I heard last week this was coming… Here’s the full statement from the so-called SAG “National Board Majority” (they don’t sign their names) which attempted and succeeded in ousting Doug Allen and dissolve the negotiating committee by a maneuver called “written assent”. The group’s email to SAG members from today is below:
A Message to Members from the SAG National Board Majority
Today we took an important and necessary action to address the leadership crisis at Screen Actors Guild. Representatives from SAG’s National Board majority delivered a “written assent” document to SAG headquarters which authorized the following: Doug Allen is immediately replaced as National Executive Director by former SAG General Counsel David White, who will serve as interim NED; Guild Senior Advisor John T. McGuire is appointed as Chief Negotiator of all SAG contracts; the TV/Theatrical Contract Negotiating Committee is replaced by a Taskforce which will complete negotiations on behalf of the Board of Directors.
In a meeting two weeks ago, a majority of the board sought to make the crucial changes now contained in the written assent, but were derailed by President Alan Rosenberg and a minority of board members through endless parliamentary games and improper behavior. By filibustering for over 28 straight hours, they prevented the Board from ever taking a vote on the majority’s proposal.
This unprecedented level of obstruction has paralyzed the Guild.
Written assent is included in SAG’s constitution to allow a majority of the Board to take action outside the boardroom if necessary. While extraordinary circumstances may require the use of written assent, we do not believe it is a desirable way to conduct Guild business. In this case, the unrelenting obstruction by a minority of board members has left us no alternative.
This action has the support of all but one of the National Board members from SAG’S New York and Regional Branch Divisions, and all in the Hollywood Division except those affiliated with the group Membership First. The signed written assent documents were delivered today to SAG headquarters in Los Angeles.
Upon implementation of the approved motion, Interim National Executive Director David White will assume control of all Guild operations and will coordinate with Chief Negotiator John McGuire to contact the AMPTP to undertake resolution of TV/Theatrical Contract negotiations, which ground to a halt nearly seven months ago. The leaner TV/Theatrical Taskforce will work alongside Mr. McGuire as the “eyes and ears of the board,” providing input and support as contract negotiations are concluded.
Beyond the stalled TV/Theatrical negotiations, there is much work to be done and SAG members can rest assured that we have secured an exemplary leader in David White. A Rhodes Scholar, Mr. White has extensive industry experience and was SAG’s General Counsel from 2002 to 2006. He knows the Guild and its contracts, and has the respect of our staff and the entertainment community. Our Chief Negotiator, John McGuire, is a 40-year SAG staff veteran who has negotiated over 30 contracts and is held in enormous esteem throughout the industry and the labor movement. We have complete confidence in his ability to deliver the best possible contracts for our members.
These much needed changes will allow SAG to chart a new course. We will work to secure a TV/Theatrical Contract that can be sent to members with a positive recommendation, and to effectively resolve all our outstanding contracts, including the Commercials Contract. We will also work to rebuild vital relationships in the entertainment and labor communities, and to reestablish Screen Actors Guild as a respected and powerful institution, protecting and defending performers nationwide.
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In its entirety, the written assent accomplishes the following:— Removes Doug Allen as National Executive Director;
— Engages David White as interim National Executive Director;
— Names John McGuire as Chief Negotiator for all contracts, including the TV/Theatrical Contract currently in negotiation;
— Replaces the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee with a Taskforce, which will represent the Board of Directors;
— Directs that only interim NED David White, John McGuire, or their designee may communicate on behalf of Screen Actors Guild to other organizations, the general public, or the press;
— Retains the law firm of Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP to advise the National Board and represent the Guild in negotiation of the terms of a written contract with David White;
— In response to voting irregularities at the last Board meeting, instructs SAG staff to develop and implement a fraud-proof security system to regulate the use of the voting remotes used by Board members to cast their votes.
*In the interest of compliance with the AFTRA-SAG non-disparagement agreement under the AFL-CIO, Members of SAG’s National Board majority who are also AFTRA officers or board members wish to officially record themselves as abstaining from this statement.
Does SAG actually have balls (and brains)? Tell me that I misread this please.
Indie Producer
Hardy har har! These guys just keep the jokes rolling in.
Let’s see this ‘letter’ really has original signatures of the majority of the SAG Board. If it’s real, it violates the SAG Constitution in one respect… You can’t direct the PRESIDENT of the Screen Actors Guild to stop talking to the press or to other organizations.
We’re letting people who never work in this business mess up our lives… Let’s start SAG WEST PLEASE!!!
For the love of Mary, just send the “final” AMPTP offer to the members so they can vote it up or down. Since the “leaders” can’t lead, let the members take charge and negotiate en masse.
SANITY AT LAST!
This is despicable. I am a National Board member, elected by 75% of the voting membership, and I DID NOT GET A SAY ON THIS.
United For Strength apparently is making good on the “qualified voting platform”.
They did not ask all the members of the National Board to vote on this written assent.
They did everything to not allow the strike authorization to be mailed out to the membership to let them have their say.
They are now making this move to make sure the membership DOES NOT have a say on the current AMPTP proposal.
Additionally, your new “negotiating task force” has virtually NO ONE familiar with the future of New Media. And that’s smart when you’re negotiating a New Media contract because….?
Woe to the membership. Woe to the membership.
Outrageous! Sounds like the motion is littered with holes. But…
IF they are successful with this motion, they’d (U4S and NY) better get a decent, improved contract to the membership or else U4S (and NY board members) is completely fucked for the future. They’ve talked the talk, but can they… do anything else? So far, no; except for creating unrelenting discourse within the SAG board and membership.
