SAG Asks AFTRA to Return To Phase One

Los Angeles, April 13, 2008 — Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors today adopted the following resolution: “...that AFTRA be given the opportunity to join Screen Actors Guild in Phase I joint negotiations, provided that notice of acceptance is received within 72 hours.” Approved: 81.37% - 18.63%. This action has been communicated to AFTRA.

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10 Comments »

  1. Oh, thank God. Now take it AFTRA ! It will be a better deal than you could get on your own ! WE BOTH NEED EACH OTHER NOW !!!!!!

    Peggy Lane O’Rourke

    Comment by Peggy Lane O'Rourke — April 13, 2008 @ 11:26 pm

  2. If AFTRA does not give up its ego and rejoin with SAG, it is a complete failure of a union to all actors. It is not the time for AFTRA to stand alone but rather the time to think about its membership — something which will take some effort, seeing as how AFTRA has not thought about its membership for some time now.

    Comment by Working Actor — April 14, 2008 @ 7:32 am

  3. My advice: one union united in solidarity. I learned this from the writers strike when SAG joined them on the picket line and said “We’re all in this together.”

    Comment by T. Barnes — April 14, 2008 @ 11:18 am

  4. All this division, between AFTRA & SAG, inside SAG over the whole “qualified voting” is the last thing they needed as they both enter important negotiations with the AMPTP.

    It’s like two guys daring each other into sticking their bloody feet into a pool of piranhas, and then blaming each other when they pull out bloody stumps.

    Comment by Furious D — April 14, 2008 @ 11:51 am

  5. Though affected member voting would have strengthened us at the table, it does not compare with having both unions fighting for us and not with each other. Urge whomever you can to get AFTRA to accept this offer. The irony is, that right now, SAG needs AFTRA more than the reverse.

    Comment by Todd Waring — April 14, 2008 @ 12:21 pm

  6. HOW AFTRA SHOULD ACCEPT SAG’S INVITATION TO REJOIN AMPTP TALKS:

    As a SAG & AFTRA member sickened and profoundly disappointed by the past twelve months of anti-union AFTRA-bashing and Phase One-gutting carried out by the current elected Hollywood SAG leadership and their Executive Director, I would urge SAG Leadership to prostrate themselves in an abject, face-to-the-floor, duncecap-to-the-head posture and issue a sincere apology to all SAG & AFTRA members –- wording to be approved by the AFTRA Strategy Cabinet — and sent to the entire membership of both unions and placed in the trades…That’s all I ask.

    Bill Ratner, working SAG & AFTRA member since 1981.

    Comment by working SAG/AFTRA Actor — April 14, 2008 @ 1:08 pm

  7. What a dumbass publicity stunt by Membership First. They know that’s not possible in 72 hours even if AFTRA’s leadership wanted to do it - so what it all is must be a stupid ploy to try to get the Peggy O’Rourkes of the world to go, “Oh thank god” not understanding that it’s just more BS from the Membership First dorks who got us into this mess in the first place.

    Comment by T.Obvious — April 14, 2008 @ 2:49 pm

  8. I read about this actually on backstage.com in their actor’s union news section…this needs to be resolved for the sake of all actors..people don’t realize that only a small portion of actors are the “brad pitts” and “cameron diazs” of the industry and a lot of them are struggling to get by.

    Comment by Read actor's union news — April 14, 2008 @ 4:31 pm

  9. For those of you that are willing to go into battle with SAG leadership leading the way…

    Understand that SAG & AFTRA WILL NOT BE NEGOTIATING JOINTLY AT THIS POINT IN THE GAME! This is a public relations press release intended to rile up support within SAG. Not only is it inconcievable to mend the fences with AFTRA at this point, if it were a genuine request it would be done privately directly to AFTRA leadership not publicly! So recognize the leadership you swear by is spending time planning stunt press releases on the eve of negotiations with the AMPTP.

    Instead of focusing on negotiations they are laying the foundation for blaming AFTRA for their impending blunder of contract negotiations.

    Comment by Intrigued — April 14, 2008 @ 5:43 pm

  10. What a cynical sick joke
    this “invitation” is -
    tossed off in the last five minutes
    of a two-day plenary.
    SAG Hollywood’s “leadership”
    will get everything they deserve -
    including getting booted out of office
    if the SAG Hollywood membership
    gets off it’s complacent butt.

    Comment by Bill Gray — April 14, 2008 @ 10:11 pm

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