Posted in: Movies, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: amptp, opinion, SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA: Union Members Sign Letter of Support (We Have Questions)

A group of SAG-AFTRA members went live with a letter of support for the union's leadership - but it also left us with a few questions.

After the month that October has been, the fact that some folks have a sense of "cautious optimism" heading into today's next round of talks between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP is something we're tagging as a "little victory." Today's negotiations come after several weeks that saw the studios & streamers throwing a pissy fit and walking away from the table for well over a week, the union posting Halloween costume guidelines that weren't exactly well-received (or taken seriously), and a group of big names (including George Clooney and Tyler Perry) pitching a proposal to union leadership to help break the logjam that apparently went over about as well as a wet fart at an "I Hate Wet Farts" convention. But by the end of all of that, both sides returned to the table after the AMPTP came to its senses and reached out to SAG-AFTRA. Since that time, there have been meetings, proposals, and counter-proposals – but the best part? Both sides are still talking. So when we read that a number of union members had signed onto a letter stating that the undersigned "would rather stay on strike than take a bad deal," we first thought, "Sweet! A nice show of support!" But then we looked at it a little longer – and we realized we had some questions.

How Do The Numbers Look? At the time that we started pulling this together, there were approximately 4,000 names signed to the letter. Going with the number posted on SAG-AFTRA's website, there are "approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and other media professionals" represented by the union. Okay, so without exact numbers, let's use 4,000 and 160,000 – which means that approximately 2.5% of the membership signed onto the letter (assuming our horrible mathematical skills actually worked for once).

Why Now? At a point when things appear to be "cautiously" on track, the members who signed the letter stated that they knew "that our union leaders are doing everything in their power to achieve that goal as they negotiate in good faith with the companies to arrive at a new contract that will protect us and our fellow performers, now and for generations to come." If that's the case, then why would there be a need to include the following passage – especially after how SAG-AFTRA stood its ground and got the AMPTP to make the call to resume talks?

We have not come all this way to cave now. We have not gone without work, without pay, and walked picket lines for months just to give up on everything we've been fighting for. We cannot and will not accept a contract that fails to address the vital and existential problems that we all need fixed.

Who Was This Aimed At? And then there was this line: "In any union, there will always be a minority who are not willing to make temporary sacrifices for the greater good." Was that aimed at Clooney, Perry, and the others who pitched that proposal to SAG-AFTRA leadership? Those who called out the union for the Halloween costume guidelines (like ex-SAG-AFTRA President Melissa Gilbert)? Again, it's tough to say because there are arguments for both and other instances – but what was the point at this point? It comes across as passive-aggressive – but worse than that? It potentially drags back into the spotlight a topic that folks like us had already moved on from. Now, here's a look at the full text of the posted letter:

To Our SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee:

Back in June, before we went on strike, a large group of members signed an open letter telling our leaders that we would rather go on strike than take a bad deal.

Now, more than 100 days into our strike, that is still true. As hard as this is, we would rather stay on strike than take a bad deal.

We have not come all this way to cave now. We have not gone without work, without pay, and walked picket lines for months just to give up on everything we've been fighting for. We cannot and will not accept a contract that fails to address the vital and existential problems that we all need fixed.

In any union, there will always be a minority who are not willing to make temporary sacrifices for the greater good. But we, the majority who voted overwhelmingly to authorize this strike, are still standing in solidarity, ready to strike as long as it takes and to endure whatever we must in order to win a deal that is worthy of our collective sacrifice. We know that our union leaders are doing everything in their power to achieve that goal as they negotiate in good faith with the companies to arrive at a new contract that will protect us and our fellow performers, now and for generations to come.

Everything we have as a union – every minimum payment, health and pension benefit, residual, royalty, and workplace protection – it has all been won with the power of our members; the power of our solidarity; the power of standing together as one to demand what is right, what is fair, and what we deserve. You have our trust, our support, and our power behind you now.

One day longer. One day stronger. For as long as it takes.

In Solidarity,

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