(I recieved this from SAG Board Candidate Mark Carlton.)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...... 08 SEPT.
Today, Screen Actors Guild Independent Board Candidate, Mark Carlton announced that, on behalf of the guild membership, he has filed Union disciplinary charges against National Board member, Mary McDonald-Lewis from the SAG Portland Branch office. The "conduct unbecoming" charges stem from Ms. McDonald's unauthorized use of a Screen Actors Guild internal list-serve to communicate and solicit support of candidates in the current election. Preferences were suggested to SAG branch members. Not only did she indicate who the Branch Division members should vote for, she sought support for NY and Hollywood candidates as well. Her offending e-mail further suggested that the some 58 recipients forward the letter on to their private lists.
Such use of Union Internal communications and facilities violate Both Screen Actors Guild election rules as well as Federal Labor Law and could potentially jeopardize the outcome and validity of the election. If as a result, the election is challenged and invalidated, it could cost SAG several hundred thousand dollars to restage it. The charges against Ms. McDonald were filed in the office of SAG's National senior counsel, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, and will first be vetted by the Union's "Probable Cause" committee.
Ms. McDonald, known to her associates as, "Mary Mac" has been a long serving National Board member from the regional Branch division. Although her apology to the guild for the violation was immediate, "You can hardly un ring the bell" said Mr. Carlton."It is difficult to imagine, with her experience, Mary-mac did not know what she was doing." The list-serve allows for immediate communication between large numbers of people.
The 58 initial recipients were members of the elected leadership of all 20 branches of SAG, as well as three SAG staff members. Michelle Bennett, SAG's National Director of Governance, initially caught the illegal transmission and immediately called an emergency meeting of the Hollywood elections committee. It is hard to assess the extent of the damage at this time pending investigation as to how many recipients signed the letter and how many may have forwarded it to their personal lists.
In a message to candidates, Ms. Bennett stated, ..."the List serves were established to facilitate communication between representatives in the conduct of official Screen Actors Guild business. Such business does not, and cannot lawfully, include the endorsement of any candidate or membership group involved in a Guild election. More specifically, federal election law, and Guild election rules prohibit the use of the Guild publications (including such things as the List Serves) to support any particular candidate or slate of candidates for election."
It remains to be seen what further action the National Board may take, as many of the recipients were also Regional Branch members of the National Board. This issue certainly may serve to fuel the divisiveness in SAG.
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A.L. Miller SW Editor & Chief 
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