After being separate entities for over 70 years, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have initiated merger talks. Representatives from the two sides, which represent around 300,000 working performing artists combined, met this past weekend at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Six work groups were formed at the meeting, with each charged with discussing various aspects of the potential merger, including but not limited to organizational structure, finances, health and retirement benefits, pensions, staff, member education, outreach and collective bargaining. Together, the two groups have become known as “The Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA Group for One Union” and will meet again in late August in New York City.
“We applaud the members and staff of our two unions for their incredible solidarity and vision during this intense and substantive weekend,” said SAG President Ken Howard and AFTRA President Roberta Reardon in a joint statement. “We know the members of the successor union will be well served by their diligent and hard work during the months to come.”
Many of us in SAG do not want the merger !!! What gives Ken Howard the right to spend our Union dues money on hotels and airfare etc !!!!There are so many problems unaddressed within SAG that need to be dealt with FIRST !!! Ken howard cannot effectively represent SAG members and he now wants to merge with another union !!!! Clean up your house in SAG FIRST Ken !!! And stop spending Union money to push your own agenda !!! if you want to travel the country convincing SAG members to vote for merger USE YOUR OWN MONEY !!! NOT MINE !!!
There are so many actors that have not been paid from SAG films that ran out of funds and then started another company to get another SAG contract that left crew and actors with bounced checks that ken has not addressed and continues to allow these people to obtain SAG contracts to produce/finance further SAG films with funds that are owed to actors and crew..put your own house in order first ken..before you try and move more people into your present house…And there are dozens of other issues ken has not addressed within SAG !!!
You disgrace this union (SAG) with your presence Ken !!!!!
My past experiences with AFTRA(the request that I become ficore- the STORE fiasco -phase one-2010W&W-interactive/new media contracts-contract non enforcements-OLMS to obtain a ballot petition -undue AFTRA influence by dual card holders in the SAG board room,negotiations ,jurisdictional poaching-special side letters-no access to actors contracts-authorized signatory paymaster exemptions. How could you trust them for a fair shake with SAG on the G1 committee?. with 3047 presidential votes and a dissimilar board room votes ,was there something amiss? I should have had 15% not 13.3% of the vote…but there’s more important issues ahead..