In a win for animation voice actors, SAG-AFTRA members have voted to ratify a new three-year deal for television animation. In the new deal, voice actors are given wage increases and protection against AI replication of their voices.
The ratification vote came in at over 95.5% of members in support of the new agreement.
Under the new deal, voice actors (VAs) will receive a seven percent wage increase in the first year of the contract, which is retroactive to July 1, 2023. Then, they will receive a four percent increase for year two and a three-and-a-half percent increase for year three.
Regarding AI, a big concern has been studios replicating a voice actor’s voice to utilize in other projects without knowledge or compensation. It seems that they won that as well, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, “voice actor” is now a term that can only be used with human actors. The...
The ratification vote came in at over 95.5% of members in support of the new agreement.
Under the new deal, voice actors (VAs) will receive a seven percent wage increase in the first year of the contract, which is retroactive to July 1, 2023. Then, they will receive a four percent increase for year two and a three-and-a-half percent increase for year three.
Regarding AI, a big concern has been studios replicating a voice actor’s voice to utilize in other projects without knowledge or compensation. It seems that they won that as well, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, “voice actor” is now a term that can only be used with human actors. The...
- 3/24/2024
- by Kambrea Pratt
- Pirates & Princesses
SAG-AFTRA members have ratified new three-year television animation contracts covering voice actors, the first to tackle the threat of artificial intelligence.
In a ratification vote that ended on Friday, 95.52 percent of members voted to support the Television Animation Agreement and the Basic Cable Animation Agreement deal reached by union negotiators and 4.48 percent voted against the deal. The performers’ union first announced that a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on the contracts had been reached on Feb. 21.
“The foundation of this agreement was based on the feedback we got from members who work these contracts, and that remained the negotiating committee’s focus throughout bargaining. We are proud to have delivered an agreement that offers big wins in those areas,” TV animation negotiating committee co-chairs Bob Bergen and David Jolliffe said in a statement.
The new deal provides for seven percent wage increases in the...
In a ratification vote that ended on Friday, 95.52 percent of members voted to support the Television Animation Agreement and the Basic Cable Animation Agreement deal reached by union negotiators and 4.48 percent voted against the deal. The performers’ union first announced that a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on the contracts had been reached on Feb. 21.
“The foundation of this agreement was based on the feedback we got from members who work these contracts, and that remained the negotiating committee’s focus throughout bargaining. We are proud to have delivered an agreement that offers big wins in those areas,” TV animation negotiating committee co-chairs Bob Bergen and David Jolliffe said in a statement.
The new deal provides for seven percent wage increases in the...
- 3/23/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to approve a new TV animation contract, the guild announced Friday.
The new animation voice acting agreement was ratified by 95.52%, the guild said; total voter turnout was not revealed.
The new contract includes a 7% raise, backdated to July 1, 2023, as well as protections against so-called “artificial intelligence” software, according to the guild.
According to a summary published Friday by SAG-AFTRA, the AI provisions define the term “voice acting” as only pertaining to human beings. While the deal doesn’t forbid the use of AI to replicate human voices, the recognizability requirement that applies to performers’ rights has been adjusted to account for the fact voice actors often use voices unlike their own, the guild said.
Among those adjustments, the digital replica must “be readily identifiable and attributable to the voice actor through contracts or other regular business records, and it doesn’t have to sound like...
The new animation voice acting agreement was ratified by 95.52%, the guild said; total voter turnout was not revealed.
The new contract includes a 7% raise, backdated to July 1, 2023, as well as protections against so-called “artificial intelligence” software, according to the guild.
According to a summary published Friday by SAG-AFTRA, the AI provisions define the term “voice acting” as only pertaining to human beings. While the deal doesn’t forbid the use of AI to replicate human voices, the recognizability requirement that applies to performers’ rights has been adjusted to account for the fact voice actors often use voices unlike their own, the guild said.
Among those adjustments, the digital replica must “be readily identifiable and attributable to the voice actor through contracts or other regular business records, and it doesn’t have to sound like...
- 3/23/2024
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
A group of A-list actors led by George Clooney presented a proposal to SAG-AFTRA leadership during a Tuesday afternoon Zoom call in an effort to find a way to resolve the three-month-old actors strike with the studios. But the proposal is likely dead on arrival.
Sources with knowledge of the situation say the group of some 15 stars, which includes Tyler Perry and Scarlett Johansson, held a follow-up call last night with SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee. “It didn’t go well,” says one of the sources, adding that the committee “didn’t see the validity” of the group’s proposal.
After Tuesday’s Zoom, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland met with the union’s negotiating committee to discuss the stars’ proposal, which called for removing the cap on dues in a bid to bring more than $50 million to the union annually and $150 million over three years. They...
Sources with knowledge of the situation say the group of some 15 stars, which includes Tyler Perry and Scarlett Johansson, held a follow-up call last night with SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee. “It didn’t go well,” says one of the sources, adding that the committee “didn’t see the validity” of the group’s proposal.
After Tuesday’s Zoom, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland met with the union’s negotiating committee to discuss the stars’ proposal, which called for removing the cap on dues in a bid to bring more than $50 million to the union annually and $150 million over three years. They...
- 10/19/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel and Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
SAG-AFTRA members re-elected Fran Drescher as their president with a landslide victory Friday. It’s a firm nod of confidence in “The Nanny” star as the actors union’s strike hit 56 days.
Drescher, 65, won a second term with 81.4% of the vote while beating Maya Gilbert-Dunbar, actress and the wife of “9-1-1” star Rockmond Dunbar. Gilbert-Dunbar took 18.6% of the vote.
In the race for secretary-treasurer, Joely Fisher received 70.3% while her opponent, Peter Antico, had 29.7%.
“These are dynamic times,” Drescher said in a statement. “And as one member body, we will weather the storms, stand on our principles and make sure our major contributions to this collaborative art form shall never again be diminished but rather be exalted.
“I want all members to be equal in all ways and I will continue to fight against marginalization and discrimination within our union, from our employers and the world at large,” said Drescher,...
Drescher, 65, won a second term with 81.4% of the vote while beating Maya Gilbert-Dunbar, actress and the wife of “9-1-1” star Rockmond Dunbar. Gilbert-Dunbar took 18.6% of the vote.
In the race for secretary-treasurer, Joely Fisher received 70.3% while her opponent, Peter Antico, had 29.7%.
“These are dynamic times,” Drescher said in a statement. “And as one member body, we will weather the storms, stand on our principles and make sure our major contributions to this collaborative art form shall never again be diminished but rather be exalted.
“I want all members to be equal in all ways and I will continue to fight against marginalization and discrimination within our union, from our employers and the world at large,” said Drescher,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Jeremy Bailey
- The Wrap
Updated with L.A. Local results: Fran Drescher has been re-elected president of SAG-AFTRA in a landslide. Drescher, winning a second two-year term in votes counted Friday, handily defeated independent candidate Maya Gilbert-Dunbar. Drescher received 23,080 votes to Gilbert-Dunbar’s 5,276, with 22.84% of the guild’s 124,477 eligible members casting ballots.
Drescher’s unity slate running mate, Joely Fisher, also won reelection as the guild’s secretary-treasurer, handily defeating independent candidate Peter Antico by a vote of 19,777 to 8,361.
Related: Fran Drescher Mobbed On SAG-AFTRA Picket Lines, Says Studios Are “Doing Bad Things To Good People”
“I am honored to serve my union as president for another term,” Drescher said in a statement. “These are dynamic times and as one member body, we will weather the storms, stand on our principles and make sure our major contributions to this collaborative art form shall never again be diminished but rather be exalted. I want all...
Drescher’s unity slate running mate, Joely Fisher, also won reelection as the guild’s secretary-treasurer, handily defeating independent candidate Peter Antico by a vote of 19,777 to 8,361.
Related: Fran Drescher Mobbed On SAG-AFTRA Picket Lines, Says Studios Are “Doing Bad Things To Good People”
“I am honored to serve my union as president for another term,” Drescher said in a statement. “These are dynamic times and as one member body, we will weather the storms, stand on our principles and make sure our major contributions to this collaborative art form shall never again be diminished but rather be exalted. I want all...
