If It's Online, Give Me Mine

That was the rallying cry of some of the actors at the SAG rally today in front of the office building which houses both SAG and AFTRA. The purpose was to show solidarity in the face of AMPTP's stubbornness to negotiate a decent contract with the actors union. And since AFTRA had already signed the contract the AMPTP has been pushing down all the guilds' throats, it was also a rally to encourage the dual cardholders to vote against the contract when it comes up for vote.

The actors were not standing alone. Just like they came out and marched with the writers, many writers returned the favor and came out to march with them

It was an amazing crowd, considering that it was a workday and the writers had already signed their deals, so they would have to be back in the office and typing away on the computers. The sidewalk was crowded with people.

I must admit that as a non-SAG/AFTRA member, I don't know all the issues. I know that one of the main ones concerns residuals for product made-for and streamed online, in new media, when it is ad-supported. In other words, when you view an episode or film for free online, but have to sit through commercials, the studios are making money from showing those commercials in front and within their episode, film, or behind-the-scenes video. The actors feel that they should have a percentage of that revenue, in the same time-honored format as they do for ad-supported reruns on our free television -- residuals. What has contributed to making these negotiations even harder is that this is one of the issues AFTRA yielded on in their negotiation with the AMPTP. Just like they have done each time they have signed contracts poaching shows that SAG says should be under SAG jurisdiction, and would be if AFTRA didn't undercut SAG requirements in order to line union pockets. After all, it is good bottom line for the studios to go after the lowest contract they can get.

To the left is ALAN ROSENBERG, president of SAG exhorting the crowd to vote no on the AFTRA contract with the AMPTP. Love him as an actor, but here he looks very tired. You can tell the negotiations are taking a huge physical toll on the man.

To the right is KEITH CARRADINE who explained what SAG meant to him and his family. His family is a venerable dynasty of actors - patriarch John Carradine, brother Robert Carradine, half-brother David Carradine and Michael Bowen, nieces Ever Carradine and Kansas Carradine, and adopted brother Bruce Carradine. All are long time members of SAG.

Another issue involves actors being forced to hawk products within the scripts of their shows without their agreement. This might seem trivial when it concerns whether the character drinks Coke or Pepsi, but it can affect an aspect of actor's gainful employment. After all, Pepsi is not going to hire an actor to hawk Pepsi, if his popular character is seen drinking Coke on the series.

What's interesting is that I thought there was a law that said they had to use what they hawk, or at least not be against using it. But perhaps that has also been a casualty of our present government.

What is perhaps of greater concern is that without being able to say yea or nay, an actor can be forced to hawk within the confines of a story something he doesn't believe in. Like guns for someone who is for gun control. Or an abortion pill for someone who believes in Right to Life for Fetuses.

The AMPTP wants actors to have to individually negotiate that right at contract signing time, and anyone with a reasonable grasp on reality knows what happens then. If the actor doesn't sign the way the studio wants, they'll just go on to the next actor.

Of course this doesn't apply to big name actors who can dictate their own contracts. But then they aren't the ones that the SAG contracts are designed to protect, because frankly, they don't need them -- they have their own clout to get the provisions they want into their contracts.

To the left here we see actors GEORGE TAKEI and MARG HELGENBERGER listening intently to the words of WGA president PATRIC VERRONE. WGA negotiator DAVID YOUNG also spoke encouragement at the rally.

I congratulated George on his upcoming marriage and then asked something that has been on my mind. If the AFTRA contract was a bad deal, and George assured me that it was, why weren't the 44,000 dual-card holders speaking out against it?

He assures me they were, but they were being shouted down by the other members of AFTRA who weren't actors, but radio performers or broadcasters.

To the right are some of my favorite writers marching in support of SAG: GILLIAN HORVATH and ANTOINETTE STELLA.

DAVID CLENNON is also a favorite actor of mine and he was very intent on today's activities -- talking to people about how he could best help.

He was one of the actors who was out on the picket lines for the WGA Strike as often as he could.

Hopefully, this contract negotiations will get settled soon, for everybody's benefit. People are really hurting here. Many people who got laid off during the writers strike are still not back to work because of this defacto lock-out. And while the union which goes on strike has a Strike Fund to dip into to help out its hurting members, the other unions can not use their Strike Funds to help their members, because they are not on strike. Even though there's no question that their members are affected by a Strike or a Lockout, legalities won't allow them to open up their coffers to help their people. Hence people are losing their homes and jeopardizing everything they own and hold dear.

Pray that both sides come to a fair and equitable deal sooner rather than later.