September 18, 2008 by WW.

Speaking in terms that could not be misunderstood, SAG members in Hollywood have joined their union brothers and sisters nationwide in saying “Enough.”

Enough to the posturing. Enough to working without a contract. Enough to the war between the branches. And, perhaps most of all, enough to the Allens’ and Membership First’s war with AFTRA.

If it wasn’t a clean sweep for the insurgent Unite for Strength ticket, it was close. Unceremoniously dumped from the board room were Membership First veterans and heavyweights, among them TV-Theatrical Negotiating Commitee chair David Joliffe, former Ralph Morgan award winner Scott Wilson, bloggers Steven Barr and Renee Aubry, and other hardliners including Michael Bell, Paul Napier, and even Russell McConnell, who chaired the National Background Committee.

Only celebrity seemed to offer any success for the battered Allens. Keith Carradine, a new convert to Membership First, joined JoBeth Williams, Scott Bakula, Lainie Kazan and Joelly Fisher in surviving the UFS tidal wave.Celebrating the clear victory, Ned Vaughn released this statement on behalf of Unite for Strength.

“We offered members a clear choice in this election – end the fighting with AFTRA and instead partner with them to create a stronger union for performers. The results in this unusually high turnout election leave no doubt that is what the members want. We look forward to working with all of our colleagues on the board to move SAG in this new direction.”

Some Membership First supporters are trying to spin this as a “neck and neck” result, Membership First’s mother of all publicists, Niikki Finke, posted the results without comment, and is undoubtedly off looking for black clothing to wear. (see update).

But with almost 25% of the members in Hollywood casting ballots, we see it as not neck and neck at all. The balance of power in SAG has changed.

What was a 52-48 majority for Membership First is no more.

What new alliances will be formed in the future, and how this will play out is something to watch. But this has to be seen as a step ahead for SAG, and for actors and unions everywhere.

Membership First’s slogan during this campaign was “You Have the Power to Take It Back.”The members did exactly that

–Other coverage: Los Angeles Times, apparently no longer convinced that the election results won’t change things. Variety’s calls is a stunning outcome, a surprise (perhaps they should have spoken more to members, rather than lavishing attention on the few vocal hard liners. The Hollywood Reporter has it right, with SAG Members Vote for Change.

–Update: Membership First’s statement, with head firmly stuck in the sand:”

“We appreciate and thank everyone who voted. Analyzing the results shows there was no mandate for either slate. Membership First still retains control of the Hollywood Division board and still controls the vote on the negotiating committee.

“Membership First still holds firm on what we believe are issues that are imperative for our members of the Screen Actors Guild. Those issues are: holding firm on force majeure, holding firm on jurisidoction from dollar one in New Media, holding firm on residuals for product made for New Media, and holding firm on product integration.

And we look forward to the new national board members realizing (once they’ve actually spent time in a boardroom) that what we are fighting for is the right thing for the Screen Actors Guild.”AFTRA on their own starting in 2006 began a campaign of undercutting contracts in order to place more money in their coffers and secure jurisdictions at the expense of the well-being of the actors.

As the postcard poll has indicated, Membership First will continue to fight to maintain fair wages and working conditions for our members no matter what.”

–Update: Nikki Finke spent half a page tonight trying to explain how the results aren’t really a rejection of Membership First or a win for Unite for Strength, then plaintively concluded, “I just hope MF and U4S can now unite about trying to get a richer deal. Because SAG has to start speaking with one voice again. Solidarity against the AMPTP is now or never.”

Posted in SAG Politics, Editorial, SAG-AFTRA | Print | 28 Comments »

September 18, 2008 by Editor.

The membership of the Screen Actors Guild has voted to reject screaming and to return to sanity, effectively ending the reign of Membership First over the national union.

In the just ended elections, the new slate of Unite for Strength, running on a platform of moderation and merger, picked up 5 National Board seats of the 11 available from Hollywood, each one a direct takeaway from Membership First. Independent/Moderate Morgan Fairchild, who was endorsed by UFS, was also re-elected.