- 9/9/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
A federal judge has dismissed Frances Fisher’s lawsuit against SAG-AFTRA, in which the actress accused the union and several of its former and current leaders of breaching their duty of fair representation over the raising of eligibility requirements for coverage under the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan
. U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder dismissed the suit with prejudice Thursday, meaning that Fisher and her co-plaintiffs cannot refile it. Snyder previously has dismissed the suit without prejudice and allowed Fisher to file an amended complaint.
Fisher, who is first vice president of the union’s Los Angeles Local and a member of its national board of directors, named former SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris, national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, former national executive director David White, chief contracts officer Ray Rodriguez and several other SAG-AFTRA officials as defendants. Other plaintiffs in the case included SAG-AFTRA members David Andrews, Belinda Balaski, Stephen Hart, Raymond Harry Johnson,...
. U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder dismissed the suit with prejudice Thursday, meaning that Fisher and her co-plaintiffs cannot refile it. Snyder previously has dismissed the suit without prejudice and allowed Fisher to file an amended complaint.
Fisher, who is first vice president of the union’s Los Angeles Local and a member of its national board of directors, named former SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris, national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, former national executive director David White, chief contracts officer Ray Rodriguez and several other SAG-AFTRA officials as defendants. Other plaintiffs in the case included SAG-AFTRA members David Andrews, Belinda Balaski, Stephen Hart, Raymond Harry Johnson,...
- 7/30/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Jodi Long Elected President Of SAG-AFTRA’s L.A. Local As MembershipFirst Candidates Win In Landslide
Jodi Long has been elected president of SAG-AFTRA’s Los Angeles local, defeating Yvette Nicole Brown by a vote of 7,154 to 6,096. She succeeds Patricia Richardson as the local’s president.
The L.A. local, which represents nearly half of the union’s entire membership, long has been a stronghold for the MembershipFirst opposition party, which won all three of the local’s officer races, 11 of the 14 open national board seats and 31 of the 41 local board seats reserved for actors and performers. They were the top 10 vote-getters for the national board and the top nine for the local board.
Gabrielle Carteris, who did not seek re-election as national president, was elected as a delegate to the union’s next convention but didn’t make the cut to win one of the 14 national board seats, finishing 16th.
Long, who won a Daytime Emmy this year for her role on Netflix’s Dash & Lily,...
The L.A. local, which represents nearly half of the union’s entire membership, long has been a stronghold for the MembershipFirst opposition party, which won all three of the local’s officer races, 11 of the 14 open national board seats and 31 of the 41 local board seats reserved for actors and performers. They were the top 10 vote-getters for the national board and the top nine for the local board.
Gabrielle Carteris, who did not seek re-election as national president, was elected as a delegate to the union’s next convention but didn’t make the cut to win one of the 14 national board seats, finishing 16th.
Long, who won a Daytime Emmy this year for her role on Netflix’s Dash & Lily,...
- 9/3/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Fran Drescher has been elected president of SAG-AFTRA, in a narrow victory for the faction that has led the union for a dozen years.
Drescher defeated Matthew Modine, who ran on the rival Membership First slate, by a tally of 52.5% to 47.5%.
Meanwhile, Joely Fisher — who was Modine’s running mate on the Membership First slate — won the race for secretary-treasurer, defeating Drescher’s running mate, Anthony Rapp, by a margin of 57.7% to 42.3%.
Drescher will succeed Gabrielle Carteris, who has led the organization since 2016. Best known for her lead role on “The Nanny,” Drescher led the Unite for Strength slate, which has controlled the union since 2009 and is seen as the more moderate of the two factions that dominate the union’s internal politics.
In a campaign video, Drescher said she would bring “positivity and optimism” to her role as union president.
Modine, whose credits include “Full Metal Jacket” and “Stranger Things,...
Drescher defeated Matthew Modine, who ran on the rival Membership First slate, by a tally of 52.5% to 47.5%.
Meanwhile, Joely Fisher — who was Modine’s running mate on the Membership First slate — won the race for secretary-treasurer, defeating Drescher’s running mate, Anthony Rapp, by a margin of 57.7% to 42.3%.
Drescher will succeed Gabrielle Carteris, who has led the organization since 2016. Best known for her lead role on “The Nanny,” Drescher led the Unite for Strength slate, which has controlled the union since 2009 and is seen as the more moderate of the two factions that dominate the union’s internal politics.
In a campaign video, Drescher said she would bring “positivity and optimism” to her role as union president.
Modine, whose credits include “Full Metal Jacket” and “Stranger Things,...
- 9/3/2021
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with: SAG-AFTRA Health Plan statement: The day after former SAG president Ed Asner’s death, a federal judge indicated Monday that she is inclined to allow the class action lawsuit that bears his name to proceed against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and its trustees.
Earlier today, U.S. District Court Judge Christina A. Snyder issued a tentative decision (read it here) that denied the Plan’s motion to dismiss the case. A virtual hearing was then held to allow attorneys from both sides – seven in all – to make arguments about why she should or should not uphold her tentative decision, which will allow for discovery to proceed once it’s made final.
At the end of the hearing, Snyder said that she will look at a few points that the defendants’ attorneys made today, but cautioned that she does “not expect” to make any major changes to her tentative decision.
Earlier today, U.S. District Court Judge Christina A. Snyder issued a tentative decision (read it here) that denied the Plan’s motion to dismiss the case. A virtual hearing was then held to allow attorneys from both sides – seven in all – to make arguments about why she should or should not uphold her tentative decision, which will allow for discovery to proceed once it’s made final.
At the end of the hearing, Snyder said that she will look at a few points that the defendants’ attorneys made today, but cautioned that she does “not expect” to make any major changes to her tentative decision.
- 8/30/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with corrected information (see below): Whoopi Goldberg, Matt Dillon, Mia Farrow, Liam Neeson, Diane Keaton, Mark Hamill, Nick Nolte and George Takei are part of an an all-star lineup of SAG-AFTRA members who have endorsed Matthew Modine for president of the union, and Joely Fisher, his running mate, for secretary-treasurer.
“I’m very happy to say that I’m going to vote for Matt Modine,” Goldberg said in a recent campaign statement video (watch it here). “I’ve known him forever and I just feel like he can get us back to a union that is representing all of us – the very oldest of us and the very newest of us. I’m very grateful that someone is willing to come in and straighten up what many of us are concerned about.”
Said Takei: “SAG-AFTRA needs a change. I have been a dues-paying member of SAG since 1959 and...
“I’m very happy to say that I’m going to vote for Matt Modine,” Goldberg said in a recent campaign statement video (watch it here). “I’ve known him forever and I just feel like he can get us back to a union that is representing all of us – the very oldest of us and the very newest of us. I’m very grateful that someone is willing to come in and straighten up what many of us are concerned about.”
Said Takei: “SAG-AFTRA needs a change. I have been a dues-paying member of SAG since 1959 and...
- 8/6/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
A federal judge has denied actress Frances Fisher’s verified application to file a breach of fiduciary duty complaint against SAG-AFTRA over the raising of eligibility requirements for coverage under the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan. U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder dismissed Fisher’s application Friday without prejudice, however, meaning that she can refile a modified version of the application.
“We expect the claim to go forward with an additional claim being added,” said her attorney, Neville Johnson. “We’re working it out with the other side. We are coming to an agreement.”
The union said in a statement that “In the breach of fiduciary suit case which Frances Fisher was seeking to file against SAG-AFTRA officers and executive staff, the Court has denied her application to file the fiduciary lawsuit at this time. Should a breach of the duty of fair representation suit against the union or a renewed...
“We expect the claim to go forward with an additional claim being added,” said her attorney, Neville Johnson. “We’re working it out with the other side. We are coming to an agreement.”
The union said in a statement that “In the breach of fiduciary suit case which Frances Fisher was seeking to file against SAG-AFTRA officers and executive staff, the Court has denied her application to file the fiduciary lawsuit at this time. Should a breach of the duty of fair representation suit against the union or a renewed...
- 7/31/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
SAG-AFTRA and the AFL-CIO have teamed up to provide two new affordable health plan options to all Medicare-eligible SAG-AFTRA members and their spouses, many of whom might have lost, or are in danger of losing, their union health coverage due to recent changes in the guild’s Health Plan eligibility rules. The Motion Picture & Television Fund and the Actors Fund are administering the application process.
SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said in a joint statement that the new options, which will become available in early July, are being offered through Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which are group Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage.
There are two tiers available for this benefit: the Medicare Advantage Premier Ppo is available for a monthly premium of $198.90 with no annual deductible and full pharmacy gap coverage, and the Medicare Advantage Value Ppo, which is available for...
SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said in a joint statement that the new options, which will become available in early July, are being offered through Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which are group Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage.
There are two tiers available for this benefit: the Medicare Advantage Premier Ppo is available for a monthly premium of $198.90 with no annual deductible and full pharmacy gap coverage, and the Medicare Advantage Value Ppo, which is available for...
- 6/23/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Matthew Modine is running for president of SAG-AFTRA again as the leader of Membership First, the union’s opposition party. Joely Fisher, a former national board member, is running for secretary treasurer as his running mate.
Modine was defeated for the presidency by Gabrielle Carteris in a highly contentious election in 2019. In that race, Carteris received 13,537 votes to Modine’s 10,683, with a third candidate, former SAG-AFTRA secretary-treasurer Jane Austin, receiving 5,048 votes. Only 21.2% of the union’s eligible members cast ballots last time.
“The union spends exorbitant amounts of our own members’ money attempting to convince us that our contracts have been successfully negotiated,” Modine said. “The truth is they fall far short of the economic conditions facing performers today. I’m running to ensure that each of the locals across the United States are truthfully and transparently represented.
“One of the biggest issues on the minds of our membership today...
Modine was defeated for the presidency by Gabrielle Carteris in a highly contentious election in 2019. In that race, Carteris received 13,537 votes to Modine’s 10,683, with a third candidate, former SAG-AFTRA secretary-treasurer Jane Austin, receiving 5,048 votes. Only 21.2% of the union’s eligible members cast ballots last time.
“The union spends exorbitant amounts of our own members’ money attempting to convince us that our contracts have been successfully negotiated,” Modine said. “The truth is they fall far short of the economic conditions facing performers today. I’m running to ensure that each of the locals across the United States are truthfully and transparently represented.
“One of the biggest issues on the minds of our membership today...
- 5/27/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: SAG-AFTRA members attending the Los Angeles local’s membership meeting have voted overwhelmingly to scrap the union’s biennial convention. A motion, approved by 68% of the roughly 250 members who voted, called the convention “a waste of time and a waste of members’ dues.”
This year’s convention will be virtual, so the cost will be relatively minimal, but sources say that the 2019 event cost about $1 million to put on and to fly in several hundred out-of-town delegates and put them up for three days at the Beverly Hilton.
The convention, which is a holdover from AFTRA’s governance structure when it merged with SAG in 2012, gives elected delegates from locals across the country the chance to network, hear speeches from their leaders, vote on resolutions and elect SAG-AFTRA’s executive vice president and seven national vice presidents. The motion to scrap the convention states that those officers “should be elected by the entire membership,...
This year’s convention will be virtual, so the cost will be relatively minimal, but sources say that the 2019 event cost about $1 million to put on and to fly in several hundred out-of-town delegates and put them up for three days at the Beverly Hilton.
The convention, which is a holdover from AFTRA’s governance structure when it merged with SAG in 2012, gives elected delegates from locals across the country the chance to network, hear speeches from their leaders, vote on resolutions and elect SAG-AFTRA’s executive vice president and seven national vice presidents. The motion to scrap the convention states that those officers “should be elected by the entire membership,...
- 3/16/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with videos at bottom: The national board of SAG-AFTRA passed resolutions today requiring that members adhere to the union’s Covid-19 safety protocols and “correcting” what it calls “misrepresentations” about changes to the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan that will go into effect January 1. The latter is aimed at supporters of a class-action lawsuit who accused the Plan’s trustees of making eligibility changes that will fall hardest on older members — a charge that the trustees vehemently deny.
With respect to coronavirus safety protocols, the board passed an amendment to its membership rules saying that “It shall be the duty of every member to fully comply with workplace safety protocols approved by SAG-AFTRA; it shall be the duty of every member to report to the union any violation by a signatory of any of the union’s collective bargaining agreements,” and that “a charge of violation of this rule filed...
With respect to coronavirus safety protocols, the board passed an amendment to its membership rules saying that “It shall be the duty of every member to fully comply with workplace safety protocols approved by SAG-AFTRA; it shall be the duty of every member to report to the union any violation by a signatory of any of the union’s collective bargaining agreements,” and that “a charge of violation of this rule filed...
- 12/14/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The group of dissident actors behind the class action ageism lawsuit filed against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan over its pending benefit cuts have answered the union’s five-point defense of the changes in coverage that will take effect January 1. Both sides are accusing the other of “misleading” the union’s members about the causes of the Plan’s troubles and the changes that they say are needed to rescue it.
Facing staggering deficits, the Plan, which is a separate entity from the union itself, has said that “without restructuring the Health Plans, we are projecting a deficit of $141 million this year and $83 million in 2021, and by 2024 the Health Plan is projected to run out of reserves.”
The Plan’s trustees have projected that some 3,500 performers and 2,800 of their dependents will lose benefits under the restructuring, although the vast majority of them are eligible for coverage under Medicare or Obamacare.
Upcoming...
Facing staggering deficits, the Plan, which is a separate entity from the union itself, has said that “without restructuring the Health Plans, we are projecting a deficit of $141 million this year and $83 million in 2021, and by 2024 the Health Plan is projected to run out of reserves.”
The Plan’s trustees have projected that some 3,500 performers and 2,800 of their dependents will lose benefits under the restructuring, although the vast majority of them are eligible for coverage under Medicare or Obamacare.
Upcoming...
- 12/6/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The board of trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan said today that it will “vigorously contest” a class action lawsuit filed on Tuesday, calling it “entirely without merit.” Facing staggering deficits, the Plan announced in August that it will be raising premiums and earnings thresholds for coverage on January 1 in order to stay afloat, which will remove thousands of current recipients from coverage.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims that the coming benefit changes “illegally discriminate based on age and violate the Age Discrimination and Employment Act of 1967,” and are a breach of fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The 10 named plaintiffs in the suit include former SAG president Ed Asner and David Jolliffe, currently a vice president of the union’s Los Angeles Local – both of whom are leaders of the union’s dissident faction that spearheaded the lawsuit. SAG...
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims that the coming benefit changes “illegally discriminate based on age and violate the Age Discrimination and Employment Act of 1967,” and are a breach of fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The 10 named plaintiffs in the suit include former SAG president Ed Asner and David Jolliffe, currently a vice president of the union’s Los Angeles Local – both of whom are leaders of the union’s dissident faction that spearheaded the lawsuit. SAG...
- 12/5/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
When actor Robert Loggia died in 2015, his widow, Audrey Loggia, was notified by the SAG Health Plan that she was entitled to receive continuing health coverage as a surviving spouse “for the remainder of her lifetime or until she remarried.” But a class action lawsuit filed today against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and its trustees says that “before either of those circumstances appreciated, the Plan notified her on November 24, 2020, that she would lose coverage on September 30, 2021” under eligibility and benefit changes that take effect in the New Year.
Facing staggering deficits, the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan announced in August that it will be raising premiums and earnings thresholds for coverage on Jan. 1 in order to stay afloat. “While this restructuring will preserve access to an excellent health plan for the majority of our participants, the changes will be disruptive for some,” the Plan said in a letter to participants, noting that...
Facing staggering deficits, the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan announced in August that it will be raising premiums and earnings thresholds for coverage on Jan. 1 in order to stay afloat. “While this restructuring will preserve access to an excellent health plan for the majority of our participants, the changes will be disruptive for some,” the Plan said in a letter to participants, noting that...
- 12/1/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Critics of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan’s recent changes have made good on their promise to take the plan’s trustees to court, filing a class action lawsuit accusing the trustees of violating labor laws protecting pension and health benefit plans.
