Campaign Watch: The Allens Send A Labor Day Message
The Allens have sent out their first salvo on the strike referendum trial balloon in the form of a Labor Day message. Stretching the limits of propriety during an election campaign, the message, we’re sure, wasn’t *really* intended to push people to responding one way or another on the election.
It offers another glimpse into the mindset of the Membership First group. “Standing up to the studios” and “fighting for what’s fair” are the key phrase, not “getting the best possible contract…”
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August 29, 2008
Dear Screen Actors Guild Member:
As Labor Day approaches, please take a moment to consider the extraordinary contributions of the founders of our Guild who, 75 years ago, put courage and conviction to the test in creating this union. Standing up to studios has never been easy. For our founders in 1933, it was really tough, but strength, unity and commitment to the goal won out and Screen Actors Guild was incorporated June 30, 1933.
Within only a few years, Screen Actors Guild had secured its first contract and nearly a century of protections for union actors. While much has changed over the years, some things remain the same: Screen Actors Guild is a powerful voice for working actors and Screen Actors Guild stands up to the studios and networks to fight for what’s fair for actors.
This is what Labor Day commemorates — the dedication, commitment and tremendous courage of labor unions and union members throughout history. It is a tribute to our first president, Ralph Morgan and to other guild leaders like former president James Cagney and board member Humphrey Bogart, but Labor Day is also a tribute to you. It is a day set aside to honor all unions, but for us, it is an opportunity to honor SAG and the 120,000 members who reside within it.
Our efforts to reach agreement with industry representatives continue and SAG’s negotiators want to hear from you about your thoughts on the TV/Theatrical contract negotiations and Screen Actors Guild’s bargaining priorities. You will be receiving an important publication from SAG over the next several days. This Special Bulletin was mailed to all members across the country this week. The publication contains comprehensive information about our negotiations. Please look for your copy to arrive in your mailbox in the next several days.
As you may have heard or read, the Bulletin also includes a post card with which to mail back your response to the material presented. When your Bulletin arrives, please read it carefully and send back your completed response card. Your input is valuable and welcome.
Also, remember that the SAG.org website is undergoing some major programming enhancements and will be unavailable for most of the weekend. This code enhancement will improve the speed and reliability of our web communications and most members will experience an improvement in site performance and functionality.
We hope you enjoy the holiday and the last, long summer weekend. Make sure you read your Bulletin when it arrives and send us your thoughts on the perforated post card you will find in your publication.
Happy Labor Day.
In strength and unity,
Alan Rosenberg
President
Connie Stevens
Secretary Treasurer
Doug Allen
National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator
you guys are going down…
mayday! mayday!
Considering what a disaster these idiots have been for our great Union, I would suggest the most fitting way to celebrate Labor Day would be for all the Membership First bozos to don orange jumpsuits and sweep our parks and streets for dog poop and “scumbags:”.
“standing up to the studios…fighting for what’s fair…”
Sound like they hired a political consultant. I’ve seen hundreds of campaign scripts with the same buzzwords.
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Ed. Response – They did. Sitrick.
“…and send us your thoughts on the perforated post card you will find in your publication.”
I hope there’s enough room on the card for those thoughts.
I mean besides where we get to check YES or NO to “Have you stopped beating your wife?”
The contract flyer, which was never finally apporved by any committee or board, tells you what a great job they’re doing, why AFTRA is the devile (it’s all their fauly, we didn;t do anything), borderlines of electioneering for incumbants) and tell you how awful the deal on the table is. Then it asks what would you like us to do? Talk about a push-poll….I hope everyone has the good sense to just toss the whole thing.
Absolutely a campaign ploy…
If they were truly interested in keeping members informed of the state of negotiations and reciving member feedback, they would have done this months ago before they decided on their own to allow the contract to expire and leave their working members without a contract.
And…the other issues…the postcards are “supposedly” bar coded to prevent duplicate or bogus mailings. Does this mean they’ll know how you vote ? And who is monitoring the votes…how many will be really recieved…and how were members really vote?…Tune in next week to the same Bat-station…..
My inclination is to write something on the postcard along the lines of, “I refuse to participate in this PR exercise. Send us the actual offer and let us vote on it properly.”
VG
I was just going to use it as a coaster.
Hi,
“Letters to Sagwatch” isn’t a button I push often, and I just saw a letter from Liz Zazzi there that some here would probably really appreciate… relevant to this thread.
Just didn’t want it to slip by, unnoticed.
Happy Sunday!
M
New Media in the New Today
Several internet suppliers are now enforcing download limits – some are generous, such as Comcast, some allow 1/6th of that – but the principle is becoming clear, they are going to impose limits on downloads which will make sending big files like music and film more expensive.
I’ve read the Canadian government has before it a bill to further restrict the internet. You will subscribe to a set of websites, much like cable – and each time you visit a site outside that group, you will be charged. Visit SAGwatch – pay a fee. Many websites would lose a lot of current traffic and be forced to fold, what advertisers would support a website you had to pay a fee to reach. I don’t believe that will pass this time but the intent is clear, and you can bet the idea came from the media bosses.
I cite these two trends to show that the bosses are trying to reshape the internet. Frankly, I won’t buy it – it’s just cable with a mouse. I predict if they succeeded, you’d have an “Alternet”: arise, perhaps text only and dialup at first. But if any of these trends take root and grow, it will certainly affect any contracts we write now in those areas. So shall we build a fort or a ship?
Aren’t we waiting for a new media study concerning commercials? Can you extrapolate any of its conclusions to the current theatrical negotiation? Has it been delivered and not distributed to the Board?
Ed – I found your citation very clear on the subject – a fraction of 1% at best is new media – and that’s what we’ve given up 15 million for to date, no wonder actors can’t balance their checkbooks. The Ed is a very good example of the more gentlemanly debate I seek – he inserts his fork into the puff pastry and deflates it deftly.
again – can’t you people read?
variety:
“lehman brothers just released a doom and gloom report that sent entertainment stocks plummeting, that said the traditional movie and tv models were threatened by a surge in internet distribution.”
hellooo?
let’s NOT be part of the surge! genius!
to say “we’ve given up 15 million to date?” is so dumb, considering the catastrophic consequences of giving away new media, which you all are clamoring to do.
and – it’s about time someone pointed this out – you have about 10 bloggers, all anti-mf, and yourself editor. that’s it. that’s IT! I’ve been blogging here for weeks – and it’s the same 10 guys.
do you really, here at sagwatch, think you are representative of ANYTHING – let alone the sentiment of the 120,000 members of the screen actors guild?
There’s that buzzzing sound again….
the zzzzzz thing is not helping. you look foolish. it’s like (fingers in ears “nyah -nyah, na -nyah-nyah!”
Ah, more projection.
scooper pooper
see above
bzzzzzzzz