post

• I believe “PUZZLED” is Fred Wilhelms, one of the stalwart posters over at SAGWATCH.
  He admitted that he posts here under that pseudonym.
  He’s an entertainment lawyer in Nashville.
  He feels, since he derives some of his income from actors, that he should have a say
  in how the members of the Screen Actors Guild conduct their business.
  That would be like me saying:
  “since my work as an actor would be adversely affected
  if the Teamsters should ever need to go on strike,
  then I should have a say in the Teamster’s business.”
  The Teamsters would probably tell me to go fuck myself,
  and they’d be right.
  I encourage all actors to disregard all posts by Fred W. / PUZZLED.
  He doesn’t earn his living as an actor,
  yet he posts incessantly on all things SAG.
  This is actor’s business and needs to be settled by us.
  Look at all the videos from both sides,
  read all the material you can get ahold of, and make up your own mind.
  Vote your conscience, BUT VOTE.
  Obviously, I’m going to encourage you to vote for Anne-Marie Johnson, Connie Stevens,
  and the entire Membership First Slate.
  But, whichever side speaks to you, YOU MUST VOTE.
  YOU MUST TAKE PART IN SHAPING YOUR UNION’S FUTURE.

  Comment by Alan Ruck — September 10, 2009 @ 11:51 pm  Reply to this post

• Puzzled -

  If you go to Unite for Strength’s website and look for details on what they would like a SAG/AFTRA merger to look like, well, there are none.

  And if you, while on this website, decide maybe you’d like to ask them what they think a merger should look like, well, good luck. No contact link is provided, and comments are disabled. It’s no coincidence comments are disabled on all of the Youtube videos submitted by Unite for Strength candidates and supporters, either.

  It’s not as if U4S simply neglected to check the right box on Youtube, or their XML code monkeys who did their website goofed. The default on Youtube when you submit a video is for comments to be OPEN. They clicked an extra box to close them when they submitted. With most blogging software and sites, open comments are either the default or they are quite easy to set up and monitor. IOW, U4S wants you to vote the way producer Tom Hanks wants you to vote and STFU.

  BTW, if you click on the Youtube link for Martin Sheen’s video above, you will see that not only are comments open, but commenters have actually posted.

  So, not only does Martin Sheen correctly call out Ken Howard for total inexperience in SAG contract negotiation and an attendance percentage record – under 50% – that would earn him a FAIL in a ninth-grade English class, but Sheen and Membership First are open to listening to actors and others who wish to comment. M1st isn’t afraid of feedback. M1st isn’t afraid of the truth.

  Comment by Michael Heister — September 11, 2009 @ 1:02 am  Reply to this post

• Membership First’s heart is in the right place…but man-o-man, cannot negotiate jack sh#t. They are singularly responsible for the loss of millions with their prolonged, ham-fisted commercial strike back in 2000. They successfully changed the industry…for the worse. And forever. Gee, thanks!

  Comment by residual whore — September 11, 2009 @ 7:51 am  Reply to this post

• Over on SAGWATCH, Ned Vaughn took the opportunity of the recent report
  by the SAG Pension and health Trustees to push the Unite for strength agenda for merger.
  He cites the increase in health premiums and the decrease in accrual rate for pension
  as reasons to “unite” with AFTRA, unite being code for “merge”.
  Well, AFTRA made adjustments to their pension and health plans, too.
  And there is nothing to indicate that a merger of our two unions would stabilize
  our health care premiums or our qualifiers for pension credits.
  The premiums could certainly go higher and the requirements for pension credits
  could increase as well
  Listen, I hear Ned when he says that he needs SAG coverage to provide health care for his kids.
  Me too.
  I want everyone to be covered,
  and if President Obama prevails in any fashion in D.C.,
  there will be a start down the road toward universal health care.
  If it doesn’t happen quickly enough in D.C., it may happen at the state level.
  Here in California, my friend Elliot Gould is backing a plan called
  California One Care, in which a single payer system would be instituted
  with the state, basically, becoming the insurance company.
  And I know some will say, that’s all well and good, but I need coverage now!
  But you’re going to have a hard time qualifying for coverage no matter if we merge or not,
  if we keep ratifying harmful one-sided contracts like the recent TV/Theatrical mess.
  Ned says merging with AFTRA will increase our bargaining power.
  How?
  In a merged mega-union, broadcasters, gameshow hosts, radio personalities and so forth
  would be required by law to honor their contracts if the actors should choose to go on strike.
  There are laws against sympathy strikes, so all of us being in one big union
  brings nothing to the bargaining table in terms of leverage for actors.
  One way to increase our leverage right now is to agree to bargain JOINTLY.
  Let’s get back to Phase One.
  TV/Theatrical, Commercials and Cable should all be done jointly.
  Let’s start a Shared Services plan and reduce financial redundancies in both unions.
  Let’s take these steps right now
  and then let’s start the merger discussions and debate from a place of calm and focus.
  The days of let’s just merge and figure out later are gone.
  AFTRA isn’t interested in discussing merger right now anyway.
  Roberta Reardon said she would be interested in a merger under certain conditions
  but wouldn’t consider it before the preliminary TV/Theatrical talks
  with the AMPTP in October of 2010.
  I’m an AFTRA board member as well as SAG, by the way.
  The way to “unite” with AFTRA right now
  is through joint negotiations and a Shared Service Plan.
  Plans of merger deserve a thorough and methodical analysis,
  not a fearful, Chicken Little “OH NO THE SKY IS FALLING! LET’S MERGE!” approach.
  Please vote for Membership First,
  but no matter who you vote for, VOTE.

  Comment by Alan Ruck — September 11, 2009 @ 3:44 pm  Reply to this post

• Do you have a question or comment for Anne-Marie Johnson?

  You can send a question or comment here and she will answer LIVE in a FREE conference call THIS Saturday:

  YOU ARE INVITED to JOIN SAG Presidential Candidate Anne-Marie Johnson in a FREE, LIVE, NATIONAL phone conference THIS coming SATURDAY, September 12th.

  CALL-IN TIME for your zone in the USA:

  1pm——–EASTERN TIME (New York)
  12pm——–CENTRAL TIME
  11am——–MOUNTAIN TIME
  10am——–PACIFIC TIME (California)

  (Hawaii and Alaska members: please call in at YOUR appropriate times as they relate to times above)

  SEND questions and comments for
  Anne-Marie Johnson to answer to:

  SolidarityAndGainsNOW@yahoo.com

  EVERY question and comment will be answered!

  CALL IN NUMBER:

  218-862-1000

  PARTICIPANT ACCESS CODE:

  961283#

  (We are organizing this teleconference call on the weekend so peoples’ FREE minutes on their cellphones may apply!)

  NOT PAID FOR WITH ANY SAG FUNDS

  Comment by Marcus Lindsey — September 12, 2009 @ 7:08 am  Reply to this post