The lawsuit, obtained by TheWrap, was filed on behalf of 10 SAG-AFTRA members, including Ed Asner, current national board member of SAG-AFTRA and former Screen Actors Guild president, and David Jolliffe, 2nd VP for SAG-AFTRA’s Los Angeles local, which has vocally opposed the health plan changes since they were first announced in August. The other plaintiffs are senior performers Michael Bell, Raymond Harry Johnson, Sondra James Weil, Robert Clotworthy, Thomas Cook, Deborah White, Donna Lynn Leavy and Audrey Loggia, the widow of actor Robert Loggia.
The lawsuit accuses the Health Plan of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (Erisa) by raising the earnings requirements for members to qualify...
The lawsuit, obtained by TheWrap, was filed on behalf of 10 SAG-AFTRA members, including Ed Asner, current national board member of SAG-AFTRA and former Screen Actors Guild president, and David Jolliffe, 2nd VP for SAG-AFTRA’s Los Angeles local, which has vocally opposed the health plan changes since they were first announced in August. The other plaintiffs are senior performers Michael Bell, Raymond Harry Johnson, Sondra James Weil, Robert Clotworthy, Thomas Cook, Deborah White, Donna Lynn Leavy and Audrey Loggia, the widow of actor Robert Loggia.
The lawsuit accuses the Health Plan of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (Erisa) by raising the earnings requirements for members to qualify...
- 12/1/2020
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
The SAG-AFTRA health plan is at the center of a putative class action brought by a group of actors who say premiums have skyrocketed and medical coverage is being stripped from elderly guild members under the guise of a Covid-19-related restructuring, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in California federal court.
The actors — led by the iconic Ed Asner — are suing the SAG-AFTRA Health Fund and its board of trustees for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties. Guild members Michael Bell, Raymond Harry Johnson, Sondra James Weil, David Jolliffe, Robert Clotworthy, Thomas Cook, Deborah White and Donna Lynn Leavy are ...
The actors — led by the iconic Ed Asner — are suing the SAG-AFTRA Health Fund and its board of trustees for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties. Guild members Michael Bell, Raymond Harry Johnson, Sondra James Weil, David Jolliffe, Robert Clotworthy, Thomas Cook, Deborah White and Donna Lynn Leavy are ...
- 12/1/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The SAG-AFTRA health plan is at the center of a putative class action brought by a group of actors who say premiums have skyrocketed and medical coverage is being stripped from elderly guild members under the guise of a Covid-19-related restructuring, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in California federal court.
The actors — led by the iconic Ed Asner — are suing the SAG-AFTRA Health Fund and its board of trustees for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties. Guild members Michael Bell, Raymond Harry Johnson, Sondra James Weil, David Jolliffe, Robert Clotworthy, Thomas Cook, Deborah White and Donna Lynn Leavy are ...
The actors — led by the iconic Ed Asner — are suing the SAG-AFTRA Health Fund and its board of trustees for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties. Guild members Michael Bell, Raymond Harry Johnson, Sondra James Weil, David Jolliffe, Robert Clotworthy, Thomas Cook, Deborah White and Donna Lynn Leavy are ...
- 12/1/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SAG-AFTRA board member describes measures as “tantamount to stealing”.
Representatives of SAG-AFTRA have brought a class action against the union’s health plan and its trustees over benefit cuts they claim remove coverage of around 11,000 union members, many of whom are senior citizens.
Veteran actor Ed Asner is one of 10 plaintiffs named in papers filed on Tuesday (December 1) with a federal court in California alleging breach of fiduciary duty, engagement in prohibited transactions, and failure to disclose material to plan participants.
In August SAG-AFTRA Health Plan administrators said they would increase premiums for 2021 coverage, as well as the amount subscribers...
Representatives of SAG-AFTRA have brought a class action against the union’s health plan and its trustees over benefit cuts they claim remove coverage of around 11,000 union members, many of whom are senior citizens.
Veteran actor Ed Asner is one of 10 plaintiffs named in papers filed on Tuesday (December 1) with a federal court in California alleging breach of fiduciary duty, engagement in prohibited transactions, and failure to disclose material to plan participants.
In August SAG-AFTRA Health Plan administrators said they would increase premiums for 2021 coverage, as well as the amount subscribers...
- 12/1/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Opponents of changes coming to the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan said tonight they are considering legal action to prevent thousands of participants and their family members from losing their health coverage when the sweeping changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2021.
“We have been talking to lawyers. We have been talking to government agencies,” said Patricia Richardson, president of the union’s Los Angeles Local and the host of tonight’s Virtual Union Hall – the second in a series of Zoom meetings organized by leaders of the union’s longtime opposition party. “I can tell you right now, there’s some illegal stuff going on here. There’s certainly a lawsuit. Whether there’s going to be money for the lawsuit is a whole other question.”
“We are in the process of figuring it out,” said David Jolliffe, a national board member and 2nd vice president of the LA Local – who Richardson described...
“We have been talking to lawyers. We have been talking to government agencies,” said Patricia Richardson, president of the union’s Los Angeles Local and the host of tonight’s Virtual Union Hall – the second in a series of Zoom meetings organized by leaders of the union’s longtime opposition party. “I can tell you right now, there’s some illegal stuff going on here. There’s certainly a lawsuit. Whether there’s going to be money for the lawsuit is a whole other question.”
“We are in the process of figuring it out,” said David Jolliffe, a national board member and 2nd vice president of the LA Local – who Richardson described...
- 8/22/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Two members of the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee that bargained for the union’s recently ratified film and TV contract said tonight that they had not been told during the talks of the severity of the problems facing the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan.
The plan’s restructuring is projected to remove some 3,500 participants and 3,200 family members from coverage come Jan. 1 because they can’t meet the earnings requirements.
Jane Austin and Jodi Long told a virtual town hall that they’d heard inklings of trouble for the health plan last fall, but had no idea that it was this bad. They also said that they believe the union’s members would not have ratified the film and TV pact had they known the Plan was in such dire straits. This year, the Plan is projected to run a deficit of $141 million, which comes after a $50 million deficit last year and a $48 million deficit the year before.
The plan’s restructuring is projected to remove some 3,500 participants and 3,200 family members from coverage come Jan. 1 because they can’t meet the earnings requirements.
Jane Austin and Jodi Long told a virtual town hall that they’d heard inklings of trouble for the health plan last fall, but had no idea that it was this bad. They also said that they believe the union’s members would not have ratified the film and TV pact had they known the Plan was in such dire straits. This year, the Plan is projected to run a deficit of $141 million, which comes after a $50 million deficit last year and a $48 million deficit the year before.
- 8/15/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Hard times call for hard decisions, which trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan say they had to make to save health benefits for future generations of participants.
Even before the pandemic, the Plan was facing unsustainable deficits, and the Covid-19 production shutdown accelerated the need for a complete overhaul of its benefits structures. Sources familiar with the Plan’s projections say that roughly 3,500 participants and more than 2,800 of their dependents no longer will qualify for health coverage because of the new earnings requirements that take effect on January 1. That’s about 10% of the 33,000 participants and 9% of their 32,000 family members now covered by the Plan. However, those participants who have $13,000 in earnings will be eligible to continue their coverage under a new Transition Benefit.
The saga of the Plan’s sagging fortunes began in 2018, six years after SAG and AFTRA merged, though they maintained separate health plans until those also...
Even before the pandemic, the Plan was facing unsustainable deficits, and the Covid-19 production shutdown accelerated the need for a complete overhaul of its benefits structures. Sources familiar with the Plan’s projections say that roughly 3,500 participants and more than 2,800 of their dependents no longer will qualify for health coverage because of the new earnings requirements that take effect on January 1. That’s about 10% of the 33,000 participants and 9% of their 32,000 family members now covered by the Plan. However, those participants who have $13,000 in earnings will be eligible to continue their coverage under a new Transition Benefit.
The saga of the Plan’s sagging fortunes began in 2018, six years after SAG and AFTRA merged, though they maintained separate health plans until those also...
