Boulders Three: Town Hall Meeting “Members at the Mike!”
After Doug Allen’s Standing “O” members where lined up at the mikes for Q&A.
There was a lot and back and forth, but what made this meeting different from most membership meetings is that there were none of the usual go-along-to-get-alongers. You know the type, but, but, I’ve got a family to feed! Huh, and, the rest of us don’t?
In fact the general theme from those speaking was that our negotiators weren’t being militant enough.
Anyway, I’ll try to condense this as much a possible, and no members names will be noted. (You should be able to speak up at a meeting such as this without fear that your name will end up on some website, ah, that is, ah, no matter how entertaining and informative it is.)
One speaker wanted to know if this whole clip issue, and few of the other things mentioned, were red herrings. (Something the Ol’ Dog considered. You know they finally cave in on the clip issue, but nail us on DVD and the new media things they really Want.) Doug said that it could be possible but he doubted it. Force Majeure, for instance, a real liability to producers, could cost them millions upon millions of dollars. He said that clips is a real issue to them, and they were surprised by actors reaction to it.
This same speaker noted that a lot of people were freaked out by what AFTRA was doing. He said the last AFTRA show he did, actually ended up costing him money, and ask if there was anyway that we can tell members can’t do AFTRA shows. Doug responded that they couldn't with new production signatories, but we could with on going projects.
The Ol Dog disagrees. We can put producers, who go outside SAG to produce shows that we consider under SAG’s jurisdiction on an unfair list! And according to SAG’s Constitution our members cannot work for those producers.
For instance, they could still work AFTRA, but, just, not on shows under SAG’s jurisdiction. Hey, that’s how global rule one works, if you go to Canada, for instance, you can’t work under an ACTRA contract, your SAG contract follows you.
Well, it is called Global Rule One, and the USA is part of the globe, ah, right? Okay, geography, was never one of my best subjects, Okay?
We need to enforce Global Rule One right here in the USA. And, until we do, AFTRA is going to keep doing what they’re doing. And that’s giving producers what they want, even, at the expense of their own actor members.
Only a couple of years ago, AFTRA only had one network show, and a couple of basic cable shows. Now they have ten network shows, all but one of the half hour basic cable, and are adding to their hour shows daily.
Unless, our leadership hears from our membership, demanding they do something, it won’t be long before the big award show will be the AFTRA Awards, and residuals will be what we talk about, when we talk about the good old days.
Okay, I'm down.
Another speaker, echoed the basic theme from many attending the meeting: he felt negotiators needed to be stronger in their demands. He, also, felt SAG was now in a stronger position than it would be in the future. Without us, they have nothing to distribute, he continued. When, he said that we should be ready to strike, rather than lose our future livelihoods, he was drowned out by thunderous applause.
There was a lot of discussion on clip usage. Doug explained it was not a matter of law but rather, a matter of bargaining rights. Kent McCord talked about how we had gained consent back in 1960, and that it was very important to all of us. On a personal note, he said he wouldn’t want one of his clips used on a show called, “Cop Killers!”
A lot of the mike talk was from members that were, shall we say, not exactly big fans of AFTRA and their undercutting and residual giveaways. One member talked about an injunction so that they could no longer negotiate for actors, just like the plumbers union cannot negotiate for electricians. This was another BIG Applause getter.
On the subject of AFTRA's undercutting, it was Kent again that reminded members that a decade ago, SAG and AFTRA had pasted a resolution (CVR-99-17R) that basically stipulated neither union would undercut the other. SAG had honored that agreement. He continued that he thought that when one union undercuts an agreement already in place, he thinks there is something wrong with that union.
(Not only did AFTRA break the agreement, but after it was passed unanimously at an AFTRA membership meeting that AFTRA should abide by the agreement, it was only a short time later, the AFTRA leadership,at convention, tabled the motion…and as we all have observed they continue to undercut SAG's contracts and Sabotage their negotiations.)
Another actor, who worked on an AFTRA primetime show, wanted to know, with separate negotiations, would AFTRA and SAG shows still have the same terms and conditions. The consensus was that they hoped, they would! (But then that was before AFTRA announced its Exhibit A agreement, the one with so many concessions.)
It was, also, noted by NED Allen that another factor was in the pension and health plans: SAG’s accrual 3.7 while AFTRA’s only 1.7. And that AFTRA’s annual pension cap of $200,000 dollars was on the member, while SAG’s cap of $225,000 dollars was per employee.
Therefore, a SAG member who, in a single year, made $600,000 dollars from three employers, all that money would count toward his/her pension. On the other hand, an AFTRA member with the same annual income, under the AFTRA plan, would only be credited with $200,000 dollars. Also, the health plan co-payments, AFTRA members, at the very least, pay three times that SAG members do, under the SAG plan.
Someone wanted to know that if AFTRA gets different agreement from SAG, is there something to stop AFTRA from doing movies. Doug, said, AFTRA had told them, over the table, that they had no intention to do that. (Hmmm, they also told us they were ready to negotiate together one one day, and then on the next day, told us they weren’t!) Doug added that although AFTRA had dibbled around the edges on a few movie projects that he doubted they would try it--because it would be a very dangerous thing for them to do.
A background actor wanted to know “what are you doing for us?” Doug assured him that there were background people on the committee looking out for their interest. They had a number of proposals on their behalf including expanded numbers and zones.
There was a question on what would happen after the 17 to 24 windows for free ad supported streaming of TV shows. The answer: employers could then use them for two 6 month periods for between 23 dollars for day-players, up to 105 dollars for series regulars, per period. After those two payments, casts would share 6 percent distributors gross.
The Ol’ Dog left the meeting a little early, as he had very important business at home. He had taped a playoff game and wanted to get started early watching it, so he could do his report for the next day. Ah, Oh, well the best made plans of dogs and men, and all that stuff. Better late than never.
Oh, I thought I’d end this little missive on an up note. The Ol’ Dog's member of the month: The young lady, no I don’t now her name, but at the mike, she announced that she had joined SAG just five hours ago, before coming to the meeting.
You know, it’s members like that that gives the Ol’ Dog hope that despite all of its trials and tribulations, the best damn actors guild in the world, the Screen Actors Guild will make it somehow. 
A.L. Miller SW Editor & Chief
www.sagwatchdog.com
It’s post time! 
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