Opposition party in SAG wins majority seats in Hollywood, SAG board under pressure

By Brian Frederick

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 9/26/08 — In a stunning blow to its board leadership, a dissident group within the Screen Actor’s Guild called “Unite for Strength” backed by Tom Hanks and Sally Field won a majority of the 11 Hollywood seats up for election.

“Unite for Strength” now controls 13 of 22 alternate seats.

SAG members voted to make major changes with its current leadership, though it was not long ago they voted for a “strike team” of leaders.

SAG’s contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) expired June 30.

Since July, SAG has virtually disappeared from the press radarscope, prompting speculation that they made be preparing its members for a strike this coming January if they were to win the national elections this month. In a desperate attempt to influence last week’s elections the SAG board has stalled negotiations with the studios in hopes that their members will side with them on maintaining a hard-line position regarding internet content. That did not work and once against SAG’s leaders miscalculated another step in their claim to be seen as super heroes for their members while compromising what’s best for them. SAG’s leaders failed in stopping the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA,) they failed in maintaining a majority of seats in Hollywood in last week’s election, and they have failed to obtain a new contract for its members.

At the opposing end of “Unite for Strength” is a group called “Membership First” which was backing the incumbent leadership and held control over SAG. SAG members officially made it clear that they are sick and tired of the existing leadership and want talks to continue with the studios and better relations returned with the smaller union AFTRA. The hard-line negotiating tactics of the existing administration has not effectively worked thus far and for the membership to back “Unite for Strength” indicates its time for a new order.

While the other unions (guilds) have successfully negotiated new contracts with the studios the only hold out remaining is SAG, which is doing so during a time of serious financial crisis within the nation’s economy. When home foreclosures outpace the number of homes sales nationwide and millions are losing their jobs, SAG’s board has forced the studios into a de facto shut down and failed its members in obtaining a new contract agreement. Hence, the emergence of “Unite for Strength” and the opposition against its union leadership. Some have argued the studios are operating at capacity and that their fear of a strike is unwarranted while others argue that the studios have vamped up production in anticipation of SAG taking a desperate position.

SAG’s position on negotiating compensation for internet content is fully justified and the majority of SAG’s members agree with that position but that no longer appears to be the issue for SAG’s leadership. Once again they have side would should be been their main concern and stalled the studios until the elections, another tactical mistake.

There is rumbling within SAG to replace the negotiating committee and Alan Rosenberg, President of SAG appears to be on the chopping block. Although no formal decision for Rosenberg’s future has been made publically, the Hollywood board could in fact be seeking to oust the current administration and start new formal talks with the studios in the near future.

SAG continues to work under the existing terms of the expired contract. With Sally and Hank backing up “Unite for Strength” and the results from the national elections, the current administration might be pressured to get back to negotiating with the studios.