SAG A-List Blacklist

The dark times at SAG just got darker. This time, the culprit is an email being circulated that advocates a No vote on awards for stars who oppose a strike authorization. Among the targets: Alec Baldwin, Josh Brolin, Steve Carell, Sally Field, Michael C. Hall, Susan Sarandon, Tony Shalhoub, and Kevin Spacey. The email urges SAG members not to vote for those stars in the upcoming SAG awards, for which they've been nominated.

Meanwhile, in another sign of how SAG politics have divided Hollywood, a rally is set for this Monday, January 12, at the commencement of the SAG national board meeting in LA. The rally, occurring 8:30 a.m. at SAG's 5757 Wilshire Blvd. headquarters, is organized by location manager and Teamsters member Scott Bigbee, in support of SAG actors who oppose a strike. Bigbee notes that the rally is not organized by the Teamsters union itself, and is hoping that attendees will include members of all Hollywood unions and others who would be affected by a strike.

The author of the blacklist email is unknown, although one prominent SAG board member, Frances Fisher, did forward the email to some SAG members. Fisher apparently forwarded the email without comment, and told another SAG member that she was not taking a position on the email's proposed tactic. In that case, it is unclear why she forwarded the email. An attempt to reach Fisher via email was unsuccessful as of the time this article was posted.

For its part, SAG itself came out against the email. The Guild's Awards Show Committee stated that the SAG Awards have "always been and will always remain non-political," and added that it was "unfortunate that a few people have chosen to attempt to politicize" the awards.

At least one recipient of the email, Julie Garfield, compared it to the 1940's-50's blacklist of alleged communists in Hollywood--a blacklist that brought down her father, leading man John Garfield, and, apparently, contributed to his death of a heart attack at age 39. That blacklist involved investigation by Congress's House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and wiretaps and surveillance by government agents.

The comparison seems a bit extreme, with all respect to Julie and her family's heartrending experience, but the point is not lost: for someone (anonymous, no less) to urge a blacklist of fellow actors for taking a legitimate position on a union issue seems inimical to the spirit of the SAG Awards and the principle that unions are supposed to (try to) unite. It's a sign how divided the Guild is that the pro-strikers' bare knuckle politics have led to this.

I'll be speaking more about SAG this Thursday, on the Ninety Nine Seats podcast. You can also subscribe to my blog (jhandel.com) for more about SAG, or digital media law generally. Go to the blog itself to subscribe via RSS or email. You can also follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook, or subscribe to my Huffington Post articles.

Comments

[lipstickpig]

I was glad to read Doug Allen step down for SAG-

We here at IATSE are also in negotiations-
IATSE is made up of the people who actually make the movies-set decorators, grips, camera folks, costume and hair, teachers and editors-and many more-

We the "below the line" Union members continue to get the short end of the deal-
Our wages don't increase -we work longer for less money-the film producers try and suck every last dime out of the "Workers"-and the topper is NOW IS HEALTH CARE is at stake!
We say NO VOTE to 400 Hours-
Check out the 400hours we site-it will explain the whole mess-
We need to fire our Executive Directors and Board people who sell US OUT !
I implore all Union Members to stand up and VOTE NO on the new contract-
This does not mean a strike BUT going back to the table to renegotiate.
BACK TO THE TABLE !!!

[DeadHorse]

I received this email and shivered. I am so saddened by this whole thing and think the only way there will be a legitimate contract negotiation will be when the whole lot of bums is tossed and a new board and negotiating committee is seated.
If anything, the email makes me want to vote FOR all the actors targeted.

[LeonBNJ]

Often production costs elsewhere in the USA, in Canada and outside the USA are a lot less than the Los Angeles area due to government subsidies, cheaper staffing costs as not as heavily unionized or even no real unions, less expensive costs of living and lower taxes for individuals and corporations. Strikes in recent years in the industry have also caused more shifts of production to outside LA. Many, especially the 95% of working actors who don't make millions a year, fear that another strike may mean more permenant shifts of work outside of the Los Angeles area or less money or benefits for them. While there may be some top level actors who may just be seen as giving in to the studios by discouraging a strike, they may have a critical point in the dispute. Still intimidating people with e-mails, is a bad way to deal with this issue.

[sjones66]

Not all SAG actors are rich and famous, either. The majority are struggling actors, and the lucky top 5 get regular bit parts, etc which help pay the bills. The issues on the table are VALID and need to be addressed. Merging with AFTRA would be a real slap in the face -- but whatever. Times are changing.

That said, this isn't the time for a strike. The Bush economy has not been kind to most of us.

[MadMoll]

Merging with AFTRA would h ave placed both Guilds in a stronger position with the AMPTP. As a NY member it galled me to be considered < LA member. Oh. My. God. I DO BASIC CABLE us nasty RADIO people.... there is within the LA SAG a small group of snots who say I am a second class actor because I work on radio dramas.

Thanks LA!

[DeadHorse]

As a member of a SAG committee I can wholeheartedly agree with you MadMoll. It's unfortunate that somehow because we work in multiple disciplines on the east coast we are seen as somehow < LA member. You hit the nail on the head.
Best of luck slumming it with me and the others here on the east coast.

