First Off, I didn’t get a chance to touch bases with Scott Wilson today but I assume he will be at his usual stand at 5757 Wilshire Blvd today, Friday. (3/13/09) More later!
JUST HEARD FROM SCOTT HE'S ON THE SCENE 
(3/13/09)
In the Old Dog’s opinion, one of the biggest mistakes NED Doug Allen, President Rosenberg and the ENTIRE SAG board made was when they were whipsawed into signing the AFL-CIO non-disparagement “Deal.”
It in affect has muzzled all of our SAG Hollywood leadership from communicating to our members. What makes it so offensive is that it has muzzled them from them telling us the truth.
Meanwhile, it allows the current New York USAN/Branches and UFS/ AFTRA /AMPTP First sycophants, who put AFTRA First, and would never diparage them to go after SAG and Hollywood’s 'Membership First' leadership with immunity while cowering behind the anonymity of their anonymously run website. They thumb their noses at the disparagement agreement while the AFO-CIO stands idly by doing nothing. Like I've said they're Lew Wassmerman's kind of guys. You know, "A compliant union is a good union!"
Okay, let’s look at the Message from Interim NED David White to, not only, silence our elected officials, but, also, all the SAG members who have volunteered their time to serve their union on committees.
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Subject: Message from David White, SAG Interim National Executive Director, Re SAG-AFTRA Non-Disparagement Agreement
DW: To members of the National Board of Directors, Division Boards of Directors, Branch Councils, National Committees, alternates to these bodies, and staff:
On January 25, 2009, an advisory was distributed to you regarding the agreement reached between SAG and AFTRA for joint negotiation of the Commercials Contracts. The agreement had been authorized by both National Boards and was the result of months of detailed work designed to effectuate the continuation of joint bargaining. The agreement provides for the prohibition of disparagement of either union and of our staff or elected. I am attaching another copy of that advisory for your reference.
In effect what is going on here is a suppression of members’ constitutional rights of freedom of speech in the name of expediency.
DW: Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that, in recent days, several individuals covered by the terms of this agreement have made public statements, including those that can be found on the internet, that raise concerns with respect to prohibited disparagement of AFTRA.
No mention here of the disparagement of SAG and its Hollywood Leaders made by USAN/UFS by way of their anonymously run website. Also, what is not mentioned here is that the two members, I have heard mentioned, are NOT board members, and, by the way,are also AFTRA members. So, is Mr. White now telling us that AFTRA members cannot openly question, or criticize, their own union, AFTRA? Basically, what we have now is a message to both SAG and AFTRA members which is, pay your dues and SHUT THE F*UCK UP Apparently, Interim NED White, NY/Branches/UFS can’t wait for their merger. They are already turning SAG into a Star Chamber version of AFTRA. If you don’t believe that, why is it that Mr. White and the current New York USAN/UFS gang have indicated that beyond muting members, they are NOT GOING TO LET SAG MEMBERS VOTE, ON EITHER THE CONTRACT OR A STRIKE AUTHORIZATION, WHILE THEY JUST SIT BACK AND LET THE CONTRACT BE IMPOSED ON SAG BY THE AMPTP WITHOUT ANY SAY FROM THE MEMBERSHIP WHATSEVER !!
DW: I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone receiving this message that each of us is subject to the terms of the agreement and must not engage in making any public statements that are disparaging toward AFTRA, its staff or elected leadership. This prohibition applies regardless of the form of the statement (e.g. written, oral, or electronic, including videos), and includes, we should assume, the act of forwarding someone else’s email.
And I assume that also includes tapping it out in Morris code with a pencil, ah, that is if it is done in public. Like I said, pay your dues, and “Shut the F*UCK UP
DW: Obviously, many AFTRA members, including elected and appointed member leaders, also hold positions of leadership in SAG. While it is permissible for AFTRA members who are also SAG leaders to write directly to the AFTRA President and Vice-President(s), and/or to the AFTRA Board in protest of certain behavior or courses of action, it is critical that those communications be private communications to the intended recipients and not for the public or mass e-mails. In other words, AFTRA members of course have the right to communicate directly with their AFTRA elected representatives, just as SAG members have the right to communicate displeasure about something SAG may have done directly to SAG elected leadership, but if you hold elected or appointed office in either union, those communications should be directed to the parties concerned and not disseminated to the general public, the media, blogs, or personal e-mail lists of other members.
You know, private like AFTRA’s contracts, which AFTRA members are not allowed to see, and, of course, the results of referendums which are not only kept from members, but their elected AFTRA representatives. Oh, yeah, and what email from our New Interim NED would be complete without a threat.
DW: The terms of the joint bargaining agreement provide for financial and other potentially severe penalties to be imposed against either union if their covered leadership engages in violations of this agreement. It is critical, therefore, that we each take our responsibility to abide by this agreement seriously to avoid causing harm to the Guild. Please use your best judgment in determining whether any communication that you may contemplate issuing contains statements that are problematic in light of this agreement.
I agree that it is critical, critical that our elected leaders, and committee members take their responsibilities seriously, especially board members, to those who elected them, by continuing to speak the truth to the membership. (I understand committee members are already resigning so as not to be muzzled.) But I hope that board members just ignore this unconstitutional silencing edict and continue to tell it to us like it is, after all that is why we elected them. As to the AFL-CIO, if they want to enforce something, why don’t they quit harassing members, and enforce one of their own charters; the one that says that SAG has jurisdiction over all acting on television except that done in the manner of a LIVE BROADCAST. Also, if any board member is brought up on charges, and fined, I will personally help you sue them by contributing a grand to your defense fund. Yeah, I got it, thanks to our predecessors, who fought for residuals; something our new USAN SAG majority, from New York/ branches, along with USF board members are trying to give away.
DW: If you have any questions or concerns about this agreement, its terms or its implementation, please contact either me or Duncan Crabtree-Ireland for further assistance.
Right! And if I’m ever in a burning building, I'll get in touch with you to bring over some matches.
DW: In unity, David P. White Interim National Executive Director
You mean in mute-nity don’t you, Doug?
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A.L. Miller SW Editor & Chief
Oh, by the way, I understand that the new USAN/UFS interim hired gun, just canceled the scheduled NEC meeting. Don’t be surprised if it is replaced by another bogus Task Farce!
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SAG Hollywood No Voice! No Vote! A message from Interim NED to Board and Committee Members 
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