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First reports reaching me after SAG's NYC Town Hall meeting tonight are that it consisted of the NY Division led by Sam Freed blasting SAG president Alan Rosenberg and executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen. There were calls for both Rosenberg and Allen to resign. Alec Baldwin demanded that the current SAG negotiating committee voluntarily step down and allow new people to serve on the panel. And NY Division members sounded off against holding the Strike Authorization Vote and in favor of accepting the AMPTP's June 30th "last" contract offer as is without further bargaining. "The sense of the meeting was that 'the deal doesn't look so bad'. And 'the economy is terrible right now'. And 'this is all SAG's fault because the leaders didn't merge with AFTRA'," one attendee told me. "Because 'New Media isn't that important right now" and "in three years when all the unions are united we'll be able to make up what we've lost' on an assumption that IATSE, AFTRA, the DGA, WGA, and SAG 'can all get together as one'. "
Said the source about what the majority of the speakers said, "This is such a horrible deal, but everyone else has taken it so we need to take it. And we know the economy will be better in three years."
The NYC Town Hall was held in an even smaller venue than last week's LA Town Hall; an estimated 250 to 300 people packed into the Westin Hotel. Again and again, the anti-SAG leadership statements were followed by applause.
I understand that SAG leaders had expected the "vocal and brutal" tone of the meeting. But they couldn't respond fully to the accusations made against them because they were only given 2-minutes apiece to speak when questioned. Instead, Freed and the other NY Division members had unlimited time to state their case and speak their mind. "Basically anyone could say anything in any manner," one attendee told me afterwards. "It was honest to the point of disrespectful." Rosenberg and Allen were called, among other things, "liars", "deceptors", "inepts", "AFTRA bashers", "Hollywood centrics", and "insensitive to concerns of NY brethren". Freed specifically criticized and questioned the integrity and authenticity of Rosenberg and Allen.
When it was over, some members came up to the SAG leaders and apologized for the tone of the meeting. But the result was that the meeting succeeded in delivering a verbal thrashing to Rosenberg and Allen -- as expected. "There was a lot of hate in that room, so much hate not seen in a long, long time," one attendee told me. "There are huge philsophical differences between members across the country and between the NY and Hollywood divisions. This is historic. This is nothing new."
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SAG EAST = AFTRA
The New York National Board members voted in favor of sending out a Strike Authorization vote. This contract negotiation is not about the next few months… it’s about the next few years. The economy will go up and down in that time. Why should our contract suffer because this month things are rough in the broader economy?
If these people don’t like SAG, let them form their own union. SAG West would have about 65% of the work and would be viable on their own. Let NY have the crappy contract and be hobby players. We want careers here in Los Angeles, so we’ll fight for something better to give ourselves a shot at a viable future in this business.
I am ashamed of SAG East. A lousy deal is a lousy deal. Who says the economy will be better in three years? If everyone else is drinking cynaide Kool-Aid, does that mean everyone else should drink it too? What a bunch of fooking woosies. Alec Baldwin could give a shit, he’s already made his millions.
This is disgusting. I’m a member of AFTRA – not DGA or WGA or even SAG for that matter – but in what UNIVERSE is the AFTRA deal a “horrible deal”!?!? 3.5%, 3%, and 3.5% increases (my husband got NO raise this year!!!), an increase in health and pension, an increase in major role, JURISDICTION in new media, RESIDUALS for for ad-supported product in new media, a “covered performer” provision to trigger automatic coverage for new media productions no matter the budget, improvements AND pay increases for background actors including rest provisions and increased number of covered background actors), overtime increases, increased hazard pay for dancers, overtime increases, etc., etc., etc. LOOK AT YOUR AFTRA RATIFICATION MATERIALS PEOPLE! We’d be turning CARTWHEELS any year this contract was bargained for actors, I just cannot believe we are actually COMPLAINING about it!!!! Get real, folks. And as for merger? FORGET IT. I’d NEVER vote to merge with SAG. They’d be lucky to merge with MY union, AFTRA.
Finally!!!! Sane voices speak the truth. Our (SAG’s) fight is NOT against AMPTP. It’s against AFTRA who is taking all of our TV work—first cable, then the CW, now moving into network TV. If SAG strikes, we’ll lose every TV show within 6 years! WAKE UP PEOPLE!
We stood hip-to-hip with the WGA and said their fight was our fight, their struggle was our struggle, their negotiations were our negotiations, and their strike was our strike!!!! Well, now, their deal is OUR deal!!! We’ll make it up in two years when WE negotiate first! Next time, WGA and DGA wait on us!
MAKE THE DEAL and stop threatening to hurt so many people–and straighten things out with AFTRA so we stand as one so they don’t undercut us. And Rosenberg and Allen–stop lying about the AMPTP offer points. If you have to lie and exaggerate, then you’re already admitting how wrong you are! MAKE THE DEAL NOW! I want my raIse that was due in July! THAT’S real money! Not the silly 1% DVD increase (pennies) and the internet BS (three companies have already laid off about 1/3 of their employees). It is NOT profitable yet! STOP LYING!
MAKE THE DEAL NOW! NO STRIKE AUTHORIZATION!
Time to split. Go join AFTRA, New York.
You reap what you sow.
Unfortunately the AMPTP will delight in this. It’s too bad the SAG east coasters can’t stomach the economic truth that if they don’t stand up now, their union will go the way of the UAW. It’s a sad day for unions in general.
apparently, one young, internet savvy, fellow was allowed to speak at the end of the meeting and proceeded to explain how all of the
technology to make the internet THE delivery system is wildly close to
being fully operational and that it was his opinion that the AMPTP
is taking us to the cleaners.
there were people with legitimate beefs about how they could lose their homes if we strike, how they might be irreparably damaged if we strike.
i don’t have any problem with actors in New York.
i want nothing but the best for them.
i do have a huge problem with the poisonous NY leadership.
even if we did get 75% of the voting members to authorize a strike,
it would have to be approved BY THE NATIONAL BOARD.
and the national board is controlled by MASUR, NY, the RBD, and U4S. rosenberg and allen wouldn’t be able to implement the strike
without the approval of the board, but masur and the gang don’t want it to come to that. if by some miracle we got the 75%, then they would have to make a decison: implement the strike, which goes against all of their plans, or deny the will of the membership and expose themselves for who they are.
they have cobbled together a national quit of fear.
people in the RBD will do anything to avoid a work stoppage.
it’s hard to put together a living in the regions, so they get scared.
even if some of the folks are big fish in small ponds,
small ponds have a nasty habit of drying up.
NY leadership’s agenda seems to be the diminishment of
Hollywood’s power. In so doing, they diminish all of us.
Some folks say things will be better, economically speaking,
in 3 years. Really? Do they have crystal balls?
Were things better in 1932 than they were in 1929?
No. They were somewhat worse.
President Obama says it’s going to be very hard.
We’ll be paying for the past 8 years for decades to come.
I’m truly sorry if some actors will lose their homes if we strike.
But the truth is, they just might lose them whether we strike or not.
I am so sad about all this. I have been on the Board for 2 years and currently serve on many committees including the negotiating committee. Doug Allan is the most diplomatic, mature leaders I have ever met. Alan Rosenberg has given his heart, soul, and guts into fighting to maintain the union protections for all SAG members.
