AFTRA Again Kick’s SAG To The Curb This Pilot Season

With reports stating 70 of the 80 pilots ordered by networks this season are covered by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, a merger between AFTRA and the Screen Actors Guild seems questionable. In 2008, 90% of pilots were covered by SAG, so this year will mark the third year of decline for the Guild.

SAG President Ken Howard, who is pro-merger and is influential over the national and Hollywood division boardrooms, jointly negotiated TV-theatrical and network-code contracts, and made the possiblity of a merger between SAG and AFTRA a  fore-front issue. During January’s SAG Awards, Howard said he hoped the two unions would merge before next year’s awards.