The Wrap: Membership First = “Radicals”
It’s the first time we’ve seen a publication put it so bluntly. Â A post authored by veteran Hollywood media scribe Lauren Horwitch repeatedly calls the SAG National Board majority “moderates,” and then moves on to Membership First:
“The radicals argue that the contract endorses non-union work because it does not cover all made-for-Internet content, but only those that employ union workers and/or are budgeted over $15,000 per minute or $30,000 total.” (sic – actually it’s $300,000 total.)
Hi guys,
I’m actually not the first one to refer to the dominant SAG faction as “moderate” and Membership First as “radicals.” Variety, Steven Diamond, Jonathan Handel, others have used those descriptors.
Thanks for linking to the article and thanks very much for correcting my error regarding the new-media budget.
Best,
Lauren
I truly wish the current SAG Leadership was using all their energy and resources to bolster the Membership’s resolve. All I see is a lot of time and money wasted on bad quality videos starring actors and producers reading off of a teleprompter. The lame “yes” campaign has yet to refute anything the “NO” campaign is preaching. “Yes” campaign = Non-union. “NO” campaign = Union.
Radicals is just one term that applies. I have heard several reports of outright verbal abuse and harassment outside of 5757 where a few intimimdatingly large guys verbaly go after anyone who says they voted yes. It’s no surprise.
Membership First believes in democracy and diplomacy only reveal themselves on days with no “y” in them. They want what they want, and they plan to get it…using or abusing Roberts Rules in meetings, using/abusing the power of a chair in a meeting, intimidating, threatening, voter fraud in the board room, misinforming, lying, inflamming, and violating labor law. If that doesn’t work they sue.
It’s time the members reading this site start getting off their duppas and vote YES on the contract…then this summer vote NO of MF.
Cory wrote:
“the “NO†campaign is preaching. “Yes†campaign = Non-union. “NO†campaign = Union.”
Same tired old line that Rosenberg or anyone else might use when they are losing power. Bush used it when he said “you’re either with us , or against us”. Actually a statement like this is against participation in the Union unless you agree with the leaders – and THAT is not only anti union but anti mebership too Cory. Just more MF backwards thinking IMO.
if radical means extreme and completely focused on one ideology, we’d only have to look at most of the Vote No posts on other blogs [such as Ms. Finke's blog -- wow some of the comments are frightening in their hate speech] to see that the most vocal Vote No contingent is definitely radical. And to be fair I said MOST not ALL; there are people voting no whose heads don’t “explode” in their posted comments.
When that hate speech printed in a blog is taken a step further and it is done face to face, and then threats are added to that, we as a union have become a street gang. I didn’t join a street gang. I’m and actor and I pay dues to be in an ACTORS’ UNION.
Somehow this radical behavior has to stop. I wish I knew how we get this resolved as a union and make peace but from here, I don’t know how we will do it.