I know what this proposed AMPTP deal looks like. In New Media it’s equal only to giving up ALL the protections and basic rates you’ve taken for granted with the sole exception of the pension & health contribution. You will NEVER get those protections back. Many, Many SAG members before us sacrificed to get us those gains and now we are on the brink of giving them up—FOR NOTHING.
There is no Quid Pro Quo here. The AMPTP is not offering us anything in exchange. You would give up everything you have had under a SAG contract FOR NOTHING.
And non-union work with SAG’s permission under 15k a minute? (This is a half hour program for $450,000-pretty easy) Do you understand how easy it is to present just about ANY budgeted project as an “under 15k a minute” project when promotion, advertising, studio overhead, etc is NOT included in that total?
You WILL see an incredible amount of non-union work if you do not give the negotiating committee some leverage by giving the strike authorization.
Some say they don’t want a work stoppage because they can’t afford it. I say no actor can afford to give up the union protections and basic rates and residuals. How does it serve us if we work uninterrupted, but our pay is cut to a less than a tenth of broadcast minimums when doing New Media? (I’m talking of course about the State labor minimums that will become your new “top of show”.)
If you think this is a deal you can make a living on, then don’t give us any leverage. Vote no on the strike authorization.
But if you can hear what I’m saying and look just a little bit into your future and into the future of younger actors, PLEASE vote YES for the strike authorization and give us the leverage to at least get union coverage and some kind of residual structure.
If you don’t let the Union fight for you and maintain basic protections and basic compensations for you then why do you belong to a union at all?
Forget about it, Jake, its New York!
And the whole tone of this article once again tries to paint NY sag as 2nd class, less than real “Hollywood” SAG mambers, and that is what is disgusting. Alan and his team have royally screwed the pooch and NY had the balls to call them out for it – good on them! What’s wrong with replacing a failed neg team really?
At what point do people decide that Alan just isn’t a good leader. Regardless of whether he is right or wrong on this contract he has abysmally failed at leadership.
He deepened the rift with AFTRA, he deepened the rift between SAG East & West, his leadership led to a chunk of his board being replaced by a competing slate. Most importantly, he’s had YEARS to make progress on the new contract and has accomplished little to nothing. He’s spent hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars doing everything from fighting other unions to getting people to sign postcards saying they believe in him. And finally he can’t even get his own membership to a (mostly) consensus on whether or not to walk out.
But at the end of the day is this leadership? A leader should have vision. A leader should inspire. A leader should steer a ship through rocky waters. Is it perhaps time to think about another leader for EVERYONE’s sake?
What Really Happened Tonight
Westin Hotel Ballroom packed – many members standing – I counted 300. Could be more, but not less. I kept looking for Security to ascertain the capacity allowed and could not find them. NY President Sam Freed chaired the meeting. Started at 6:10. It was agreed that all speakers would stay to the 2-minute clock.
Prior to the powerpoint presentation by Doug Allen and Alan Rosenberg, Rosenberg said that we were “here to talk a vote for a strike” and then “corrected” himself by saying “that is, a strike authorization vote.” He then recited a short history of strike authorization votes that did nnot turn into a strike, including a recent Canadian actors’ contract. Blames the WGA and DGA for not asking about internet in their negotiations (skipping AFTRA) and says that “only SAG” asked about the internet. Rosenberg warns how the Commercial and Basic Cable contracts will be injeopardy if we do not approve a strike authorization. Slams New York by saying everyone agreed not to speak against the strike authorization in October.
Doug Allen says the SAG handout in the room describes the impact of a “Vote No…uh…Yes Vote” and how the present economic environment puts pressure on both the multi-national conglomerates and the average actor. He goes on about how “our talks were interrupted by AFTRA” and never mentions that AFTRA went first and then stepped aside for weeks to allow SAG to negotiate. For the second time in the evening, Doug Allen says that a SAG strike “would not shut the industry down” – as though that did not vitiate the power of a strike. Attacks “pattern bargaining.” Admits that AFTRA has a better deal than SAG has been able to negotiate so far.
Doug and Alan say that a Yes Vote for a strike authorization is necessary to plac “faith and confidence in your leadership and empower your negotiating team.” They finally get to the end of the powerpoint.
Prior to Q&A, there is a motion from the floor to extend equal speaking time by Board members and Negotiating Committee members in order to balance the 30-40 minutes that Doug and Alan have used to present their case. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously by the members present. All speakers were held to the rules of the motions passed, and allowed 35 members to speak from the floor. The meeting was extended for one hour.
Here are some key moments:
Allen and Rosenberg denied that an offer was made to drop New Media for an increase in DVD residual payments.
Doug Allen said – in case of a strike – a National Board strike rule could be passed that prevented any SAG members from working in any “new” AFTRA productions.
Both of them kept referencing Canadian unions in order to make points about success of strikes.
Alan Rosenberg said something I found curious: “If you vote yes or no on this, I won’t care at the end of the day.”
Several speakers lit into Rosenberg and Allen for dividing SAG/AFTRA unity and their obvious incompetence as negotiators. And if they were so assured by the rightness of their cause – why the extended extra educational efforts? That they had “no faith and no confidence in your leadership.” Why did they work so hard to sever SAG’s relationship with AFTRA? Why should they vote for a strike authorization when you cannot stop work going to AFTRA – as it is now. You call everyone who disagrees with you wrong, misinformed.
Several speakers spoke in support of Alan and Doug. In particular they mentioned that TV was NOT the future, but the internet WAS. No one refuted that. What was mentioned that that revolution is in the future, when these issues can be negotiated with more knowledge.
At one point, Alan Rosenberg lost his temper after a speaker from the floor suggested that both he and Doug Allen had nothing to worry about – that their incomes were safe from any strike. Rosenberg bristled when the speaker explained “your household income.” Rosenberg blew, stormed off of the dais, began to leave the meeting, and then turned and threateningly charged the speaker, screaming: “What do you know about my household income?!!!” He then turned and left the room for a short time before returning.
Speakers on both sides of the issues spoke. None were shouted down. Everyone got their say.
Alec Baldwin pointed out that there were issues worth negotiating, but that the negotiating team had failed, and that SAG needs a new Negotiating Committee. He was followed by John Rothman who agreed with what he said (even though Rothman is on the Negotiating Committee) and said we are now a house divided but in three years we can be united, we’ll merge, and settle New Media. That elicited the one long spontaneous standing ovation of the evening.
One interesting point that was made, after Doug Allen said the “Sunset Clause” was worth nothing and DVDs are proof of it – it was pointed out that there was never a “Sunset Clause” pertaining to DVDs.
Alan Rosenberg said something interesting. While the issue of SAG/AFTRA merger was being discussed Alan Rosenberg said: “Hopefully we’ll be all merged in a couple years.”
Matthew Modine was there, as was Stephen Lang, Alec Baldwin, and Meryl Streep.
One of our favorites, Matt Mulhern, was present. He sat next to Anne Marie Johnson all night, in the front row. Neither spoke. Except Matt did scream out “That’s the smartest thing that’s been said all night!” After a young actor, toward the end, said all young people were now watching everything on their computers and not on television.
Want to know why the producers are going to win this thing? The fighting with AFTRA, the in fighting in SAG, the right hand is not supporting the left. The SAG leadership is so involved with trying to be heros, they aren’t seeing the forest for the trees. SAG is imploding, and for that reason alone, if they go on strike, it will signify the end to the guild. If you guys don’t start supporting each other, and don’t keep your petty arguments out of the press, the AMPTP know they just have to squeeze just a little bit harder, to make you cave. Settle your differences first and then hit them hard! It’s the only way you’re going to get the contract you’re fighting for. Unfortunately, right now I don’t see that as an accomplishable mission.