As usual, Justine, you nailed it.
My God, is there nothing these traitors will go to undermine the guild and deliver the membership into the hands of the AMTP.
This is absolute madness, and I’m sorry to say the only possible explanation is that they are being paid off somehow… probably 30 pieces of silver.
Justine
Your group had a chance to deliver and didn’t. Say goodbye
Benedict Arnold thought he was a patriot. He was not. He was afraid of the King.
People with honor and character sign their names. Cowards are defeated in the next election.
Why not just dismiss the negotiating committee and replace it with the AFTRA board? Because that’s who negotiated the crappy contract we’re going to wind up with if this is allowed to happen.
Bye-bye residuals. Bye-bye meal breaks. Bye-bye to control over the use of my likeness. Hello, non-union scabs.
Oh brother! Who voted for these guys and is this what they were voting for? For crying out loud… have you heard Ned Vaughn try to speak? He’s like George Bush’s little brother!
I don’t know the in’s and out’s of a “written dissent”.
Justine Bateman, were you at the long Plenary meeting? If it had come to a vote there, you would have absolutely had your say. I have heard there were a lot of proceedural issues that kept this from coming to a vote (as reported here and other places).
This has nothing to do with “qualified voting”. The claim is simply that a majority of the National Board approved this motion outside the confines of the Board. In theory, had the vote taken place in the board room with all the National Board in attendance, the outcome would be exactly that same.
I’m certain this will be fought and I’m certain this means a continuing battle of forces that will hamstring all our efforts to get the compensation we deserve.
Personally, I would prefer both MF and U4S and ALL National Board members finding common ground. Unfortunately if this is really implemented the MF faction will pretty much vote against anything that comes to pass and that puts us in the same limbo we were before where a strike authorization is impossible, thus our largest stick is rendered useless.
No matter how this plays out, we MUST GET THE BOARD TOGETHER SOMEHOW. If the factions continue to fight, so will the members and ALL SAG members will pay the price.
What is required for this Written Assent to take effect? Who at SAG Headquarters needs to sign it? One person, or a board? Wouldn’t the President of SAG be the guy at SAG Headquarters who rules on this? If not he, then who?
Please advise.
Frank
But Justine, how can we say we were going anywhere with the way things stood? To bicker more within the union only continues the problems we are experiencing. So what that there’s a new team? I don’t see any better path to trying to make this work. I understand your concerns about the contract as is. I empathize. But, we have to find ourselves a way out of this mess, and politically we were not finding that way. We have to trust that this new leadership will be honest and understand what is important, gathering the needed information. Why not offer them a hand in providing any information on New Media that you do not think they already know? (Instead of cutting them down.)
The Majority of the board is just that ……………. “The Majority”
suck it up Bateman. The rules apply to all. It is after all a “national board”. If you try to silence them in the room they will just eliminate the room.
Anyway ……………. What’s the problem. if they can get the deal done let them. Stop all the yelling and let’s get back to work.
This so-called “national board majority” bemoans their being filibustered at the December board meeting, but the only reason the meeting was called in the first place was to prevent a vote of the membership.
Pretty undemocratic behavior, if you ask me.
Poor Mallory. You didn’t get to vote “no” on a consent resolution that already had a majority “yes” vote in the bag.
Consider that you and everyone in Membership First will be deemed to have said “no” on this.
If, however, you are unhappy because you wanted to vote “yes,” I’m sure you could lend your name to the written assent resolution without too much difficulty.
Oh, what’s that? You didn’t get to debate this? Gee, maybe if you hadn’t helped hijack the in-person board meeting earlier this month, some actual debate would have occurred.
Grow up.
If it is indeed a Majority of the National Board then call it what it is a Majority. I hope it is legal and it flies. I believe that once it is verified that a written assent has attained signatures from a majority of the board then it passes. If it legal, follows the SAG constitution and it passes then the MF’s should do what they have been preaching and support the majority.
Why is it only a “so-called SAG “National Board Majority”…” when it is a majority of the SAG National Board?
Dear Ms. Bateman,
Where was your urgency to debate this motion during the 28 hrs you were keeping it from the floor?
You can’t have it both ways.
You had “YOUR SAY”. By thwarting the board majority at the plenary, you told them to find a way around you. And they did.
And now you have to eat it.
Ketchup?
Gee Ms Bateman, what part of “SAG National Board MAJORITY” don’t you understand?
The MF Council MINORITY pulled a parliamentarian filibuster at the recent NC meeting, in addition to Mr. Rosenberg’s claiming the UFC/branches MAJORITY didn’t properly submit their call to oust himself, Mr. Allen & the negotiating committee, so I don’t really think you’ve got much of a leg to stand on by complaining NOW, when a MAJORITY of National Council follows the “letter of the law” by submitting the written assent per the Constitution.
I believe the correct term for this is “sauce for the goose” Ms Bateman; MF made their bed, now they’ll have to lay in it.
It looks like they already started. When I went to look at the Constitution on the SAG website to see if what they were trying was constitutional, all I got was Page Not Found. The By-laws are there but not the Constitution.
It is illegal for a member of SAG to be working for the Studios and promoting a law firm to undermine SAG’s clout in the negotiation. SAG should file a grievance against the renegade SAG leadership and sue them for a conspiracy to ruin the union.