- 8/15/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
SAG-AFTRA members have less than a week left to vote on whether to approve the latest contract that the guild’s negotiating committee reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and the debate between supporters and opponents has become more heated than ever. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris told TheWrap that the contract, valued at $318 million, is the most valuable contract ever gained by the union’s leadership, pointing to gains in residuals for high-budget streaming content and improvements on protections for actors involved in nude or simulated sex scenes. “This is a deal that we negotiated at a time when our employers and our members watched our work grind to a halt from an unprecedented pandemic,” Carteris said. “We have negotiated critical gains for our members, including meaningful increases in compensation and $54 million in increased contributions to our health plan. We negotiated for our future, and we achieved real gains.
- 7/17/2020
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Updated with statement from Unite for Strength and Usan: Patricia Richardson, president of the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local, urged the guild’s members today to vote no on the union’s new film and TV contract. “The deal isn’t good enough, and now is the time to fix it,” she said during a Zoom press conference with other leaders of the opposition, which includes the local’s two vice presidents – Frances Fisher and David Jolliffe – and A. Martinez, co-chair of the local’s Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee.
On Tuesday, the L.A. local’s board of directors voted overwhelmingly – along the guild’s fractious party lines – to oppose ratification of the tentative new agreement. The union’s national board, however, has voted overwhelmingly to approve the new pact and to recommend its ratification to the membership.
Richardson, noting the members of her local make up nearly half of the...
On Tuesday, the L.A. local’s board of directors voted overwhelmingly – along the guild’s fractious party lines – to oppose ratification of the tentative new agreement. The union’s national board, however, has voted overwhelmingly to approve the new pact and to recommend its ratification to the membership.
Richardson, noting the members of her local make up nearly half of the...
- 7/8/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Update: Unite for Strength and Usan, two SAG-AFTRA member groups in favor of the tentative contract, released the following statement following the LA chapter’s press conference.
In a cynical move to advance their political ambitions rather than put the membership first as they claim they want to do, Membership First is actively trying to torpedo the richest deal in TV/Theatrical history during a global pandemic and collapsing economy. They’re holding $318 million in contract gains hostage to their own political ambitions. Who would do that?
The same people with a graveyard of contracts, who failed to negotiate a deal on this very contract in 2008. Because of David Jolliffe and his Mf crew, SAG members worked for a year without a contract and lost hundreds of millions of dollars in ’08. Whenever Membership First has anything to do with a contract, SAG-AFTRA members lose.
Membership First knows full well that...
In a cynical move to advance their political ambitions rather than put the membership first as they claim they want to do, Membership First is actively trying to torpedo the richest deal in TV/Theatrical history during a global pandemic and collapsing economy. They’re holding $318 million in contract gains hostage to their own political ambitions. Who would do that?
The same people with a graveyard of contracts, who failed to negotiate a deal on this very contract in 2008. Because of David Jolliffe and his Mf crew, SAG members worked for a year without a contract and lost hundreds of millions of dollars in ’08. Whenever Membership First has anything to do with a contract, SAG-AFTRA members lose.
Membership First knows full well that...
- 7/8/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
SAG-AFTRA convention delegates have narrowly re-elected Rebecca Damon to a two-year term as executive vice president of the performers union over David Jolliffe.
The margin was five votes in an election that took place Friday on the second day of the biennial SAG-aftra National Convention at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The four-day event is closed to the news media.
The exec VP slot is the second-highest elected post in SAG-aftra and shall act in the place of the president if the president is absent. Damon’s re-election is a victory for the Carteris supporters, who operate the Unite for Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide slates.
Damon has been in the exec VP post since April, 2016, succeeding Gabrielle Carteris in the slot. Carteris became president after Ken Howard died, serving the final 16 months of his term and was re-elected in 2017 over Esai Morales and...
The margin was five votes in an election that took place Friday on the second day of the biennial SAG-aftra National Convention at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The four-day event is closed to the news media.
The exec VP slot is the second-highest elected post in SAG-aftra and shall act in the place of the president if the president is absent. Damon’s re-election is a victory for the Carteris supporters, who operate the Unite for Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide slates.
Damon has been in the exec VP post since April, 2016, succeeding Gabrielle Carteris in the slot. Carteris became president after Ken Howard died, serving the final 16 months of his term and was re-elected in 2017 over Esai Morales and...
- 10/12/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Gabrielle Carteris Re-Elected President of SAG-AFTRA, But “Loyal Opposition” Makes Major Gains In La
Update: SAG-AFTRA presidential candidate Matthew Modine has conceded defeat, sort of. The election was marred by some mudslinging from each side, and in a statement Modine appears to be keeping options open if the election is scrutinized.
“I am proud of our campaign for transparency and the goal of uniting all 160,000 members of SAG-aftra,” Modine said. “It has been an honor to stand with you. I congratulate all of our MembershipFirst candidates on winning important victories tonight. Each will be instrumental in forming a more perfect union. It appears there has already been a challenge from outside of the political groups with allegations of impropriety and possible Federal election law violations. Therefore, as a matter of principal it is important to withhold judgment until it is determined that the election was held fairly and in compliance with the labor code. If it is determined that the election was...
“I am proud of our campaign for transparency and the goal of uniting all 160,000 members of SAG-aftra,” Modine said. “It has been an honor to stand with you. I congratulate all of our MembershipFirst candidates on winning important victories tonight. Each will be instrumental in forming a more perfect union. It appears there has already been a challenge from outside of the political groups with allegations of impropriety and possible Federal election law violations. Therefore, as a matter of principal it is important to withhold judgment until it is determined that the election was held fairly and in compliance with the labor code. If it is determined that the election was...
- 8/29/2019
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Gabrielle Carteris has been re-elected president of SAG-aftra, fending off challenges from Matthew Modine and three other contenders.
Carteris won handily with 13,537 votes, or 44% of ballots cast, to 10,682 for Modine and 5,048 for Jane Austin, 1,096 for Queen Alljahye Searles and 367 for Abraham Justice.
The results were announced early Thursday morning at 4 a.m. following one of the most bitter election campaigns in memory, including multiple accusations of misconduct.
Camryn Manheim won the secretary-treasurer post with 16,047 votes, or 53%, as Carteris’ running mate. She defeated Modine ally Jodi Long, who garnered 10,251 votes, followed by Chuck Slavin with 2,204 votes and Rob Stats with 1,790. The union mailed a total of 145,700 ballots, so the participation level was about 21%.
Carteris, best known for playing Andrea Zuckerman on “Beverly Hills 90210,” has been president since 2016. She and her allies in the moderate-leaning Unite For Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide have been in control of SAG-AFTRA and SAG for a decade.
Carteris won handily with 13,537 votes, or 44% of ballots cast, to 10,682 for Modine and 5,048 for Jane Austin, 1,096 for Queen Alljahye Searles and 367 for Abraham Justice.
The results were announced early Thursday morning at 4 a.m. following one of the most bitter election campaigns in memory, including multiple accusations of misconduct.
Camryn Manheim won the secretary-treasurer post with 16,047 votes, or 53%, as Carteris’ running mate. She defeated Modine ally Jodi Long, who garnered 10,251 votes, followed by Chuck Slavin with 2,204 votes and Rob Stats with 1,790. The union mailed a total of 145,700 ballots, so the participation level was about 21%.
Carteris, best known for playing Andrea Zuckerman on “Beverly Hills 90210,” has been president since 2016. She and her allies in the moderate-leaning Unite For Strength and United Screen Actors Nationwide have been in control of SAG-AFTRA and SAG for a decade.
- 8/29/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and seven of her supporters are threatening to file a lawsuit against their opponents over recent allegations of misconduct by Carteris.
United Screen Actors Nationwide, which endorses Carteris, issued the threat Thursday against presidential challenger Matthew Modine and 19 of his allies running on the Membership First slate, including Ed Asner, Diane Ladd, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Martin Sheen.
Pamela Jeffrey of the New York firm of Levy Ratner wrote a cease-and-desist letter in response to a July 29 threat from attorney Robert Allen to file a lawsuit on behalf of unnamed members if Carteris was not removed from the ballot. Allen accused Carteris of allegedly using insider information to take credit for SAG-aftra’s new deal with Netflix and alleged that she has been using union resources to promote her candidacy via official SAG-aftra videos.
Jeffrey called the allegations baseless and accused the 20 members — many...