As an active and employed WGA member, I remain APPALLED by the actions of SAG East. Do they really think AMPTE will bend over in three years?
Sure – just like they did when they promised everyone increased homevideo residuals years ago. Remember that? Still waiting on it, aren’t you?
WAKE UP SAG!
NOW IS THE TIME TO STRIKE!
Riiiggghhhtttt… in three years the WGA will be willing to go on strike again.
Have any of these East coast fire breathing SAG members asked WGA members if writers are up for another strike in three years. Doubt it.
I’m sure there are some writers out there who would go on strike, but I haven’t met one. Nor talking to writers have I picked up feeling that anybody in the WGA is up for another strike.
So in three years, when these East coasters up throwing together picket signs and singing kum-ba-ya on the strike line, we writers will be writing scripts that will be shoot under AFTRA contracts.
For the last time.
If all the unions don’t get together, we are all finished.
Why do you think our government have $700 billion without any scrutiny to Wall St but id raking the Big Three over the rails?
They want to break the UAW. It just came out in the Senate. they want American workers to make what they do in Korea.
A SAG strike will be irrelevant if we do not band together.
And SAG members don’t listen to anyone posting as a WGA member. We already saw how smarts they were and how they caved and fucked us all.
THE PRODUCERS ARE LOOKING TO BREAK THE UNION AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE SUCCEEDING!
I read things like “I am appalled” and “A house divided”. People this is big important shit!!!!! If we need to debate it in public like this so be it. I for one am so happy that this conversation is happening. People are actually letting there feelings, Knowledge, hopes, Fears and questions come out. because of this dialogue we will be more informed and possibly find a creative new way out of this, but only if we are not afraid to be bold and be wrong. ……. Bold enough to admit when we are wrong.(both sides), bold enough to care about the big picture and not just ourselves. Bold enough to not bye into the fear.
Time will tell.
When we say “Fuck them” to either coast or either union (SAG/AFTRA)
We say “Fuck You” to ourselves.
So “Fuck Me” I’m gonna get all the facts and make my own decision.
A question, not a comment. A number of people are criticizing Rosenberg for not being a good negotiator. Can someone elaborate? Are the people who say that (like Baldwin) implying that a better negotiator would have gotten the new media jurisdiction and residuals that Rosenberg has not or are they saying that a good negotiator would have just accepted the deal the AMPTP put out there in the summer?
Do the SAG folks who want a new negotiating committee expect that committee to deliver these points Rosenberg et. al. are holding out for or do they feel that what the AMPTP offered was the best deal SAG will ever get?
To someone TRYING to follow this soap opera it would help to hear some opinions on this. It’s very hard to really get to what the bottom line is in this intra-union dispute? Is it that New York wants to fight HARDER for new media jurisdiction and residuals or wants to GIVE IN to the AMPTP on these issues?
Finally, are the stars opposed to the strike authorization essentially saying, “This is not the way to get abetter deal re: new media jurisdiction and residuals” or are they saying, “Hey, you day players. Just forget it. You’re never going to get a better deal so shut up and let me keep collecting my 8-figure paydays”?
Can Nikki or one of her readers maybe spell some of this out so it makes sense to someone who’s not in SAG?
Et tu, Baldwin?
Mr. Rosenberg – ignore those cowards who are too scared to do what needs to be done. This fight is the right one at the right time. Do not back down.
The funniest line of the night was when it was proposed to wait three years to see how new media turns out and then make a deal with the studios. Because of course, once the business model is written and huge profits are coming in for the studios (without having to pay residuals anymore, why wouldn’t they be) they’re suddenly going to be open to renegotiating.
Hilarious!
Like lemmngs to the cliff, the pro-strike faction goes, with AFTRA waiting below to eat what crumbs are left if a strike happens.
Here’s my New York take on it.
1. If we were able to stand w/AFTRA we might have gotten a better deal.
HOWEVER, Doug Allen and Alan Rosenberg started on a course to alienate AFTRA about a year ago. First was that email/letter/article that Doug Allen wrote saying how horrible AFTRA was. I emailed him telling him, maybe it was only in New York, but my experience was that I made SAG wages/rules on AFTRA shows and AFTRA wages/rules on SAG shows, so I didn’t understand what he was saying. Yes, yes, Pension and Health. Well for the first time I’ve qualified for Pension and Health this year, it’s hard to do so in New York (we don’t have the productions, obviously, that LA has). I got no response from him.
That didn’t work, so a few months later was the block voting issue.
That didn’t work and we had the Bold and the Beautiful issue and rightly so AFTRA said “Enough!”
So AFTRA negotiated their contract on their own, which is better, by the way, than the one the APMPT is offering us. Why do you think?
2. If we were going to strike we should have done it this summer. In New York, anyway, we have in essense been in a strike environment. No films of any substance have been shot here since June. Which is why we are furious. I’m wondering if LA has been just peachy w/productions. Is that why no one cares if there’s a strike?
3. To keep saying a vote for strike authorization is not a strike vote sounds WAY to close to a vote for giving the president authorization to go to war is not a war vote. We all know what happened there.
4. When Alan Rosenberg stalked up to the poor man at the microphone and almost decked him, then stormed out, I understood why these negotiations went no where. This man is not anywhere near mature enough to negotiate a side walk in New York, let alone such an important contract. He made faces at what the actor/questioners said all night. What surprised me was I for some reason expected this kind of behavior from Doug Allen. He was quite level headed and I will give him that. Or even Alec Baldwin who was very eloquent and took only his two minutes.
5. Rosenberg made if very clear what he thought of New York actors vs. Hollywood actors at the end of the meeting. And it was just as I suspected. We are looked down upon, but we are just as much actors as those in Hollywood.
We are divided it is clear and I think the APMPT knew this and was playing those two to widen the divide. They must be howling with laughter. I don’t know who is going to bring us together, I pray one day someone will come along who is able to do it.
GLAD to hear that people are finally being realistic
and realize that a strike is just out of the question!
Stop the nonsense and let’s all move on and keep working.
First of all, thank you Justine Bateman for at least putting your name on your post and stating what you believe. Big props to you for not being yet another anonymous voice in the chorus.
My day job is working for a studio now, but i’ve been a working member of both SAG and WGA and have benefited from the work actions, negotiations and sacrifices of union members and leaders who came before me. I have nothing but respect for all my current SAG brothers and sisters.
That said, from where I sit, there is nothing left to do here but sign a shitty contract. Negotiations were not handled well. If SAG was going to strike, we should have done it with the WGA. There’s absolutely NO leverage now. If the authorization vote passes and SAG goes on strike, who in the community or in the world will support us? The studios will keep us out a minimum of 101 days before they even sit down. At the end of the day, they’ll offer us a worse deal than before because the economy will be in full-blown recession and the studios can point to the fact that they’ve laid off 10-20% of their own workforce as proof that they’ve got nothing left to give. Should authorization fail, look for the smug studio mofo’s to come back to us with a WORSE take-it-or-leave-it deal as they’ll know that we’ve lost whatever leverage we had and we are clearly a house divided.
The whispering in the hallways is that the studios believe that this is a time to break SAG. AFTRA is getting more and more shows. Stars are clashing with other working actors and working actors are clashing with those who have their SAG cards but who haven’t worked in years (or at all) and still have a say in a strike. We can’t win this one. It’s only a matter of how badly we lose and how long it takes us to do so.