[Skyhawk]

Radio dramas are slowly resurging. Like reading, radio is the cheapest form of entertainment these days.

[SimplyBilly]

Reading the title of this post makes it sound like the Screen Actor's Union has issued a blacklist. Reading way further on it appears that some person has let out an email but the suspicion is still cast on SAG.

Karl Rove would be proud of you Handel with your covert sabotage attempts. But that's cool. It is clear from reading the inventory of your posts regarding SAG that you would like to see the union disappear. Why don't you just come out and say so?

[Jonathan Handel - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Billy -

Actually, in my piece I point out that SAG itself opposed the email. As for covert sabotage attempts, sorry, but I never did save the Cap'n Crunch whistles, secret decoder rings, and disappearing ink pens necessary for that kind of work. There's nothing covert about my writing.

And, if you read my posts a little more carefully, you'd see that I think SAG should put itself in a position to threaten a joint strike with the WGA in two years. I also have laid out a variety of areas where I agree with SAG leadership (force majeure, 90 day Taft-Hartley, French hours, and aspects of product integration). Indeed, I've also said that the new media deal will have to change in the future, and that DVD residuals continue to be important even as that business declines.

So, to claim that I want SAG to disappear is really rather silly. That's the infantile "us and them" mentality that seems to have infected some members of SAG. "SimplyBilly" is fine, but "Simplistic Billy" does everyone a disservice.

Jonathan

[MrsWakely]

My favorite part is that, if UFS gets it's way on Monday and Tuesday, overturns the issuance of the SAV, formerly approved by the national board, fires Doug Allen and purges the negotiating committee of all Membership First people, which it is planning to do by RE-WRITING the union guidelines on Monday, doesn't even allow the membership to vote a simple majority (50% instead of 75% for the SAV) up or down on this contract, thereby depriving the membership the right to decide their own fate, signs the AFTRA contract, and then fast-tracks a merger with AFTRA (which IS their hope) there won't BE a SAG Awards to "politicize" in three years, because there won't be any SAG.

THEN, in three years, Ned Vaughn and the Appeasers (no, not a British invasion band) are telling us SAG, AFTRA, the DGA, and the WGA will "all unite" and have "the leverage" to force the AMPTP to give SAG BACK all the things UFS is right on the verge of giving away.

Wow.

[customgreen]

Who cares about this stuff. There are REAL problems out there. People are losing their homes, can't feed their children, have no health insurance. Who cares if Alec Baldwin gets a stupid award. Susan Sarandon isn't going to lose her home, Tony Shalhoub doesn't have to worry about where his next meal is coming from. The SAG strike is an issue the vast majority of Americans could care less about. It's a nearly worthless topic considering the plight of so many who are NOT famous!

[robynr]

i've been unemployed for 7 months because of this situation with SAG. the longest stint ever in my 25+ years in the business. i'm not famous or even an actor or SAG member.
my dog walker has been unemployed for 7 months for the same reason. i have not been able to frequent my neighbourhood stores & restaurants.
i have not been paying taxes, which help society as a hole.
friends have lost their houses, had to go on welfare.
so when you spout off about these actors etc. realize how much deeper this goes.
this is a real problem and it isn't local, it is global. i don't live in L.A. or even the U.S.A.
media is big business.

[richchaplin]

Without being too specific, can you tell us how this "situation" has put you out of work? What kind of job do you lose from a PROPOSED strike. Prodution office secretary? Are you Ari Gold's Lloyd? Housesitter for actors on location? A Little Person waiting for Guillermo to start casting The Hobbit? A fixer for film crews in Venice?

And if you are in a support job like that, how could you have EVER afforded a dog walker?

[robynr]

sorry, i meant " society as a whole".
also i was wondering...
if you don't care, why do you read these posts.
i haven't seen any news about the SAG situation on television & i have to actively seek out information on line. it should be easy for you to avoid these stories if you find them so frivolous.

[easarsfield]

Um the SAG strike is a major issue facing the second largest city in our country, you don't think this will have a trickle down effect? This strike will not only hurt actors. It also hurts the people that work on set, people that are involved in pre and post production. When these people are out of work and have no money, they will not be shopping at stores, going to restaurants, paying taxes, etc etc.

This issue is WAY larger than the Hollywood stars.

[DeadHorse]

Are you suggesting the problems of my union aren't "real". how smug can you possibly get. My problems are VERY real. There are tons of projects, films, pilots, scripted episodic that are stalled because the producers do not want to go into production and then have to stop due to a strike. I will lose my health insurance if there isn't any work (the requirement to maintain union insurance in SAG is pretty steep). So my losing my HEALTH INSURANCE isn't a REAL problem? Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, and Tony Shalhoub don't have to worry about their next meal...and good for them. But I and many of my friends and colleagues do have to worry. So I would thank you very kindly to keep your patronizing, selfish, and down right mean-spirited "opinion" to yourself. There are many MANY of us in SAG who would simply go belly up. SAG doesn' t have a strike fund to help those of us who don't make 7 figures to survive not only a strike but a MAJOR ECONOMIC CRISIS.
So, forgive my tone, but I get crazy mad at the very ignorance your post presents. Do a little looking into the situation before condemning many of us to the dustbin of your concern.