United Screen Actors Nationwide, which endorses Carteris, issued the threat Thursday against presidential challenger Matthew Modine and 19 of his allies running on the Membership First slate, including Ed Asner, Diane Ladd, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Martin Sheen.
Pamela Jeffrey of the New York firm of Levy Ratner wrote a cease-and-desist letter in response to a July 29 threat from attorney Robert Allen to file a lawsuit on behalf of unnamed members if Carteris was not removed from the ballot. Allen accused Carteris of allegedly using insider information to take credit for SAG-aftra’s new deal with Netflix and alleged that she has been using union resources to promote her candidacy via official SAG-aftra videos.
Jeffrey called the allegations baseless and accused the 20 members — many...
- 8/1/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and members of her slate are fighting back against Matthew Modine and his slate’s threat of a “frivolous” lawsuit over her alleged use of guild resources, including “insider and highly confidential information,” to advance her candidacy — a claim she vehemently denies. Modine’s team even demanded that Carteris be removed from the ballot in the upcoming election.
In a letter to Modine and his team, Pamela Jeffrey, an attorney representing Carteris and her slate, wrote:
“Our clients demand that you immediately cease and desist from using costly litigation at the expense of SAG-aftra and its members as a tool to advance your own personal political agenda,” wrote “If you do not publicly retract or disavow in writing the threat of a frivolous and unwarranted lawsuit and other demands, my clients have informed me that they will consider other appropriate action to protect the...
In a letter to Modine and his team, Pamela Jeffrey, an attorney representing Carteris and her slate, wrote:
“Our clients demand that you immediately cease and desist from using costly litigation at the expense of SAG-aftra and its members as a tool to advance your own personal political agenda,” wrote “If you do not publicly retract or disavow in writing the threat of a frivolous and unwarranted lawsuit and other demands, my clients have informed me that they will consider other appropriate action to protect the...
- 8/1/2019
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Membership First, the “loyal opposition” at SAG-AFTRA, has unveiled its slate of candidates in the upcoming elections. Patricia Richardson is running for president of the guild’s Los Angeles local, and Frances Fisher and David Jolliffe are vying for two local vice president slots. As previously reported, Matthew Modine heads the slate in his bid to unseat Gabrielle Carteris as president of SAG-aftra, and Jodi Long is running for national secretary-treasurer.
Richardson, who is the La local’s first vp, was defeated by incumbent Ken Howard four years ago in the race for president of the 160,000-member union — “We have the largest local, half the union’s members,” Richardson said in her campaign statement. “Our building, doubling as national headquarters and our home, now a construction site rented at $6,000,000 a year, is inadequate for our needs. We still have to rent other spaces for any large meetings. Thanks to Membership First,...
Richardson, who is the La local’s first vp, was defeated by incumbent Ken Howard four years ago in the race for president of the 160,000-member union — “We have the largest local, half the union’s members,” Richardson said in her campaign statement. “Our building, doubling as national headquarters and our home, now a construction site rented at $6,000,000 a year, is inadequate for our needs. We still have to rent other spaces for any large meetings. Thanks to Membership First,...
- 7/22/2019
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Veteran actor Matthew Modine is running for president of SAG-AFTRA as the head of the ticket for the Membership First faction of the performers union.
Modine was first elected as a member of the SAG-aftra national board in 2017. He’s the first candidate to announce for the presidency. Current president Gabrielle Carteris, who won a two-year term in the 2017 election, has not yet announced whether she will seek re-election.
“As a current national and local board member of SAG-aftra, it would be my honor to represent all 160,000 members of the union I have proudly been a member of for nearly four decades,” Modine said in a statement released Monday. “It is my privilege to stand up for our legacy in order to safeguard our future. There comes a time when we must work to ensure that current and future membership will be able to enjoy the basic rights...
Modine was first elected as a member of the SAG-aftra national board in 2017. He’s the first candidate to announce for the presidency. Current president Gabrielle Carteris, who won a two-year term in the 2017 election, has not yet announced whether she will seek re-election.
“As a current national and local board member of SAG-aftra, it would be my honor to represent all 160,000 members of the union I have proudly been a member of for nearly four decades,” Modine said in a statement released Monday. “It is my privilege to stand up for our legacy in order to safeguard our future. There comes a time when we must work to ensure that current and future membership will be able to enjoy the basic rights...
- 4/29/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Matthew Modine has thrown his hat into the ring as a candidate for president of SAG-AFTRA. Modine, a member of the union’s local and national boards of directors, is running at the top of the Membership First ticket, the self-styled progressive wing of the union that promises more democracy and transparency — which the union’s loyal opposition says is in short supply. He seeks to unseat Gabrielle Carteris, who’s been president of the union since 2016.
“As a current national and local board member of SAG-aftra, it would be my honor to represent all 160,000 members of the union I have proudly been a member of for nearly four decades,” he said in a statement. “It is my privilege to stand up for our legacy in order to safeguard our future. There comes a time when we must work to ensure that current and future membership will...
“As a current national and local board member of SAG-aftra, it would be my honor to represent all 160,000 members of the union I have proudly been a member of for nearly four decades,” he said in a statement. “It is my privilege to stand up for our legacy in order to safeguard our future. There comes a time when we must work to ensure that current and future membership will...
- 4/29/2019
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The SAG Hollywood Board has appointed David Jolliffe to the seat vacated two weeks ago by Justine Bateman.
The move late Monday sparked a minor controversy as the choice bypassed alternate Marcia Wallace, who had the next-highest number of votes in the last round of elections.
The MembershipFirst party, which holds the majority on the local board, was criticized by Unite for Strength opponents for violating the spirit, if not the letter, of the guild's constitution. Although the board has the right to name any member it wants, Jolliffe had lost both his national and local board seats in the last round of elections and was removed as chair of the TV/theatrical contract-negotiating committee, which was disbanded this year.
More to the point, Jolliffe is a MembershipFirst stalwart, Wallace a Unite for Strength partisan. Bateman's term was ending this year.
Jolliffe, despite being a vocal critic of AFTRA, also...
The move late Monday sparked a minor controversy as the choice bypassed alternate Marcia Wallace, who had the next-highest number of votes in the last round of elections.
The MembershipFirst party, which holds the majority on the local board, was criticized by Unite for Strength opponents for violating the spirit, if not the letter, of the guild's constitution. Although the board has the right to name any member it wants, Jolliffe had lost both his national and local board seats in the last round of elections and was removed as chair of the TV/theatrical contract-negotiating committee, which was disbanded this year.
More to the point, Jolliffe is a MembershipFirst stalwart, Wallace a Unite for Strength partisan. Bateman's term was ending this year.
Jolliffe, despite being a vocal critic of AFTRA, also...
- 7/14/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The SAG national board passed a resolution yesterday on what to do regarding contract negotiations with the studios. My take: Membership First outmaneuvered the newly-elected Unite for Strength faction and its NY and regional allies and is taking the union down a path that may well lead to a strike. I’m not optimistic.
The vote was almost 97% in favor, meaning that the resolution was a compromise between all concerned. Yet it gives Mf much of what it wanted. The vote was taken right near the end of the meeting on Sunday (even though it was supposed to have been addressed Saturday), with Membership First knowing that the meeting had to end at 1:00 p.m. so that the NY and regional board members could catch their planes. (This weekend’s meeting was conducted in person in La.)
I think Ufs acted to protect their chances of gaining additional board...
The vote was almost 97% in favor, meaning that the resolution was a compromise between all concerned. Yet it gives Mf much of what it wanted. The vote was taken right near the end of the meeting on Sunday (even though it was supposed to have been addressed Saturday), with Membership First knowing that the meeting had to end at 1:00 p.m. so that the NY and regional board members could catch their planes. (This weekend’s meeting was conducted in person in La.)
I think Ufs acted to protect their chances of gaining additional board...
- 10/20/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Handel)
SAG's national board played hot potato with the strike authorization question Sunday, effectively assuring Hollywood's labor pains won't go away anytime soon.
Close to three weeks after the guild's bargaining committee sent the issue to the national board, that body Sunday deferred a decision and put the question back in the hands of its negotiators.
A vote to let the guild's 120,000 members -- who have been working under an expired contract for four months -- decide on giving its leadership the go-ahead to call a walkout could have been a game-changer. A yes vote from 75% of those voting would have given SAG negotiators a stick they have lacked; a no vote, however, would have been a signal that membership had tired of the fight.
