Vote No
The following ad appeared in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
Fact:
Screen Actors Guild covers TEN TIMES more scripted primetime network series than AFTRA. SAG is the television union with the vast majority of scripted primetime television.
Fact:
SAG covered 92 TV series over the course of the 07/08 season—that’s more than 90% of these shows. Including top-rated television shows like Desperate Housewives, CSI, The Office, and others., AFTRA covered 5 scripted primetime network and pay television series over the same season under Exhibit A.
Fact:
Screen Actors Guild covers 100% of theatrical motion pictures. SAG was founded by movie actors in the 30’s and no other union has ever covered this historic and traditional acting work. SAG is the motion picture union covering hundreds of big budget studio films and thousands of low budget independent films over the last decade alone.
Fact:
AFTRA recently concluded negotiations on its Exhibit A contract. AFTRA previously negotiated with SAG before abandoning the joint negotiation relationship in late March just days before entering negotiations. AFTRA’s tentative deal -- reached on its own under an artificial deadline 6 weeks before the conclusion of the contract -- achieves few if any real gains for actors. (See Some Problems with AFTRA’s Tentative Deal.)
Gave Up Significant Jurisdiction in New Media
AFTRA accepted the DGA pattern that gave up jurisdiction over made for new media productions costing under $15,000 per minute. This would allow our signatory AMPTP companies to do non-union productions and compete against the independent producers who work under our contracts now. SAG has signed more than 500 made for new media productions in the last several years – nearly all of them produced for less than $15,000 per minute. f
Gave Up Residuals in New Media
AFTRA gave up residuals on made for new media productions, except in one very narrow, and very rare instance (only when produced for more than $25,000 per minute for a consumer-pay platform.)
AFTRA’s tentative deal does not secure adequate residuals for television shows that stream over the Internet on an advertiser-supported platform. This is a huge problem for SAG members because the new media platform could cannibalize some existing residuals models for both motion pictures and television when product moves to the Internet. AFTRA’s abandonment of residuals in new media means the beginning of the end of residuals in new media.
