In response to AFTRA chair of the steering committee Matt Kimbrough's claim that the joint resolution with SAG was "erroneous" (but admitted approving it), SAG national president Alan Rosenberg released this statement today:
"On a daily basis for the last six weeks, members of the Hollywood SAG-AFTRA Wages and Working Conditions Committee have worked diligently and with great solidarity, to prepare proposals for the upcoming TV/Theatrical contract negotiation. Screen Actors Guild facilitated making public a statement unanimously adopted by that committee on Friday, at its request. The Committee is made up of dozens of SAG and AFTRA members, is chaired by both unions, and represents the interests of 75,000 actors.
"The statement is that of the joint committee, as adopted, without editorial comment from SAG. The resolution was unanimously adopted at a meeting co-chaired by Matt Kimbrough with his support. The language of the resolution was shared with senior staff of both unions and was adopted without objection from either union's staff.
"It is perplexing that an AFTRA national officer would repudiate a statement of unity, support for the process of working together and confidence in the leadership of both unions. It is up to Matt Kimbrough to explain why he has repudiated the work of his own members engaged in the process of preparing for negotiation."
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This statement by Alan Rosenberg is a cover for the simple fact that he and his NED Doug Allen have NO discernable strategy for success in the upcoming negotiations other than delay. Delay, of course, risks dissolving whatever political capital the courageous strike by the WGA created for its brothers and sisters in the Actors Guild.
While Rosenberg and Allen make a pretense of soliciting member input into bargaining demands, they already outlined their entire set of demands in their preemptive and pointless letter condemning the press release (not the actual contract) from the DGA announcing its settlement terms. Those DGA terms were built upon the backs of the writers who were walking picket lines every day in subfreezing weather in New York and elsewhere. Yet, Rosenberg and Allen were quick to trash them. In doing so, they were playing on the understandable fear and anxiety that runs deep within the SAG membership - a membership that does not trust the agents, producers and corporate lawyers who seem to have such corrosive power over their creative lives.
But instead of developing a serious, concrete long term strategy to change the balance of power in the industry, they are playing a game of faux militancy that is very likely unable to achieve much more than what the DGA and WGA achieved and perhaps will find itself on strike in the dog days of summer unable to even achieve that much. No wonder AFTRA sees an opening here - AFTRA may be a classic business union, run more by its staff than its members but that does not mean it is not indeed capable of exploiting the ineffectual paranoid style of the current Guild leadership.
Comment by Btraven — March 2, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
So should I donate to the strike fund now?
It is incredibly depressing that when SAG and AFTRA should be preparing to face the AMPTP (sooner than later) they are busy infighting.
I feel bad for the assistants, PAs, script supervisors, caterers, hair dressers and others who will become strike casualties yet again.
Comment by Elliott — March 2, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
Dear Btraven:
Truer words were never spoken.
Comment by Tom — March 2, 2008 @ 11:30 pm
I wanna know WHY I am still paying dues to TWO guilds!
I am soooo over SAG. Both should have merged 4 years ago. I am sick to death of the whiny babies hijacking this Union.
Comment by F — March 3, 2008 @ 1:37 am
The real question should be the resolution itself.
1. The resolution addresses not just what the W&W Ctte will do, but how the Negotiating Ctte and Joint National Boards will address the timing of the negs - i.e., for Rosenberg & Allen, the timing will NOT be directed by outside input from movie stars or pressure from the strike-weary industry to keep it working.
2. The W&W is an APPOINTED Ctte, NOT elected…..who died and made them able to establish Board Policy???
Allen’s negotiating strategy is brinkmanship, which says you don’t go in until the negotiations are up against the June 30 deadline. That’s one school of thought….maybe for plumbers. But NOT in a town where projects don’t get green-lighted if labor peace is not assured for the time it will take to shoot it.
This resolution is about internal SAG politics and its NED.
Comment by Connie — March 3, 2008 @ 4:09 am
What’s perplexing is how Rosenberg can’t figure out that there’s no such thing as the Hollywood SAG-AFTRA Joint Wages and Working Conditions Committee.
Comment by Tobvious — March 3, 2008 @ 6:40 am
gee, more sabre rattling. more of you are with us or you are a traitor. boy , i am glad that i don’y have these guys in charge of my union. i would be VERY afraid. NO SUPPPORT. NO RESPECT.
Comment by greg o — March 3, 2008 @ 6:47 am
Just the fact that both SAG and AFTRA leadership are pointing fingers at each other publicly through press releases shows there are quite deep divisions between them. When they can’t even call each other and instead resort to public bickering the situation has gone well past the stage of resolution behind closed doors.
Comment by Eric — March 3, 2008 @ 9:44 am
With contract negotiations coming up, and with the AMPTP’s members not publicly deriding each other, the common interests of both SAG and AFTRA are best served by girding their loins in preparation for battle against a common enemy.
If we want a fair contract, it is the responsibility of members of both unions to encourage our leaders to work together. The alternative? Both unions come out of this on the other side of June 30 weaker and possibly demoralized, which serves nobody on the labor side of this equation.
Comment by mheister — March 3, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
“I am sick to death of the whiny babies hijacking this Union.”
‘Nuff said.
And yes, I am still post-producing.
Comment by Post Production Guy — March 3, 2008 @ 8:23 pm
These are the clowns that are supposed to keep us out of another strike? Really?
Comment by tv editor — March 3, 2008 @ 10:52 pm