Dissatisfied with stalled contract talks, 31 actors said Wednesday they
have joined to campaign for seats on the Screen Actors Guild's board of
directors, a move that could eventually break the stalemate with Hollywood
studios.
The actors are running for the seats under the name Unite for Strength. They
are challenging the leadership of guild president Alan Rosenberg and the faction
that supports him, Membership First.
"We can no longer afford leaders who sow division," Unite for Strength leader
Ned Vaughn said in a statement that singled out the gap that opened between SAG
and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists during the talks.
In response, SAG said only that it planned to release the official list of
candidates on Aug. 5 after the nominating period has closed and candidate
eligibility has been confirmed.
Ballots will go out to members on Aug. 19 and are due back to the union by
Sept. 18, with results expected to be announced that evening. About a third of
the board's 71 seats are at stake.
It's unlikely there will be any movement in the negotiations until after the
election, said entertainment attorney Jonathan Handel, a former associate
counsel for the Writers Guild of America.
If the current leaders remain in control, it could be seen as an endorsement
of their position on the contract. But a ballot result favoring Unite for
Strength could prove to be a game-changer.
"If the challenge slate gains control, it will probably move to fire the
executive director, change the composition of the negotiating committee, and the
studios will probably sit down with them pretty promptly and negotiate a deal,"
Handel said.
