Historic SAG-AFTRA merger approved
Last edited Fri Mar 30, 2012, 06:03 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Entertainment Weekly
History was made in Hollywood today: The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists announced they will officially merge.
AFTRA members gave a thumbs up to the merger by a margin of 86 percent, or 37,000 votes. (A 60 percent threshold was required for passage). Of the 55,000-plus SAG members who voted, 82 percent approved the merger. The results were met with huge cheers at a press conference in Beverly Hills today.
The merger is effective immediately, and encompasses more than 150,000 actors, announcers, broadcasters journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals.
Read more: http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/03/30/breaking-sag-aftra-merger-approved/
Forgot to add that, in terms of actually getting work for performers, this will make little difference.
SAG has made it incredibly difficult for indie film producers and any commercial producer with a small budget to actually abide by the signatory rules that they have driven many agencies and producers away from becoming signatories to a SAG contract.
Yes, there are some predatory commercial production companies out there, but the majority are trying to do the right thing by performers and crew and SAG has not done well in helping their own cause. In fact, in secondary markets i.e, Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, Washington/Baltimore, there are many union members who have gone "Financial Core" so that they can do non-union work as well as union work. (As "financial core" one becomes a dues-paying-non-voting member of the union. The performers unions don't like it but it is completely legal and means that dedicated and talented performers can work at their craft and earn a living without having to wait tables or code software).