After months of acrimonious negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP and cross guild combat between SAG and AFTRA, a new contract has been ratified. For better or worse, and I personally hope we don’t look back on passage of this contract as the beginning of the end for both SAG and AFTRA, the SAG membership [...]

For some time now I’ve wondered why SAG wasn’t getting more support from our fellow workers in the film industry as we try to come to a contract agreement with the AMPTP. If you read the various forums, most of the talk has been of the ‘just settle the contract so we can all get [...]

Why The Smoke & Mirrors, SAG & AMPTP? I don’t see why the SAG National Majority and their pals, the Big Media labor lawyers, are needing to waste more than an hour in talks since all they’re doing is Xeroxing AFTRA’s TV/Theatrical Contract. These past two days have consisted of nothing more than playing at [...]

Self-described ‘working class actor’ John Cygan offers his take on the deal that AFTRA signed and why SAG should not agree to that same deal. What do you think?

You probably know the names Scott Wilson and David Clennon, but even if you don’t immediately snap to their name, you’ll surely know their faces. Each of these men has a long and impressive body work as professional actors. Their comments on the importance of residual income are comments that I agree with wholeheartedly. Check [...]

What’s a non-star, just want to make a decent living, actor supposed to think? Here’s the latest from the SAG soap opera: Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:34:05 -0800 To: SAG National Board of Directors and Alternate National Directors Subject: Message from Doug Allen I have been informed by SAG counsel that the National Board [...]

If any more evidence were required to demonstrate the severely dysfunctional nature relationships that define SAG leadership, read on. Now it seems the board can’t agree to withdraw the strike authorization proposal and ask for a vote on the contract. Someday this will end…won’t it? Dear Member, On October 19, your National Board voted by [...]

As 2008 draws to a close with no contract between SAG and the AMPTP, the animosity between factions within SAG has only become more vitriolic. What is the best course of action? Accept a truly lousy contract now and hope to undo the damage in three years? Or reject the contract and take a strike [...]

SAG Announces Plan for Strike Authorization Vote: LOS ANGELES, DECEMBER 10, 2008 — Screen Actors Guild today announced that strike authorization ballots will be mailed to paid-up SAG members on Friday January 2, 2009, and will be tabulated on Friday, January 23. A yes vote by 75% of members voting is required to pass the [...]

For some reason a couple of recent posts have disappeared so I’m republishing the following information. The sessions between SAG, AMPTP and a federal MEDIATOR went nowhere last week and now SAG is saying it will ask the membership for a strike authorization vote. Even though I have no desire to see a strike, I [...]