It’s a crappy deal, but we have to live to fight another day. If we spend the next 2 years getting our shit together and teaming up with other unions, at least we’ll have some bite to back up our bark.
Again, many props to those of you rightfully outraged by the current offer who are speaking your mind and fighting the good fight. I wish it mattered more. But at this point, i honestly don’t see how it could.
I’d like to first thank Tom Ligon for actually accurately describing the extent of my contribution last night. After a young man, I did not get his name, was allowed to speak after waiting patiently for well over an hour on line (can we get some other system than people waiting on line for 1 to 2 hours to speak? Perhaps an audience divided roughly into four sections with raised hands, one section at a time, say half-hour each section?) Anyhooo, this young dude, after some of the most woeful bloviating and jaw-dropping disrespect for two human beings, let alone the elected president of our union, Alan Rosenberg, and the National Executive Director, Doug Allen, I’ve ever witnessed, this kid basically turned around and schooled a roomful of almost entirely middle-aged to quite elderly people, on, the news. I wish I had it verbatim, but it was a blast of information regarding already existing technologies and soon to be implemented ones that render almost everything said by the long gray line, including, of course, the oracle from Long Island, Alec Baldwin, totally beside the point. To me it was THE moment of the night, much more important than all the endless stating of the obvious “the economy is bad,” “striking will adversely impact working actors,” all of which fell into my category of “if we go to war, you know, someone could get shot” logic. Then there was the “stand at the mike and tell Alan Rosenberg and Doug Allen they were incompetent fools (one guy’s exact words) and should be replaced.” This was the thrust of Baldwin’s smoky-voiced insight. The guy behind Baldwin, whose name I also missed, but recognized his face, delivered a notes-aided diatribe about… something, which ended with the crescendo “and in three years we will merge with AFTRA and blah, blah BLAH!!” which produced a thunderous round of applause. Of course, the reality that we will not be merging with AFTRA by 2011 was secondary to the general “Friday Night Light’s” rah-rah of the moment, but nonetheless, it was an admirable crescendo. If I had been willing to stand on the line that went out the back wall and ended on the Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel, I would have said something along the lines of “give me one example of where you get the fucking balls to speak so disrespectfully to these two guys who have been working their asses off on YOUR behalf you fucking morons.” Not Alec Baldwin, of course, or even Meryl Streep, two people who could buy Connecticut, who were there for whatever reasons they were there for. It certainly wasn’t the stark reality facing the middle-class actor, which is – if this contract passes, we’re fucked. The two of them will be just fine. As to the screaming idiot who flung “your family situation” in Alan Rosenberg’s face, as to why Rosenberg doesn’t have to worry about a strike – he deserved what he got. Vilification – even from his own NY screamers, and one fucking-A pissed off Rosenberg, who asked him from the dais “what do you know about my family situation?” before leaving the dais to calm down outside the ballroom, then re-entering and approaching said idiot asking (NOT “screaming” as Ligon says – that is a lie) “what do you know about my family situation?” before the situation calmed enough for Alan to retake his seat on the dais. My understanding is, besides having to put up with that roomful of mostly (not entirely) classless zealots last night, questioning his integrity, his competence and his honesty, Mr. Rosenberg is suffering through a marital problem with his wife, Marg Helgenberger, who makes a lot of money on “CSI.” This is what the moron in the backwards kangol cap was referring to. I for one, was hoping Alan reached the guy. But, that’s just me. Another favorite of mine was Paul Christie. The main impression I had of this lifer union (not so much with the acting, if any at all) guy, was – he doesn’t appear to blink. And he was really, really worked up about something. I wasn’t sure what. It seemed to be that strikes were difficult, the economy was bad, the pension plan was down 24% (show me ANY pension plan that isn’t right now) and that we better all make sure we have health care because a strike could disrupt that. He spoke at length on what was, at the beginning of the meeting “a point of order” then, he waited on line and was on the verge of launching into his second, much longer speech, when a woman stood up and pointed out he and several others were trying to speak for the second time. A few people said “Yeah! Second time! No good second time!” including me. (I was so desperate to contribute) whereupon Mr. Christie wheeled on me and delivered a tongue lashing that the first time had been a point of order and since he was “the first vice president of the third committee on the proliferation of non-blinking order pointers” or something like that, it was his right to speak. I dutifully shrank back into my chair and listened to him state the obvious (a big theme of the night, as I said) for the next twenty minutes. Look folks, here are the facts: the AMPTP, long before they spoke to the DGA, decided they were going to phase out residuals for actors in new media, which basically means, they want to phase out residuals, period. They decided they were going to take away clip consent. They decided the definition of product placement was going to change from EATING in the McDonalds in the “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” to Keeanu Reeves looking into the camera while chewing on his Big Mac and saying “Mmmm – awesome,” they eventually decided they had no intention of paying SAG the 60 million dollars they owed in force majeure payments from the writers strike, and that they wanted that little protection we’ve had since 1937 ended. They decided, once again, we could go pound sand on getting an increase in DVD residuals which we got screwed on in 1986. The belief in that room in NY last night, represented by roughly… 300 out of 120,000 members, that, we should basically punt, wait three years, when after having somehow merged with AFTRA, and after the economy having improved, which having consulted Alan Greenspan, those three hundred feel is apparently a certainty, and after joining hands with “the other unions” we will “GET WHAT WE DESERVE!”
You know, in three years… when all these things that we say are gonna happen, will happen, and in spite of EVERY PRECEDENT, when the AMPTP gets us to sign a shitty deal on an emerging technolgy, and then NEVER renegotiates, they damn sure will because… we’ll be … MERGED WITH AFTRA! … and Rosenberg and Allen will be replaced by…. Masur and Christie! (God help us. Blink blink…) and IN THREE YEARS WE’LL BE FINE!!
Now, back in the day “the 300″ defeated the Athenians. This time? I think they should allow the process of the union to move forward ACCORDING TO THE VOTES OF THE NATIONAL BOARD AND THE NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE, INCLUDING MODERATES SUCH AS THEIR FAVORITE SON RICHARD MASUR and grow some balls, if the strike authorization passes, let the negotiators take a strike authorization into the AMPTP, demand our rights NOW, and then stand the fuck up and, depending on what happens then, take it from there.
SAG NY is following the same pattern as AFTRA — they are not interested in maintaining the course and getting the best deal. Rather they are just interested in getting any deal that will keep some kind of work flowing. This is about serving the interest of the union leaders and their pension funds rather than the members. It is disgusting.
In tough times, you see people’s real colors. Unfortunately, those real colors of SAG NY and AFTRA are dishonest and self-serving.
I agree that if someone is going to call for a new negotiating committee or not to have a strike they better be prepared to state how that would still get us the deal we are seeking. Otherwise, it is caving in and misrepresenting your membership. How else can you call it? The facts speak for themselves.
Rosenberg and Allen have been incredibly transparent and honest. They have been asked to do a job, to represent their membership with all the courage and honesty any human being can offer — and they have delivered. Why disrespect them? Why??? Why spin and twist the facts to discount their efforts? Just because you feel economic pain? Just because the AMPTP doesn’t negotiate? Just because AFTRA walked away from the table, desparate to do any deal to stay alive? Just because SAG NY has little work due to the AMPTP non-engagement?
