Basic Cable Ballots in the Mail
You should get your ballot no later than tomorrow on the tentative Basic Cable Contract. An e-mail from Interim NED David White included a link to the contract summary on the SAG website.
The contract is not controversial, and was approved by a 95% to 5% margin by the National Board. It carries 3.5% annual increases, retroactive to June.
Unfortunately, in the future there will be hardly any SAG prime time basic cable TV shows. Why would producers go with SAG when AFTRA is offering exhibition windows, on actors residuals? Film, which is the only reason a producer must use SAG, is disappearing in the realm of TV, as a method of performance capture.
AFTRA is refusing to jointly negotiate basic cable under phase one. AFTRA has effectively reduced actors compensation, to gain market share, in the area of basic cable. The alternative is to believe that every basic cable show covered by AFTRA, would’ve gone to Canada if not for exhibition windows. I’m still waiting to hear of any scripted prime time basic cable show, covered by AFTRA, that never had exhibition windows. I convinced none exist. There is no question that AFTRA underbid SAG, in basic cable.
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Admin. Comment – Maybe you missed it. Phase One doesn’t exist. Maybe you also missed it: there is no AMPTP that bargains for all the cable producers. But most of all you seem to have missed that SAG has a contract.
But the big thing that you didn’t miss, but pretend to ignore, is that producers aren’t running from SAG because of rates. They’ve run from SAG because of Membership First and the Allens.
They don’t want to deal with an unstable union or what they see as the lunatic fringe of the labor movement. That’s why they’re paying more to actors working AFTRA Exhibit A contracts instead of doing deals under the lower rates in the SAG TV-Theatrical contract.
You also don’t seem to understand that both SAG and AFTRA have a long and complex history of adjusting their contracts in order to “undercut” each others’ jurisdiction in television – sometimes to the benefit of a union, but almost always injurious to some portion of their membership. One good reason that these two entities should merge into one union is that this practice would stop.
You are mistaken when you state that “AFTRA is refusing to jointly negotiate basic cable” with SAG. In the last basic cable negotiations AFTRA asked to jointly negotiate and SAG refused them.
Where – and/or from whom – are you getting your information?
Do you realize that AFTRA has historically made efforts to organize new areas of production & distribution such as basic cable and SAG has not?
Do you realize that the entire proceeds of the new AFTRA fee increase for joining has been exclusively earmarked for organizing purposes?
“AFTRA is refusing to jointly negotiate basic cable under phase one.”
Is this referring to the “Sallie Weaver memo” that you believe exists because Alan Rosenberg mentioned it in an interview, when he was challenged about the negotiations by Rebecca Reardon? You do realize that no one has ever seen it, and even in its darkest days, MF has never offered it again as “proof” of AFTRA’s low down ways. It was obviously a off-the-cuff fabrication meant to divert the direction of the discussion, and I think you’re the only one desperate enough to keep the urban legend alive.
What AFTRA actually refused was Rosenberg/Allen’s “offer” that AFTRA observe the basic cable negotiations without actually participating. As AFTRA was not given the option to “jointly negotiate,” the result of separate negotiations is nobody’s responsibility but MF.
Tom says:
“You are mistaken when you state that “AFTRA is refusing to jointly negotiate basic cable†with SAG. In the last basic cable negotiations AFTRA asked to jointly negotiate and SAG refused them.”
-Years ago when AFTRA had virtually no prime time basic cable series, that was the case. Remember the only type of TV show AFTRA covered, up until a few year ago, in prime time, were sitcoms. Joan of Arcadia was when the big change occurred. Just like when AFTRA negotiates the Network Code, AFTRA invites SAG to observe but not participate. SAG invited AFTRA as participants for the last two basic cable contracts.
Where – and/or from whom – are you getting your information?”
-I’m getting my information from the SAG president and the AFTRA NED and SAG NED. I’m happy to provide documentation.
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Ed. Comment – “Negotiate?” With whom? What you don’t seem to understand is that the basic cable contracts are not negotiated on a group basis.
Which also avoids the issue of which SAG President and which SAG NED.
Fred, if the “Sallie Weaver memo†is too ephemeral for you to accept. Perhaps you would accept the current AFTRA NED’s letter, from February 8, 2008.
In it, she states the following:
“As we confirmed during our meeting on Tuesday, the Phase One Agreement as it was originally written, includes Non-Broadcast/Industrial, Prime-Time TV(Exhibit A)/TV-Theatrical, TV and Radio Commercials, Public Television, Basic Cable. Note, as we discussed, there are legal issues that you and I should discuss directly pertaining to existing basic cable agreements.”
“All that said, assuming SAG returns to the Phase One Agreement, AFTRA understands that each of the aforementioned areas would be included within the terms of Phase One and we would operate on that basis.”
Fred, beside the Admin. protestations to the contrary (“Phase One doesn’t exist”), Phase One is alive and well. The recently negotiated and ratified Commercial Contract is proof. SAG and AFTRA have returned to Phase One.
