SAG SPEAKS...7/28/08

28, 2008


Dear Screen Actors Guild Member,

The Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors met Saturday and passed a resolution reaffirming its support for the National Negotiating Committee.

The resolution passed unanimously with a vote of 68 – 0 and states:
It is a core principle of Screen Actors Guild --

That no non-union work shall be authorized to be done under any Screen Actors Guild agreement and;

That all work under a Screen Actors Guild contract, regardless of budget level, shall receive fair compensation when reused.

This resolution represents guidance from the National Board of Directors to the National Negotiating Committee. It reaffirms the importance of these issues in our current TV/Theatrical Negotiations.

The Board's reaffirmation of these principles reinforces what we have been telling the industry for some time: Screen Actors Guild members and leadership understand how important it is that new media productions under our contract be done union and that there be fair residuals for all programming run or re-run on new media.

This does not mean that new media is our only focus. We know that you are also concerned about such bargaining priorities as product integration, force majeure, background actors’ issues and mileage. We will be communicating with you in more depth on these and other bargaining priorities in the coming days.

As we continue to work toward a successful conclusion to these important TV/Theatrical contract negotiations, we remain committed to securing a fair contract that serves actors’ needs.

Thank you to the thousands of Screen Actors Guild members (more than 5,100) who have signed the Solidarity Statement in support of our National Negotiating Committee and to the thousands of you who have sent us your comments and suggestions. We appreciate your dedication to your union and to your fellow actors.

For those who want to sign on and haven’t yet done so, you can send an email with your name and member ID number to [Only admins are allowed to see this link]. Feel free to include your comments and suggestions. Your input is welcome and valuable. You can also visit us at [Only admins are allowed to see this link] and click on the Solidarity Statement box to see the thousands of actors who have signed the statement.

As many of you know, this year marks our 75th Anniversary. It is a good time to remember our founders and to consider what Screen Actors Guild stands for: We stand for actors -- always. It is more important than ever that we stand together in support of our union, each other and for all of the actors to come.

Thank you once again for your solidarity and commitment.

In unity,

Alan Rosenberg