I am beyond frustration with AFTRA and SAG NY’s leadership who are willing to fuck the general membership to save their own asses. It’s corrupting. It’s wrong. How could you do this and sleep good at night? Wouldn’t supporting the cause of your membership, the actors, in a united way be more productive? Ughhh. Barf. Stink. What kind of people are you? Do you think that L.A. isn’t suffering too? We’ve had more than a year of sucky work, no work, downsized work. L.A. is really suffering too, by comparison.
So SAG NY, get off your high horse and take courage. Stop the fear. Instead support L.A. and let’s get this negotiation over with WITHOUT GIVING UP.
Dear Matt,
I feel you are very clever and very wrong ! See not everyone goes on and on. You have to look at the whole picture. No one is saying what we are fighting for is wrong. It is just the wrong time. Sorry!!!!
Alan Rosenberg is as good an actor as he is a negotiator and leader… and therein lies the problem.
Fire Rosenberg & Allen… put together a new negotiating team, make as good a deal as can be made and move on. Life is too short for this and Rosenberg is having too good of a time in the limelight. Someone has to give him his exit cue so he can go home and live off his alimony payments.
SAG members learn the facts. Attend the SAG meeting Wednesday Dec. 17, 2008 at Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, 7-9:30 pm.
When you hear the facts, whether you are a rank and file actor or Cameron Diaz previously signing a misguided letter you will vote yes.
You will lose all residuals if the contract is ratified and that’s just the beginning.
Don’t get your information from people who rant here and don’t get your info. in these articles from NIKKI who relies on a few angry opportunistic SAG members who call from a dark room in a quiet voice to feed her their skewed view of the private closed meetings of our strong UNION.
Not sure I like this revisionist history of SAG alienating AFTRA. AFTRA was POACHING. It wasn’t SAG that started infringing on AFTRA’s territory, and therefore it wasn’t SAG’s responsibility to be the one who plays nice. First DIRT, then the CLEANER and who knows how many others.
I was sitting near the mike and the guy in the backwards hat seemed not to be referring to Mr. Rosenberg’s personal marital status, but to the fact that if we strike, he is in a fine position to withstand it. And he is. Actually, all the big actors on both sides of this issue are in fine positions to withstand a strike. “Middle class” actors who are lucky enough to make enough money to support themselves w/out taking on outside work, will suffer, yes, I’ll take your word for it, will suffer under this contract, but the people who will suffer more are the “lower-class” actors (it’s never specifically said, but to call some the “middle-class” infers the others are ignorant “lower-class”), who are out there everyday scrambling for enough work to just get health insurance. Actors who have to take on several jobs to continue to do what they love. A job that is basically play, by the way, and one that is a choice.
And that man’s comment did not deserve the fury of Mr. Rosenberg. Had he been a professional, he would have let it all slide off his back. He should have been well prepared for New York’s reaction and risen above it. Mr. Allen did. And honestly it did make me question Mr. Rosenberg’s ability to negotiate. And made me wonder what exactly was going on inside the room with the APMPT. The faces he was making through-out the proceedings, were completely disrespectful and childish. Yes, some people were disrespectful to the both of them, I agree. But respect goes both ways.
The board members who spoke longer then their two minutes were given permission by the group in attendence because, as always, we heard only one side of the argument for about 45 minutes and there was no indication that we would officially hear the other side.
There is no real work in New York anymore. There are several TV shows, but they are monopolized by one casting company that has frozen out a great number of the working actors over the last year. There have been no films to speak of in six months (yes, several indy’s but not what there was the previous year and the first half of the year). Everyone is worried they won’t make their insurance or pension even if we don’t strike, forget it if we do.
I am one who agrees with the young man. I may be a bit older than him, but I watch televison shows on the internet, in fact, I prefer it because the quality is better than cable. I am on the internet more than I watch TV, so don’t say all the old farts don’t understand what is going on. I’ve done principal work for The Onion, I’ve worked for new media. So, I am completely aware of it. Had our negotiating team handled this differently from the get-go, there might have been some movement, of course I’m not psychic, but from what I have observed, it seems likely to me, we might have gotten a little something new media-wise. We’ll never know now, and I believe it is probable that when this is all over, strike or no, our contract will be worse than the APMPT’s final offer.
The problem here is that some folks are willing to pretend that the other side is negotiating in good faith. That the other side won’t complain about the economy generally and the fiscal health of the movie/TV business specifically in three years. That the other side won’t employ the ‘A Strike Will Destroy The Business’ rhetoric in three years. That the other side will, for the first time in their history, be more than happy to renegotiate new media standards when the business model evolves. In three years.
Those who do not learn from history are condemned to be George Clooney. Which is not a bad gig. If you’re George Clooney.
What I dont get is why people keep comming back to widening the rift with AFTRA. To hell with AFTRA! let me see here- oh I do a day of work on a SAG set and I make 750 and up; I do a day of work on an AFTRA set and I walk home with maybe 500. I have a force call on a SAG set, and my check at the end of the week has an extra 750! I have a force call on an AFTRA set, and the union is like… “what’s that?”
seriously would ANYONE besides Roberta Reardon chose to work under an AFTRA contract if they could work under a SAG contract? Why not have SAG absorb the T and let them keep their AFRA- American Federation of Radio Artists, c’mon it even has a nice ring to it.
but alas Actor, not being the smartest of the bunch dont really take the long view on this….
A fair contract for ordinary actors, and the survival of S.A.G. are minor matters.
What really counts is Vengeance.
It’s the engine of the Vote No campaign.
The rest of us worry about online residuals or the Internet going non-union. Many are concerned about the state of the economy. Stars fret over huge fees that could be lost during a strike.
But for Richard Masur, Melissa Gilbert and Mike Farrell, the struggle is an Elizabethan quest for Revenge.
Ask an al-Qaeda recruiter, or a Mafia lieutenant: Vengeance is the most consistently reliable motivator. It drives on when other motives sputter out. Most vengeance seekers seem to outlast most do-gooders.
See page 344 of Farrell’s memoir, “Just Call Me Mike.” In a shocking shift of narrative tone, the normally bland Farrell spews vitriol against MembershipFirst (M1). What was M-1’s crime?
“They succeeded in chasing a bright and dedicated president, Richard Masur out of office.”
Farrell and Ms. Gilbert set out to avenge Masur’s defeat and take back the Guild from the “vulgar,” “brawling” militant Barbarians. Farrell was justly celebrated as an advocate for human rights. For many of us, he had earned a measure of moral authority.
Farrell and Gilbert won office, but the lustre of their celebrity wore off and their “moderate” AMPTP-friendly policies cost them their popularity. They suffered Masur’s fate and were then more vengeance-driven than ever. Now, as pariahs to many rank-and-file actors, they needed to avenge, not only Masur, but themselves, as well.
One of the most famous quotes from the Vietnam War was, “We had to destroy the village to save it.”
Masur, Gilbert and Farrell’s unspoken motto would be, “We must destroy S.A.G. in order to vindicate ourselves.”
Corollary: We must destroy S.A.G. in order for AFTRA to absorb it.
#44
I was not aware right and wrong had anything to do with “timing.”
“theroadnottaken”
Yeah, I love this “Rosenberg is having too good of a time” idiocy. The guy’s getting brutalized by people he’s trying to get a contract for that can allow them to make a living as an actor, and, last night, I swear to God, I was worried he might have a stroke in the face of all the insults and attacks from those NY loudmouth assholes.
