SAG, majors to meet face-to-face Thursday
Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com
After five months of no talks between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the two sides will meet face-to-face with a federal mediator on Thursday at the majors headquarters...
Guild, AMPTP negotiations still up in the air Source: www.variety.com
SAG’s taken another small step toward possible resumption of its long-stalled negotiations, agreeing to meet for a second session with a federal mediator on Wednesday.
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"Dissidents win 6 seats on Screen Actors Guild Board" Source: www.latimes.com
"With the backing of moderates, the dissidents, backed by Tom Hanks and Sally Field, now control a majority of votes on the national board. That could jump-start stalled contract talks with studios."
UFS Pledges No Changes to SAG Voting Rights
August 18, 2008, Variety, Dave McNary
"We will take no action as members of the SAG board of directors to take away any member's right to vote on SAG contracts or any other SAG matter,' the coalition said Monday." [Full Article]
Actors Unite for SAG Board Election
August 13, 2008, Variety, Cynthia Littleton
"Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Rob Lowe and Patricia Heaton are among the thesps who have endorsed upstart SAG faction Unite for Strength, which is vying against incumbent group Membership First in the upcoming board election." [Full Article]
Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin Back Unite for Strength
August 13, 2008, The Los Angeles Times, Richard Verrier
"The fight for control of the Screen Actors Guild took a dramatic turn today, when Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and Sally Field joined several other high-profile actors in endorsing a group of dissidents mounting an election challenge to leaders of Hollywood’s largest union.
"A group known as Unite for Strength said it had lined up support from several dozen high-profile backers for a slate of candidates who are seeking to fill 11 Hollywood division seats on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild, plus 22 seats for those who serve as alternate board members." [Full Article]
SAG Election Coverage in the New York Times
August 4, 2008, New York Times, Brooks Barnes
"The group is particularly upset about a feud between SAG leaders and the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Earlier this year, AFTRA decided to negotiate with studios independently from SAG for the first time in nearly 30 years. In response, SAG unsuccessfully campaigned to defeat the AFTRA contract. Unite for Strength wants the two unions to reconcile and merge." [Full Article]
UFS Candidate Ned Vaughn Debates Alan Rosenberg on KPCC 89.3
Los Angeles, July 25th, 2008
Unite For Strength Press Release
Los Angeles, July 23rd, 2008
Alarmed by Growing Divisiveness, SAG Board Candidates Seek Leadership Change - Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh, Adam Arkin and 28 others to run on “Unite for Strength” slate.
Aiming to put the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) on a path toward greater unity with sister union the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), a group of 31 actors announced today that they will run in upcoming elections for seats on the SAG Board of Directors. Organized under the banner “Unite for Strength,” the group is seeking to win a majority of the national board seats allotted to Hollywood branch members.
If successful, Unite for Strength would end control of the board by the “Membership First” faction, which has long maintained a hostile stance toward AFTRA. “With the immense challenges actors face today, we need all the strength we can muster. And that means electing union leadership that is committed to uniting actors to fight for our common future,” said Ned Vaughn, a leader of the group. “We can no longer afford leaders who sow division.”
“As our current predicament makes clear, actors lose out when we face off as separate, warring camps against the media conglomerates in contract negotiations,” said Adam Arkin. “I’m concerned for future negotiations if we don’t change the leadership that has brought us to this point.”
In announcing their campaign, Unite for Strength faulted current and past board members associated with Membership First for stoking the debilitating hostility between SAG and AFTRA by:
Threatening to terminate joint negotiation of the TV/Theatrical contract. (They later rescinded a planned referendum after a storm of internal criticism that doing so would weaken SAG at the bargaining table.)
Waging a campaign of threats and insults against AFTRA. This included one Membership First-affiliated board member calling AFTRA “a scumbag union.”
Waging a senseless, futile (and costly) campaign to defeat the contract AFTRA negotiated with the AMPTP.
Scuttling two separate attempts (1998 & 2003) to strengthen actors’ long-term position at the bargaining table by merging SAG and AFTRA.
“If we’re elected, we’ll end the senseless war against AFTRA and work to create a united front of actors to fight for more working opportunities and better jobs. We believe that will ultimately require merging the two unions, and that’s a goal we’re all pledged to pursue,” said Vaughn.
Election Challenge Arises to SAG Leadership
July 23, 2008, Los Angeles Times, Richard Verrier
"A dissident coalition says the faction that currently holds a slim majority on the board of the Screen Actors Guild has bungled current contract negotiations with the studios." [Full Article]
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Unite For Strength
P.O. Box 29099
Los Angeles, CA 90029