Kim Hedgpeth said -”each of the aforementioned areas[which would include Basic Cable] would be included within the terms of Phase One and we would operate on that basis.” AFTRA has not kept its word.
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Ed. Response – Incorrect, as usual. It’s not about keeping one’s word. It’s about #1) Phase 1 being dead; #2) there being no entity with which to negotiate basic cable.
Phase 1 (to merger) is over. It doesn’t appear to be coming back.
What happened in Commercials was not Phase 1. It was a joint negotiation under the rules of Phase 1. There’s a difference…try to understand it.
Your embrace of the MF mythology is getting in the way of you looking to the future. It’s nice that you still believe there was a “Sallie Weaver memo,” but the fantasy is clearly getting in the way of dealing with the facts.
““All that said, assuming SAG returns to the Phase One Agreement, AFTRA understands that each of the aforementioned areas would be included within the terms of Phase One and we would operate on that basis.â€
That’s exactly the point, Mike. The assumption that SAG would return to Phase One was unwarranted. SAG imposed new conditions on the basic cable negotiations that hadn’t been there before. That’s whatkilled Phase One, and the folks who killed it were, horror of horrors, SAG.
You really ought to think about what you’re quoting before you quote it.
mike: “I’m getting my information from the SAG president and the AFTRA NED and SAG NED. I’m happy to provide documentation.”
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Ed. Comment: “Which also avoids the issue of which SAG President and which SAG NED.”
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Tom: “Buh-DUM-dum!”
Fred says:
“SAG imposed new conditions on the basic cable negotiations that hadn’t been there before.”
What “new conditions” were placed on Basic Cable negotiations? No joint SAG/AFTRA Basic Cable negotiation ever occurred. What “new conditions” could there be?
The only impediment to joint basic cable negotiations that AFTRA’s NED mentions, are “existing” AFTRA Basic Cable contracts. AFTRA’s NED: -(“legal issues that you and I should discuss directly pertaining to existing basic cable agreements.â€)
Fred, I assume that the only person that could verify to your satisfaction, that Sallie Weaver did in fact write a memo, stating that she in fact DID invite AFTRA to participate in the Basic Cable negotiations with SAG, which were in fact done with the AMPTP representing the various Basic Cable producers, is Sallie Weaver. You obviously think Alan Rosenberg lied, when he said as much on the radio. Fine. Sallie Weaver has posted on this blog, perhaps she is the only person that can verify Alan Rosenberg’s claim. She has a blog which has been described as “excellent” by SAGwatch. Why not ask Sallie Weaver?
Ed. said:
“Which also avoids the issue of which SAG President”
Alan Rosenberg continues to serve out his second term. There has been no change in the SAG Presidency.
Mike said:
“Alan Rosenberg continues to serve out his second term.”
Sorry Mike, Alan has never served anyone but himself and a few cronies. The legacy of his tenure as President of SAG will be remembered for how destructive it was to the members.
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Ed. Comment – On that, Mike’s right. Rosenberg is redefining the adjective “lame” in “lame duck.”
You ask Weaver. I don’t need to. I’ve got the word of people who were there about what happened. I’ve talked to people who were involved in the cable negotiation process and this is what they tell me:
SAG would only “jointly negotiate” the basic cable contract with AFTRA in the room if AFTRA agreed to simply be there as an observer, not as a participant. AFTRA refused this condition.
Rosenberg cited the “Weaver memo” to dispute Reardon’s assertion that AFTRA was only invited to observe. Either the memo doesn’t exist, or it doesn’t dispute this, or Rosenberg misinterpreted it unintentionally or he misinterpreted it intentionally. Your choice.
Oddly enough, no one other than Rosenberg has ever claimed to see this memo, even though it would have been wonderful ammunition during the anti-AFTRA campaign as it would have been “proof” of AFTRA’s ulterior motives. Doesn’t that strike you as peculiar that no one “leaked” this memo to Arlin Miller?
You believe it exists because you heard Rosenberg say it exists. I say it doesn’t because no one else has ever seen it, or cited it.
You know, Mike, it really doesn’t matter if it exists. If you dispute that SAG would only negotiate with AFTRA in the room only if AFTRA agreed to observe, you’re going against the personal recollections of people who were there. What have you got to say that wasn’t what went down?
Believe it or not I agree. Under Alan Rosenberg, whom I believe had good intentions, SAG has had its worst year ever. If you measure it by how much jurisdiction and money SAG lost and the fact that AFTRA prime time contacts, now pay MORE than SAG! Alan Rosenberg was like a chess player that didn’t know the game was over and that he had been checkmated, when AFTRA ratified their Exhibit A contract. All that year of SAG holding out did, was hand all the pilots and the new prime time shows to AFTRA. I don’t know what he was thinking. I’m glad he’s not running.
You know what they say about good intentions.