He’s having a ball.
As a (still struggling) screenwriter I very much appreciated you actors coming out in support of our strike. If you do the same know that I’ll be there for you. But reading these comments I have to ask– what’s happening with you people? This is about your livelihood. READ the contract so you can make an informed decision. It’s your future. Some of these posts (as with the WGA strike) are grievously wrong or just outright lies to sway the uninformed. If it’s this way on the actual SAG site you have no hope. Here’s an outsider outlook on points that keep coming up in your comments.
1) AFTRA – Is not SAG’s friend. Time and time over the last year the leaders of AFTRA have colluded with AMPTP to screw you. They are taking shows that their union has no right to represent and will keep doing this until you’re dead. And many actors want this group to join with SAG where you will instantly put yourselves in a minority position. Strange.
2) NY SAG – Has a massive insecurity complex. Coming from New York I would have guessed the mild weather in LA would make people softer than the cold would shrink balls. I was wrong.
3) A new negotiating team will have exactly the same effectiveness as this one unless everyone agrees to FOLLOW THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS. Undercutting your own elected leaders is idiotic and in the long run will not serve your purposes. I know this concept is especially tough for many actors because of the Bush presidency, but you can learn!
4) If you sign a sub-par contract that creates a template for new media payments you will NEVER get it renegotiated. Never. Nev-er. See VHS, DVDs.
5) All the guilds, including AFTRA and IATSE, will pull together for a strike down the road and really put the screws to the studios… HAAAA-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HAAAAAAAAAA! Seriously, I peed a little typing that.
6) The economy is a straw man put forth by the studios and swallowed whole by some of you. The economy adversely affects you personally but historically does the opposite for the entertainment industry. Hollywood’s golden age occurred in the Great Depression. And I don’t care how bad you think it is now, it’s not as bad as the Great Depression. Plenty of data available on this– any figure you’d like to put forth; unemployment, homelessness, foreclosure rates– all worse then. But it’s all beside the point. The fact is for the last 80 years economic slumps have caused noticeable UPTURNS for the entertainment industry each time they occurred.
7) New Media is an “emerging” market, etc. When won’t it be? I’m pretty sure in three years it’ll still be emerging. The first TV program was aired by GE in 1928 (so says Wiki). And twenty and thirty years later in the 50s and 60s was the market still emerging? Well, it kinda was. But if you wait for the market to totally emerge like say, the market for VHS and DVDs, I do believe you have waited too long.
But this has gone on long enough. Give yourself a month or two to get together on a plan or just have the courage to PUNT. Take the same crappy deal you have now but don’t do ANYTHING on new media. At least that way there’s no prior template and if the WGA (and possibly DGA) join with SAG two years from now it could work. But you have to keep the end of your contract close to the WGA’s. Don’t let the AMPTP string that six months or a year away from the end of yours. Then, everyone’s done.
Good luck.
“Had our negotiating team handled this differently from the get-go, there might have been some movement, of course I’m not psychic, but from what I have observed, it seems likely to me, we might have gotten a little something new media-wise.”
Well, that’s an enormously watered down objection, don’t you think? First of all – “a little something new media-wise?” Like what, exactly? There was NOTHING TO GET because they were and are NOT GIVING anything. THAT’S why we are where we are – NOT because of anything Rosenberg and Allen have or have not done.
Second: was it really worth all the vitriol flung at Rosenberg and Allen? And, maybe it’s a guy thing, but if some asshole made reference to my wife’s income while I was going through marital trouble, as if I were poaching off her, while I was largely unavailable to work because I was representing a union of actors – a bunch of whom are vilifying me while I try to get them a livable contract – and I’m doing it FOR FREE?
I would be off that dais and in that dipshit’s face faster than you can say “time!”
And any self-respecting guy would do the same thing. That jerk-off was WAY out of bounds and he deserved more than he got.
You guys are all pretty well screwed no matter what happens, but if you let the studios slide on New Media like you did on home video, you might as well close down the unions entirely.
I think this is pretty much the end of an actor’s guild that has any sort of teeth. Last time (1988) at least you could argue that the guilds didn’t know what they were getting into, didn’t know how big the home video market would get, etc. etc. This time you know exactly what you’re talking about but you’re still not going to do anything about it because it’s too hard. What’s the point then? Shut it down and become a rubber stamp. At least you’ll save yourselves the aggravation of labor negotiations.
SAG New York wants a new negotiating committee just so that Richard Masur, Mellisa Gilbert and Mike Farrell can have their revenge. If anyone of the three gets into SAG leadership the guild is done. The New York board broke guild laws in requesting an emergency board meeting and in late January, all three could be expelled from the guild. Translation, there isn’t going to be a new negotiating committee. If SAG New York is lucky, they will get Robert Shapiro to join the current committee.
On a unrelated note, for those of you questioning the resolve of the WGA to strike in three years, that guild is already getting screwed in new media despite the contract. Translation, there will be a strike, and the leadership will make sure it will happen because the AMPTP is asking for it. Nick Counter is nothing but a three year old brat that holds a temper-tantrum everytime he something.
EXCLUSIVE: 20th TV May Shoot Spring Pilots Under AFTRA And Transition Existing SAG Shows To AFTRA
I THINK THAT KIND OF TELLS YOU WHERE SAG IS GOING. SAG IS TOAST. THE AMPTP HAS SUCCEEDED IN DESTROYING OUR UNION.SADLY WITH OUR HELP.
REMEMBER, WE INHERITED THIS UNION FROM A GROUP OF SMART ACTORS WHO FOUGHT FOR OUR SAFETY, FUTURE AND INDEPENDENCE. CHOOSING NOT TO SUPPORT THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE FACING TODAY IS AN INSULT TO ALL THIER EFFORTS.
ARE WE REALLY SO AFRAID TO NOT WORK BECAUSE THE ECONOMY IS BAD? REALLY? EVERYONE IN THAT ROOM LAST NIGHT COULD EASILY GO WITHOUT SEVERAL MEALS.
WHERE IS THE ACTOR THAT WANTS TO PLAY “NORMA RAE”? WHERE IS THE MR. SMITH? THE ATTICUS FINCH?
HERE IS A XMAS GIFT SUGGESTION FOR ALL WE SAG UNION MEMBERS:. A PIECE OF 2X4 WOOD, ABOUT ONE AND A HALF FEET LONG. ONE PIECE OF STRONG ROPE, LONG ENOUGH TO WRAP AROUND YOUR WAIST. NOW TAKE THE BOARD AND PLACE IT VERTICALLY, ALONG YOUR SPINE AND USE THE ROPE TO TIE IT FIRMLY AROUND YOUR WAIST. THAT SHOULD HELP SUPPORT EACH OF US, HELP US TO STAND UP STRAIGHT UNTIL WE REMEMBER WHERE WE LOST OUR COLLECTIVE SPINES.
Ok that would be great. well SAG WEST is on strike the producers will bring what little work is left on the west coast over to the east coast.