On Sunday, SAG's board instead voted to officially request that a federal mediator be called in to help break the stalemate between the actors union and...
Close to three weeks after the guild's bargaining committee sent the issue to the national board, that body Sunday deferred a decision and put the question back in the hands of its negotiators.
A vote to let the guild's 120,000 members -- who have been working under an expired contract for four months -- decide on giving its leadership the go-ahead to call a walkout could have been a game-changer. A yes vote from 75% of those voting would have given SAG negotiators a stick they have lacked; a no vote, however, would have been a signal that membership had tired of the fight.
On Sunday, SAG's board instead voted to officially request that a federal mediator be called in to help break the stalemate between the actors union and...
- 10/19/2008
- by By Leslie Simmons
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- SAG is set to move a step closer to striking.
The guild's negotiating committee is expected to approve a measure Wednesday asking for the rank and file's approval for a work stoppage, and the measure probably will pass, according to SAG sources with knowledge of the meeting.
A spokeswoman for the guild confirmed that negotiating committee would meet but said she did not know the meeting's agenda.
MembershipFirst -- the dominant political party in Hollywood that favors a hard-line stance toward producers -- recently lost its majority status on the guild's national board to a consortium of factions in Hollywood, New York and the regional branches that favor a more moderate approach. However, MembershipFirst still controls nine of the 13 votes on the negotiating committee, making the measure's passage likely, if not certain. During the summer, the guild's national executive committee gave the negotiating committee the authority to seek strike authorization.
The guild's negotiating committee is expected to approve a measure Wednesday asking for the rank and file's approval for a work stoppage, and the measure probably will pass, according to SAG sources with knowledge of the meeting.
A spokeswoman for the guild confirmed that negotiating committee would meet but said she did not know the meeting's agenda.
MembershipFirst -- the dominant political party in Hollywood that favors a hard-line stance toward producers -- recently lost its majority status on the guild's national board to a consortium of factions in Hollywood, New York and the regional branches that favor a more moderate approach. However, MembershipFirst still controls nine of the 13 votes on the negotiating committee, making the measure's passage likely, if not certain. During the summer, the guild's national executive committee gave the negotiating committee the authority to seek strike authorization.
- 10/1/2008
- by By Andrew Salomon
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The SAG elections are over, and the Unite for Strength challenger slate now has a razor-thin majority on the national SAG Board. Indeed, one of MF’s three key leaders, David Jolliffe, was bounced off the Board (and the alternate pool) altogether. This result, achieved by UFS (aka U4S) even in light of a somewhat lackluster campaign, suggests that SAG members are tired of MF’s inability or refusal to achieve a deal with the studios. That view is reinforced by the low return rate (only 10%) for SAG’s push poll survey regarding the stalemate with the studios.
So now, with the members having spoken, the guild moves quickly forward into an era of progress, with a prompt conclusion of negotiations in sight? No. Sorry. On the contrary, what SAG members need most immediately — a studio deal — is something that UFS never focused on (its platform was built primarily...
So now, with the members having spoken, the guild moves quickly forward into an era of progress, with a prompt conclusion of negotiations in sight? No. Sorry. On the contrary, what SAG members need most immediately — a studio deal — is something that UFS never focused on (its platform was built primarily...
- 9/22/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Handel)
SAG's membership demanded change Thursday, electing members of the opposition Unite for Strength slate and shifting the balance of power on the union's national board.
The results are a defeat for SAG president Alan Rosenberg and the current leadership, which has guided the union through months of contentious bargaining and into a stalemate with the major studios and production companies. The Ufs winners are expected to align with members of the New York and regional boards who sit on the national board, breaking the hold of the MembershipFirst faction.
"We offered members a clear choice in this election: end the fighting with AFTRA and instead partner with them to create a stronger union for performers," said Ned Vaughn, a Ufs leader who was elected to the Hollywood board. "The results in this unusually high turnout election leave no doubt that is what the members want. We look forward to working...
The results are a defeat for SAG president Alan Rosenberg and the current leadership, which has guided the union through months of contentious bargaining and into a stalemate with the major studios and production companies. The Ufs winners are expected to align with members of the New York and regional boards who sit on the national board, breaking the hold of the MembershipFirst faction.
"We offered members a clear choice in this election: end the fighting with AFTRA and instead partner with them to create a stronger union for performers," said Ned Vaughn, a Ufs leader who was elected to the Hollywood board. "The results in this unusually high turnout election leave no doubt that is what the members want. We look forward to working...
- 9/18/2008
- by By Leslie Simmons
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Last week I conducted interviews with David Jolliffe and Anne-Marie Johnson, leaders of the dominant Membership First faction of the SAG National (and Hollywood) Board, and Ned Vaughn, leader of Unite for Strength, the challengers. An actor-like congeniality reigned, including flirtatiousness in Johnson’s case. Clear and convincing answers, however, were in short supply. Regular readers of my posts know that I’ve been highly critical of Membership First for dragging the industry through a work stoppage in pursuit of goals that it doesn’t have the leverage to obtain because SAG doesn’t appear to be able to achieve the 75% vote threshold necessary to authorize a strike. As I’ve also said, if SAG were willing to accept the studios’ new media framework, it would more than likely be able to negotiate some of the other issues that matter.
I’ve also criticized SAG (i.e., Mf) for all...
I’ve also criticized SAG (i.e., Mf) for all...
- 8/31/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Handel)
Yesterday, I did live streaming video interviews with SAG candidates and board members from the incumbent, dominant faction, Membership First (represented by David Jolliffe and Ann-Marie Johnson), and the challengers, Unite for Strength (represented by Ned Vaughn).
Some highlights from the interviews: Unite for Strength appears to have many of the same positions on contract issues, generally speaking as Membership First, although Ned was vague about a lot of this, saying that he wasn't in the negotiating room. He refused to say explicitly whether they would seek to fire the National Executive Director, Doug Allen, but said that he would take direction from a new Board majority if Unite for Strength gained a majority (which Ned said would take 6 seats), and expressed confidence that it would not be necessary to dissolve the negotiating committee in order to get it to take a different approach to the negotiations. Ned also was somewhat equivocal about whether,...
Some highlights from the interviews: Unite for Strength appears to have many of the same positions on contract issues, generally speaking as Membership First, although Ned was vague about a lot of this, saying that he wasn't in the negotiating room. He refused to say explicitly whether they would seek to fire the National Executive Director, Doug Allen, but said that he would take direction from a new Board majority if Unite for Strength gained a majority (which Ned said would take 6 seats), and expressed confidence that it would not be necessary to dissolve the negotiating committee in order to get it to take a different approach to the negotiations. Ned also was somewhat equivocal about whether,...
- 8/28/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Handel)
Note: To watch the interviews, click here just before 2:00 today, and again just before 4:00: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/look-at-la.
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There's a fight for control of the Screen Actors Guild. Elections are going on now, and may determine whether and when the Guild finally reaches a deal with the studios. Join me as I interview representatives of Unite for Strength, the challengers in this election, and of the dominant incumbent faction, Membership First.
Date: This Wednesday, August 27, 2008.
Times:
2:00 Pm Pacific / 5:00 Pm Eastern -- Ned Vaughn, Unite for Strength
4:00 Pm Pacific / 7:00 Pm Eastern -- David Jolliffe & Anne-Marie Johnson, Membership First
These are live online streaming video interviews.
To watch the interviews, click here just before 2:00 on Wednesday, and again just before 4:00:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/look-at-la.
--------------------------
There's a fight for control of the Screen Actors Guild. Elections are going on now, and may determine whether and when the Guild finally reaches a deal with the studios. Join me as I interview representatives of Unite for Strength, the challengers in this election, and of the dominant incumbent faction, Membership First.
Date: This Wednesday, August 27, 2008.
Times:
2:00 Pm Pacific / 5:00 Pm Eastern -- Ned Vaughn, Unite for Strength
4:00 Pm Pacific / 7:00 Pm Eastern -- David Jolliffe & Anne-Marie Johnson, Membership First
These are live online streaming video interviews.
