The Screen Actors Guild has scheduled what it is calling a "solidarity" rally
at its Wilshire Boulevard headquarters in Los Angeles on Monday, but trade
reports indicated today (Friday) that the rally will demonstrate no solidarity
whatsoever with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists -- and
in fact will denounce AFTRA's recent agreement with the Alliance of Motion
Picture and Television Producers. Daily Variety reported that
representatives of Membership First, the activist group that now controls the
union plan to call on SAG members who hold dual membership in AFTRA to vote
against the deal when ratification ballots are sent out next week. The trade
publication quoted a message sent by Michael Heister saying that "being
physically present at this rally makes it known to AFTRA leadership and the
moguls that actors absolutely will stand up for their rights, that we will not
let our images be maligned for pennies, and we will not let the relevance of
our unions be eviscerated under the cover of new media." Variety
reported that little progress between SAG and the AMPTP was made on
Thursday and that the two sides had agreed to take three days off and meet
again on Monday. Meanwhile, a report from the Milken Institute released on
Thursday said that the recent strike by the Writers Guild of America cost the
state's economy $2.1 billion, with 37,700 workers losing their jobs.
06/06/2008
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