The West Coast has no support, Heck they can’t even win a Tax incentive. Oh that right SAG NY has a 30% tax incentive. LOL
So “Let Them Go” SAG WEST would sink without NY!!!! PS LA does not have 65% of the work. But they do have 65% of the membership so think of how many people from SAG WEST would be out of work. Do your homework before you comment on something you know nothing about!!!!
kathy,
for the young man to bring up rosenberg’s home situation
was insensitive to say the least. i don’t know if it was assholish,
but it was really, really dumb. alan got mad?
when you’re being bombarded with abuse, sometimes it’s hard to distinguish the cruel people form those who are merely stupid.
can alan weather the storm? maybe. all of the people
who signed the just vote no petition can live the rest of their lives without residuals. so what’s the point?
and kathy, there never really has ever been much work in NY in terms of screen acting. i’ve lived in both places, twice. i moved to LA in ‘89
to get steady work. then i got a gig that brought me back to NY for a few years. it was great. when it ended, i remembered why i went to LA in the first place. NOT ENOUGH WORK. too hard. much easier to
have a proper career as a screen actor in LA.
if you are one of those people who can put together a living doing stage, voiceover, and the occasional film or TV show, god bless you.
not all of us have all of those talents. so, the rest of us moved to where the work is. and i know everyone is convinced that the tax incentives
will bring tons of work to NY if only we’d sign a deal.
maybe that’s true. but as soon as schwarzenegger or the next governor
of california gives the go ahead for incentives back home?
production will go up again in LA and down in other parts of the country. all things being equal, it’s just easier.
if you think that a different negotiating team will make any difference to the AMPTP, well, you’re in for a surprise.
if you put in every person from NY or wherever that you think is
“professional” and reasonable, the AMPTP will look at them and say
“Here’s the deal, same as before. Take it or leave it.”
even if they did sweeten the deal to reward the new go along to get along committee, it would be something as trivial as adding a few cents to the mileage fee. but they wouldn’t even do that.
they don’t have to waste any energy punishing rosenberg.
sam freed, paul christie, masur, NY, the RBD and U4S do that for them.
a new committee without a strike authorization is like a new car
without an engine. it just won’t go.
Comment by Jessy S. — December 16, 2008 @ 2:48 pm:
“On a unrelated note, for those of you questioning the resolve of the WGA to strike in three years, that guild is already getting screwed in new media despite the contract. Translation, there will be a strike, and the leadership will make sure it will happen because the AMPTP is asking for it.”
Wow. It’s almost as if you believe what you wrote there. As if reality totally passed you by.
I’m just going to assume it’s strike whore trolling, but it’s so off-base it doesn’t even have strike whore credibility.
The problem (or benefit depending on one’s POV) with the disaster that was the last WGA strike is that it prevents another from occurring for a LONG time.
And please save any retorts that the WGA strike was successful. Joss Whedon was one of its strongest supporters and even he admits that it was an “impressive” failure.
Listen for the following lyric in the musical commentary of “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog” as it comments on the WGA strike:
“And lose we did,
Impressively.
Slump back to our offices
declaring victory.
If you need your residual,
why did you all agree?”
This entire situation is sad at best and ridiculously foolish at worst. How is it that there are members of a union; a body that is enacted to monitor and fight for the rights of its membership, would actively undercut negotiators acting on their behalf??
Would a new negotiating team have gotten further along with the AMPTP? No one can say that for sure. What we do know is that the WGA is having to threaten the AMPTP for non payment of monies that were agreed to in their agreement. This is a union not a damn play or television show or movie. We have too many performers in our midst who are treating this situation as a Shakespearean drama as opposed to the business issue that it is.
NOBODY wants to see people out of work or losing money; not just in today’s economic climate, but even in a healthier one. But power concedes nothing without a demand. And demands take courage. The courage in this case meaning the gall to sacrifice now for something better down the road. There is no one who can tell SAG members with a clear conscience that three years from now things will be different. The economy will be better. We will join forces with other unions. NO. Things will not be different because too many members of our union do not have the courage of of their convictions or have no convictions at all. Too many know what is right, but are not willing to do what is right or in the collective best interest of the union body. Things won’t be different because people who are fearful will always have the next excuse to go belly up in the face of adversity. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it can be costly. Yes, times are hard. But those are not the issues. The issue is if one can honestly say that what the AMPTP is offering is “right”. Not okay. Not viable enough. Is what they offer doing right by actors now and in the future? If that answer is no then there is nothing left to do but fight for what is right!
Instead of questioning why a multi-national corporation would hi-jack residuals and refuse to cede ground on “new” media, too many actors have turned on their own union and its leadership publicly. It is senseless and only serves to undercut the negotiating ability of ANYONE who is sent to represent us. At the end of the day the WGA looked out for writers. Because that is what their union does. The DGA looked out for directors because that is what their union does. IATSE will be the same. SAG has to fight its own battle instead of counting on a unity pact across unions three years from now.
Sometimes you have to punch the bully in the mouth even if you get a bloody nose in the process. Once you allow fear to make you give up your lunch money it becomes a habit that is hard to break.
The call for a “new” negotiating committee by Baldwin was posturing – Hollywood is in the majority on the NegComm, and nothing would change. In Baldwin’s fantasy, the “new” NegComm would go in and take the crap deal, and declare victory, and he would continue to work, making his upfront millions while middle class actors find other lines of work.
***************
Strike? There will be no strike. Even if the SAG membership votes up the Strike Authorization, it has to go to the SAG National Board for debate on whether to pull the trigger and actually GO on strike. Richard Masur, the leader of the shadow government in SAG, along with NY, the Branches and U4S control the National Board. They will never vote to strike. They are the “moderates.”
Here’s the real deal:
Since the word on the street is that many more actors than Masur ever imagined are going to vote Yes, the New York division got real busy this week, along with Farell and DeVito, and recruited a bunch of mostly working actors and actor/producers to sign a letter to pull the Strike Authorization, citing the all-of-a-sudden downturn in the economy as a reason (shades of the Amptp!). Because God Forbid, the Strike Authorization is voted up, then the Masurites (NY, RBD, U4S) would have to decide in the National Board room to go against the will of the membership, and not strike! How would they get re-elected then?
The moderates want this negotiation to fail. Why else would New York be putting out press releases saying this is not the time to strike? They KNOW they will not vote to go on strike in the boardroom, and so to save face, they want the authorization to be rescinded.
If the Autho fails, then they can blame the current leadership, and save face. SAG will have to take the same crap deal as Aftra.
The endgame: Merge with Aftra.
It beats me why they want to:
Metastacize the weaker union into the better one. Merge with a union with worse health and retirement benefits, and worse residual structures.
Merge with members working non-union on cable news shows, like Larry King….
Merge with a Union that doesn’t let the membership vote on it’s elected officials, like the President, or certain contracts, like the Basic-Cable contract – Aftra members did not get to vote on it!
People who think that all the problems will be magically solved if SAG merges with Aftra are not thinking clearly. They are swallowing lies because the truth is too ugly to comprehend. Lies like: “We can all get together in three years and negotiate together, when we are united!”
The Amptp will never allow coterminus agreements, people.
The chance to be united came this past year, when WGA was on strike, and the DGA could have stepped up and brought all of the unions together to strategize how to get a better deal. What did they do? They undercut WGA and cut a bad deal. Same went for Aftra.
Who in their right mind thinks that this will be any different in three years? All of a sudden, the selfishness will magically end? Are you high?
The most troubling thing about this whole debate is the strident and tactless efforts of the few to silence the rest and abrogate the sober and sensible rules and guidelines of Screen Actors Guild procedure regarding a possible strike action. The decision to seek the strike authorization from membership was not arrived at lightly. There was nothing “irresponsible” or “disconnected” about it. The specific circumstances for this course of action was authored by a NY division board and negotiating committee member and former president of the guild. It was duly debated and overwhelmingly advocated by the entire leadership of SAG. Each division president was specifically and publicly polled and each gave their unqualified consent and support for the exact procedure we are now engaged in. It was a straight-forward “advise and consent” process – classic American Constitutional/Declaration of Independence/Rights of Man stuff. “Trade Union 101” as one duly elected SAG board member described it. Now, we’re told, “things change.”