To watch the interviews, click here just before 2:00 on Wednesday, and again just before 4:00:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/look-at-la.
- 8/25/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Handel)
The controversial MembershipFirst faction of SAG announced Friday a slate of 33 potential candidates who will vie for openings on the national and local boards and go head-to-head with the newly formed opposition group, Unite for Strength.
Among the actors looking to fill Hollywood's 11 national board seats and 22 local seats are 11 new MembershipFirst candidates, including Scott Bakula, Keith Carradine, Charles Shaughnessy and Joely Fisher. Also on the slate are 22 incumbents to the board, including JoBeth Williams, Joe Bologna, and Lainie Kazan.
The announcement of the candidates comes a day before a crucial SAG national board meeting Saturday and two days after Unite for Strength announced its intention to contest seats held by those in MembershipFirst. Unite's 31 candidates include Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh and Doug Savant.
MembershipFirst came to power in 2005 and currently dominates the Hollywood board, holding the majority of seats as well as backing current president Alan Rosenberg. The group is the controlling voice in the SAG contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which is currently at a stand still.
Unite for Strength blames MembershipFirst for its hardline approach to the negotiations as well as its anti-aftra sentiment, which led to the unsuccessful campaign to get members to vote down the sister union's primetime/TV deal with the AMPTP.
In its announcement, MembershipFirst said its goals for the coming year include uniting "all actors under the Screen Actors Guild banner, protect actors wages and working conditions in all areas, fight for residuals in all media platforms, protect the right of every dues paying member to vote on SAG issues and to secure complete jurisdiction in new media."
Unite for Strength's main goal is to merge SAG with AFTRA, something the MembershipFirst faction has bitterly opposed in the last two attempts in 1999 and 2003.
The potential MembershipFirst national board candidates are:
Scott Bakula
Joe Bologna (incumbent)
Clancy Brown
Keith Carradine,
Joely Fisher
Lainie Kazan (incumbent)
William Russ (incumbent)
Alan Ruck
Charles Shaughnessy
JoBeth Williams (incumbent).
Joe d'Angerio (incumbent)
Jane Austin (incumbent)
Jeff Austin (incumbent)
Renee Aubrey (incumbent)
Steve Barr (incumbent)
Michael Bell (incumbent)
Warren Berlinger (incumbent)
Eugene Bogs (incumbent)
Tom Bower
Anthony Desantis (incumbent)
Ron Harper (incumbent)
David Jolliffe (incumbent)
Russell McConnell (incumbent)
Peggy Miley (incumbent)
Paul Napier (incumbent)
Peter Van Norton
France Nuyen (incumbent)
F.J. O'Neil (incumbent)
Vic Polizos
Yale Summers (incumbent)
Charles Malik Whitfield
Christopher R. Wielh
Scott Wilson (incumbent)
Current MembershipFirst sitting members of the SAG National Board of
the Hollywood Division are:
1st Vice President Kent McCord
Angel Tompkins
Bonnie Bartlett
Justine Bateman
Joanna Cassidy
Seymour Cassel
George Coe
Anne DeSalvo
Frances Fisher
Leigh French
Elliott Gould
Valerie Harper
Sumi Haru
Robert Hays
Anne-MarieJohnson
Diane Ladd
Piper Laurie
William Mapother
Esai Morales
Barbara Niven
Harrison Page
Susan Savage
Nancy Sinatra
Renee Taylor
Angela Watson
Jenny Worman...
Among the actors looking to fill Hollywood's 11 national board seats and 22 local seats are 11 new MembershipFirst candidates, including Scott Bakula, Keith Carradine, Charles Shaughnessy and Joely Fisher. Also on the slate are 22 incumbents to the board, including JoBeth Williams, Joe Bologna, and Lainie Kazan.
The announcement of the candidates comes a day before a crucial SAG national board meeting Saturday and two days after Unite for Strength announced its intention to contest seats held by those in MembershipFirst. Unite's 31 candidates include Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh and Doug Savant.
MembershipFirst came to power in 2005 and currently dominates the Hollywood board, holding the majority of seats as well as backing current president Alan Rosenberg. The group is the controlling voice in the SAG contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which is currently at a stand still.
Unite for Strength blames MembershipFirst for its hardline approach to the negotiations as well as its anti-aftra sentiment, which led to the unsuccessful campaign to get members to vote down the sister union's primetime/TV deal with the AMPTP.
In its announcement, MembershipFirst said its goals for the coming year include uniting "all actors under the Screen Actors Guild banner, protect actors wages and working conditions in all areas, fight for residuals in all media platforms, protect the right of every dues paying member to vote on SAG issues and to secure complete jurisdiction in new media."
Unite for Strength's main goal is to merge SAG with AFTRA, something the MembershipFirst faction has bitterly opposed in the last two attempts in 1999 and 2003.
The potential MembershipFirst national board candidates are:
Scott Bakula
Joe Bologna (incumbent)
Clancy Brown
Keith Carradine,
Joely Fisher
Lainie Kazan (incumbent)
William Russ (incumbent)
Alan Ruck
Charles Shaughnessy
JoBeth Williams (incumbent).
Joe d'Angerio (incumbent)
Jane Austin (incumbent)
Jeff Austin (incumbent)
Renee Aubrey (incumbent)
Steve Barr (incumbent)
Michael Bell (incumbent)
Warren Berlinger (incumbent)
Eugene Bogs (incumbent)
Tom Bower
Anthony Desantis (incumbent)
Ron Harper (incumbent)
David Jolliffe (incumbent)
Russell McConnell (incumbent)
Peggy Miley (incumbent)
Paul Napier (incumbent)
Peter Van Norton
France Nuyen (incumbent)
F.J. O'Neil (incumbent)
Vic Polizos
Yale Summers (incumbent)
Charles Malik Whitfield
Christopher R. Wielh
Scott Wilson (incumbent)
Current MembershipFirst sitting members of the SAG National Board of
the Hollywood Division are:
1st Vice President Kent McCord
Angel Tompkins
Bonnie Bartlett
Justine Bateman
Joanna Cassidy
Seymour Cassel
George Coe
Anne DeSalvo
Frances Fisher
Leigh French
Elliott Gould
Valerie Harper
Sumi Haru
Robert Hays
Anne-MarieJohnson
Diane Ladd
Piper Laurie
William Mapother
Esai Morales
Barbara Niven
Harrison Page
Susan Savage
Nancy Sinatra
Renee Taylor
Angela Watson
Jenny Worman...
- 7/25/2008
- by By Leslie Simmons
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plans to replace SAG national executive director/CEO Bob Pisano with his counterpart at AFTRA, Greg Hessinger, have included efforts to address the political rift within SAG. SAG's top elected leaders have approached two of their leading critics, Kent McCord and David Jolliffe, to discuss the proposed hiring of Hessinger. The secret meeting, which lasted several hours, took place Monday, the same day that AFTRA's national board was informed of the plans. SAG has called a national board meeting for Sunday to discuss changes in its leadership, with the tentative plan being for Pisano to relinquish the top executive position during the regularly scheduled board meeting April 7-9. McCord, a frequent critic of Pisano, said Tuesday that he has a positive personal opinion of Hessinger based in part by their service together on the recently negotiated SAG/AFTRA contract. McCord was a SAG negotiator and Hessinger served as chief negotiator of AFTRA, which he joined in 2000.
Plans to replace SAG national executive director/CEO Bob Pisano with his counterpart at AFTRA, Greg Hessinger, have included efforts to address the political rift within SAG. SAG's top elected leaders have approached two of their leading critics, Kent McCord and David Jolliffe, to discuss the proposed hiring of Hessinger. The secret meeting, which lasted several hours, took place Monday, the same day that AFTRA's national board was informed of the plans. SAG has called a national board meeting for Sunday to discuss changes in its leadership, with the tentative plan being for Pisano to relinquish the top executive position during the regularly scheduled board meeting April 7-9. McCord, a frequent critic of Pisano, said Tuesday that he has a positive personal opinion of Hessinger based in part by their service together on the recently negotiated SAG/AFTRA contract. McCord was a SAG negotiator and Hessinger served as chief negotiator of AFTRA, which he joined in 2000.
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