If you thought about ignoring your AFTRA Board election ballot when it arrives – please consider the following. This is turning out to be an urgent election.

Last night at an open Hollywood Board SAG meeting, Membership First passed the following motion made by Angel Tompkins a member who was expelled from AFTRA.

"I move that a task force of Hollywood board members only be formed, to explore the acquisition of actors of AFTRA...

You know I am not an alarmist.  So when I tell you I am seriously alarmed, please take note...

I am hopeful. Watchful and hopeful that the Board does the right thing. Then – it is up to us. Will keep you posted.

SAG primetime deal expected - Tentative agreement may come next week By Dave McNary

This went to the New York Membership of SAG from NY Prez Sam Freed. I echo his props to the joint Chairs. What a great message from Sam.

A tentative deal has been reached on our Commercials Contract. The proposed contract, unanimously approved by the joint negotiating committee, must now go to the joint Boards of both SAG and AFTRA for approval and then be ratified by the membership.

Dear Screen Actors Guild Member,
I am very pleased to inform you that early this morning, the SAG/AFTRA Joint Commercials Negotiating Committee, under the capable leadership of John McGuire, Mathis Dunn and Ray Rodriguez, reached a proposed deal on the commercials contracts.

The Screen Actors Guild is racing toward the rocks and the quibblers, the anonymous and the gutless critics can't seem to quit flailing about, blades drawn, apparently unaware that they're only stabbing themselves and destroying the union they claim to care so much about.

...however the recent events require more than a few bullet points. Here’s the scoop and my thoughts.

The National Board’s rejection of the last best & final offer from the AMPTP was a response to an untenable change in the term of the contract (more on that below.)

Effective Monday, the majority of the National Board asserted its authority and terminated the employment of our National Executive Director. Every National Board member of the New York Board approved this action. It was a difficult and considered decision to make but it was done in recognition of the current circumstances of our negotiations.

We've received email expressing thanks for the action taken by the National Majority of the Board of Directors.
Here are a few of the notes.

I post National President Alan Rosenberg's Message without analysis.  Everything that I have written in the past is a comment on President Rosenberg’s perspective on what occurred.

I have boodles to say on this but am spinning plates of work, motherhood, wifedom, and service. In short – democracy was served in spite of the recent and ongoing attempt by the minority faction of the national board to thwart the will of the majority with their unruly and obstructionist antics..

A Message to Members from the SAG National Board Majority

Today we took an important and necessary action to address the leadership crisis at Screen Actors Guild. Representatives from SAG’s National Board majority delivered a “written assent” document to SAG headquarters which authorized the following: Doug Allen is immediately replaced as National Executive Director...

Dear Former Colleague Asner,
Unless you can reassure me to the contrary, I will have to assume you have gone over to the dark side based on the following quote from Dave McNary’s story in Daily Variety.

It is stupefying.  I witnessed some pretty awful tactics during my time on the board of Screen Actors Guild and the years since.  But I am hardpressed to recall anything as counterproductive, intolerant, and contrary to the very principles of union than what you are about to read.

While we are sharply focused on the expired TV/Theatrical contract and the threat of strike, no fewer than four other SAG contracts are dead, 2 others will expire in less than 10 days, and another in March.  Yesterday Doug Allen announced that SAG is so utterly unprepared for the upcoming negotiation of the Basic Cable agreement that we must delay the start of this important negotiation.

Oscar nominee and former SAG treasurer Jamie Cromwell has teamed up with vet Mitch Ryan and others to create a powerful - and disturbing - look at what another strike could do to our already fragile film industry. To take a look at it, go to http://www.savethebiz.org (and click anywhere on the screen.)

We actors tend to be a bit myopic at times.  For example, some of us seem oblivious to the realities of the economy around us.  Should the state of our nation’s economy factor into the steps we take in this delicate time?  I think it does.  Read the following splash of cold water and decide for yourself.

Happy New Year?
Retail Tanks, 73,000 Stores Could Close

This came in last night from Unite for Strength. Even if the choice seems obvious, I so appreciate their asking the question.

As for option 2, is adopting a new approach even in question at this point? Because the current one is, um… a bust. Do you realize that our contract expired six months ago and that SAG members have lost over forty million dollars in lost pay increases from working under an expired contract?

Three quick observations before I take off for the New Year:

1. In watching the press comparisons of the number of actors who have signed SAG’s support of authorization petition (2500 plus signers) with our petition supporting the DeVito/Perlman letter against the authorization (currently at 1700 plus signers) - I see a piece of the statistical pie that no newspaper nor blogger has mentioned. That is, our response ratio compared with SAG’s. Screen Actor’s Guild sent a solicitation to its vast email base, that is tens of thousands more than we have. Our response ratio is huge. Theirs is a pittance.

Long time working actor Todd Susman cares deeply about our industry and our union. He walked the picket lines in 2000 and has supported activist efforts to bolster the union over the years.

I just read a letter by someone insinuating that members against strike authorization are aiding management in union busting. Not me. I'm against authorization because I want SAG to flourish.

Reading accounts of SAG’s decision to delay the strike authorization vote, I was struck by this near the end of the L.A. Times piece (bold and italics are mine):

"Allen's e-mail was sent out after he and Rosenberg met earlier in the day with actors Ned Vaughn and "Chicago Hope" star Adam Arkin, representatives of Unite for Strength, a coalition of actors with moderate views that recently won key seats on the national board."

Dear Fellow SAG Member,
Cathryn Michon here, and I’m here to share how though I applauded the wise leadership of Alan Rosenberg during the writer’s strike, I now have come to the decision to vote no on his request for strike authorization and have signed the petition at www.nosagstrike.com.

Whatever your opinions on this critical issue, I ask you to take a few minutes to consider my position.

The page of the growing list of supporters of the letter to SAG by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman is live and ready for you to add your name.

You will soon have the ability to submit comments on the blog entries. Until then, let me hear from via email. If you read something great elsewhere, let me know and I’ll post a link -- send me any info you think I should have.

There are two main goals for this site. The first is to provide a civil place to develop an informed, confident choice on how to vote. The second is to make sure SAG leadership hears our collective voice. We’re in this together. Let’s make sure SAG's leaders know just where we stand and why.

As a SAG member for 30 years, I have only ever earned my living as a professional performer under SAG and AFTRA contracts. I am a stakeholder. My ability to feed my kids depends on these contracts. I have worked the TV/theatrical, trailer, commercial, promo, interactive, animation, and radio spot and broadcast contracts. I got involved with my union during the 2000 Commercials’ strike, served on the SAG Board for 3 years, was Vice Chair of the 2003 commercial negotiating committee and have served on several other committees.

December 2, 2008

Dear Alan,
We feel very strongly that SAG members should not vote to authorize a strike at this time. We don't think that an authorization can be looked at as merely a bargaining tool. It must be looked at as what it is - agreement to strike if negotiations fail.

We support our union and we support the issues we're fighting for, but we do not believe in all good conscience that now is the time to be putting people out of work.