The letters, petitions, and demands of some members and branches to cease the strike authorization campaign ignore the hard-won rights of all members to formally and substantially participate in the awesome decision to empower their elected representatives with the responsibility to debate and potentially implement a work action. It is precisely the distraction and destruction the purveyors of fear and division pray for. Many of my friends and colleagues have determined that denying the rights of their fellow members to express themselves through a formal vote is somehow a wise and moderate position. It is most definitely neither. Once seemingly generous and progressive-minded people have urged and/or demanded that their union stop its proper and earnest effort to educate, inform, and seek guidance from its membership. Rather than appeal eloquently and passionately to the hardliners of the AMPTP whose intransigence has brought us to this point, they are asking their brothers and sisters of the guild to not just accept a bad deal, but to also forfeit their right to participate altogether. I can only hope that the actors I have known and worked with, respected and admired who are part of this ill-conceived effort have not fully considered the ramifications of their actions and statements. I have made that kind of mistake before. Indeed, the entire country has over the past eight years. But if they are really pro-SAG and still want to somehow curtail its due processes,then entreat the other side to return to the table with sincere and genuine commitment to reaching a positive contract.
Put an end to this unseemly public self-abuse.
If the membership calls a strike, I will walk a picket line. I am a proud union member and will wholeheartedly support any strike.
But the economy is a factor and only fools would suggest otherwise. Merger was necessary well before we got to this point. But we did not merge. We all know who is to blame for that. The lack of cohesion between these two unions and the significant economic downturn make any strike ill-advised. Everyone working without a contract these past several months has already lost money.
Take the best deal thus far. Merge. And let’s be better prepared next time.
At the meeting in New York, there were some poorly chosen words. A bit of it was downright unprofessional. But very little. Most members simply wanted answers. And they are entitled to them.
My own comments were polite, but clear. This group is smart, caring and hardworking. They have had the membership’s interests at heart. But they have failed. It is time for a change among the negotiating committee.
Lastly, this constant assertion that more high profile members are less in tune with “working actors” is lazy, offensive and untrue. Beware anyone who plays that note.
So…let’s get this straight…it’s the DGA’s fault, the WGA’s fault, the AMPTP’s fault, AFTRA’s fault, U4S’ fault, and now it’s….SAG East’s fault?
C’mon folks, are any of us a little embarassed by this?
What kind of nutty union did I get myself into?
Alec,
A new negotiating committee will make no difference, since Hollywood still holds the majority on the NegComm, since there are more actors in Hollywood, and a majority of the money is still made here.
By encouraging a No vote on the referendum, you just influenced Union actors to allow Non-Union actors to work in NewMedia projects with a budget of under $15,000 per minute. (Current budgets are between $2,000 and $2,500):
Here are the 12 Outstanding Issues at a glance:
1. Union Contract Coverage in New Media:
If producer chooses, no original new media production costing less than $15,000 per minute would be covered by this contract’s terms.
(SAG – All new media prductions made by Amptp companies are covered by the TV/Theatrical Contract. We have proposed a tiered system, similar to our low budget feature contracts, which sets minimums per budget level.) We have already signed over 700 independent NM contracts, we have the formulas.
2. Residuals in New Media – No residuals for made for new media programs reused on ad-supported new media, meaning the program could run forever and never pay residuals.
(SAG- All new media productions should pay residuals, regardless of the exibition platform. Residuals paid on all programs used in new media.)Its th old, “If they make money, we make a bit; if they don’t, we don’t.”
3. Residuals for Programs Produced Prior to 1974 and Moved Over to New Media – No residuals to performers in programs produced prior to 1974.
(SAG – Library product from the past should pay residuals.) Think about the actors who started this business…a residual could mean they are covered for health care.
4. Product Integration – No notice, no consent by actor, no compensation for product integration, and no study either.
(SAG – Performers notified and, if they consent, are paid when requested to extol a product in scripted programming. A study of product integration trends should be conducted.) This is going to directly impact the Commercials contract coming up in March ‘09. I wonder how much Jim Carrey was paid to spout about RedBull in his latest film? But that is beside the point; he gets millions upfront. We are concerned about the middle class actor, getting scale, and being forced to promote a product without compensation, or else lose the job.
5. Background Actors – In Western background zones, adds 1 background actor, excluding 1 standin, to the TV coun and adds 2 background actors, INCLUDING all standins, to the theatrical count.
(SAG – Staring in the first contract year, exclude all standins from the count (AS THEY ARE ON EAST OOAST JJOBS), while increasing BG numbers by 2, then by 3 more in the second year, and by 3 additional in the last year. Additional background zone in New Mexico.)
6. Stunt Cooordinators’ TV Residuals – NO residuals for TV stunt coordinators
(SAG – Residuals for stunt Coordinators.)
7. DVD Residuals – No increase in DVD residuals
(SAG – P&H contributions paid on top of the current DVD formula, thereby increasing the formula 15%)
They said we would “revisit” this formula years ago, remember?
8. Force Majeure – Cuts force majeure provisions (protecting actor’s pay) from our contract, making individual actors bargain this seperately.
(SAG – Preserve the Force Majeure provisions of the contract that have protected actors’ pay for decades.) This is another Rollback – And currently, none of the force majeure money has been paid to actors for the WGA strike, somewhere between $60 and $400 million dollars.
9. Union Security in New Media – Performers engaged to work on a covered new media productin would not be required to become a member of the Guild in good standing untill they worked for at least ninety (yes, 90) days.
(SAG – The current contract says that membership cannot be required of a performer by a producer as a condition of employment until thirty (30) days after first employment.) Goodbye Taft-Hartly
10. Mileage – No increase. Current reimbursement rate has not changed for 30 years.
(IRS reimbursement is 58.5 cents/mile. SAG is asking for and increase from 30 cents/mile to 40 cents/mile.)
11. Major Role Premium – Increase from 7.5% to 10%
(SAG is asking for an increase to 13%)
12. French Hours, Motion Pictures Only – On a vote of the cast present on the First Day of Principal photography, “french hours” would be instituted, meaning there is no designated meal break and performers eat when thy can.
(SAG- Rejects this Rollback to eliminate scheduled meal times.)
The Amptp does not agree to Guild contracts being co-terminus. And what makes you think that all of a sudden all the guilds will be singing kumbaya in three years? The DGA had a chance to do that during the WGA job action, and they chose to cave, as did Aftra. THAT was the time to get together. But IMO everyone is just looking out for themselves, and not looking down the line to the next generation.
Stars will be able to make their upfront money, as long as they are compliant with their studio bosses, and middleclass, supporting actors who work with the stars will fall away, because their life-line, residuals, will no longer be there. This is the truth of what this deal is. If we sign off on it, we will not be able to renegotiate in three years….It never happened with the basic-cable formula, the VHS HomeVideo formula, or DVD residuals. What makes you think New Media is any different?
SAG members in LA, please attend the Town Hall meeting tonight at 7PM at the Renaissance Hotel on Highland @ Hollywood Blvd.
Please go to http://www.sag.org and get the facts. It’s all there.