Unite for Strength also picked up at least 13 seats on the Hollywood Board - with those members serving as alternates to the National Board

Combined with the sweep of New York by the moderate USAN slate and the re-election of moderates from the RBD, that removes control of the national board room from the fractious Membership First, and puts SAG President Alan Rosenberg and NED Doug Allen in the uncomfortable position of facing a new board that ran on the rejection of the policies the Allens have pushed.

Exactly what effect the election results will have on the stalled TV-Theatrical contract remains to be seen. Membership First has vowed to fight any change in its negotiating posture or the negotiating commitee, which is dominated by hard core members of the group. It points to the results of the just completed push poll as an indication the membership favors continuation of its no compromise approach, even though critics have pointed out the multiple failures of the poll and the fact that fewer than 8% of the union actually voted in favor of the continued stalemate.

The Los Angeles Times is already out with a story saying the election won’t change much. We’ll see if they update.

The election is without doubt a sharp rebuke to the Allens and to Membership First. The group’s chief theoretician, David Joliffe, the chairman of the TV-Theatrical contract committee  is among the incumbents unseated, as was the group’s most vocal blogger, Steven Barr. 

UFS leader Amy Brenneman was the top vote getter in Hollywood, with 6844 votes, followed by Adam Arkin of UFS, with 6841. 

 MORE TO COME!!!!

Posted in Commercials Contract, SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical, SAG-AFTRA | Print | 31 Comments »

September 18, 2008 by Editor.

Los Angeles (September 18, 2008)—Screen Actors Guild today announced election results for the Guild’s national board of directors. Twenty-three of the 69 national board seats were open for election this year, representing Screen Actors Guild’s Hollywood, New York and Regional Branch Divisions. The newly elected national board members will assume office on September 25.SAG’s Hollywood Division elected 11 new national board members; the New York Division elected five members; and seven national board members were elected from the union’s branches in Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Nashville, Nevada, and Washington D.C./Baltimore.

Posted in SAG Politics | Print | 11 Comments »

September 18, 2008 by Editor.

Unofficial results posted on a Membership First website by a losing candidate indicate that the USAN slate has held New York.

5 NATIONAL Seats: Sam Robards 
Rebecca Damon 
Matt Servitto 
Tracey Godfrey 
Mark Blum 

ALTERNATES: 

Jack Landron 
Eric Bogosian 
Ralph Byers 
Joe Narciso 
John Rothman 
Jay Potter 
Kevin Scullin 
Marc Barron 
Manny Alfaro

Posted in SAG Politics | Print | 21 Comments »

September 18, 2008 by Editor.

We’re sure it’s what everyone really into the workings of SAG is doing right now. The election ballots have undoubtedly been counted, and the results should be communicated to 5757 at any minute, if they’re not there already.

The results will likely either bring a clear sign of change, or a clear indication that the membership really buys into the hard line approach that Membership First has taken in its years in power.

Ambiguity seems unlikely.

So, we’re waiting. Anxiously.

If anyone sees senior staffers working on resumes, that could be a clue.

Posted in SAG Politics | Print | 5 Comments »

September 18, 2008 by Editor.

We received an inquiry from a MSM reporter (one whose work we like) asking for someone from SAGWatch to call him. Here’s why we’re not doing it.

You may recall all the flap and controversy over who we are and why we’re doing this. You’ll probably recall our answer.

“We deliberately kept our names out of it because we didn’t want it to be a matter of what films, shows and campaigns we’ve done, what we’ve booked that dictates how people read our notes. Either you agree, or you disagree - with the ideas we’ve put forth, not with us personally. And that’s if we put forth any original ideas at all.”

We weren’t kidding. This isn’t about us. It’s about our union, or, these days, our unions.

Anyone can feel free to take anything we’ve written and use it for any purpose they’d like. We’d appreciate it if it’s attributed, but at the end of the day we really don’t care. It’s un-Hollywood, we know. Giving up a possible star turn… but it’s the ideas that are the stars here. Not the team.

We’ll answer questions, but only via the site…usually in Letters to SAGWatch.

Posted in Editorial | Print | 4 Comments »