From a group calling itself the "Coalition of SAG Performers for a National Union." Personally, I would suggest a name change: "Hollywood Voices of Sanity." (Emphases added are those of the writers.) IMPORTANT: Signatures of support are being gathered for a second mailing of this letter. If you wish to be included, send your name and city to info@coalitionunion.com

Monday, November 14, 2005

Alan Rosenberg, President
Screen Actors Guild
5757 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Alan;

We, the undersigned Hollywood SAG members collectively earn over $10,000,000 annually under the SAG TV/Theatrical, Commercial, Animation, and Interactive agreements. We are writing to you to express our concern over issues that have emerged since the recent SAG election.

• It is with alarm that we see the same Membership First players who took us out on strike in 2000, again staffing the Commercial Performers Committee. We ask that the Negotiating Committee be selected to reflect all perspectives regarding this important contract and that the outcome not be predetermined.
• We are witnessing numerous election challenges based on SAG Board members' association with an alleged spammer and the alleged spamming of SAG members & Staff during electoral processes. We ask that these charges be considered seriously and not ignored by the Elections Committee before they are referred to the Department of Labor for adjudication and our union's credibility further damaged in the industry.
• We hear that the Board is considering enforcing Rule 16G which would be suicidal for SAG. In order to keep working, the vast majority of Hollywood's 5,000 working actors would reject the union in favor of their agents who get them work. Before any action is taken we ask that an outside company survey SAG actors vested in the Medical Plan about their opinions & intentions regarding the franchise issue, and that the results be promulgated publicly and reviewed by the Board.
• We recently witnessed the firings of SAG executive staff again -- gestures which will cost us millions of dollars in members' dues, possibly putting the Board in breach of its fiduciary duty and precluding SAG from finding quality executive leadership in the future. We request that the probable costs to SAG of a protracted legal battle be carefully studied and a determination made as to whether or not it is in the best interest of the Guild & its members to engage in a battle with “winning” defined as avoiding legal and moral responsibility for binding contractual commitments that the union made and that these individuals relied upon.

The 2000 Commercials strike helped to foster a now-permanent non-union Hollywood commercials industry resulting in less P&H and fewer jobs for SAG members - something working members can attest to. Never before in the history of commercial production has a producer been able to so easily find non-union commercial talent agents, non-union casting houses, and a burgeoning non-union and financial core workforce of performers -- all heartily grown as an answer to our commercials strike. The advertising, broadcasting, motion picture, and retail industries are itching for us to strike again, allowing them another chance to destroy union commercial production once and for all.

Do not do what so many leaders do: surround yourself with the monotone of one opinion. Meet with us, the working members of this venerable union; ask our opinions; ask us what working SAG actors are saying today in casting offices and agents' waiting rooms about this Board and our union. Sadly they are talking about going financial core and suing the Guild -- actions that would be destructive to the trade union movement for performers.

Alan, we ask you to act with temperance & caution and advise your Board majority to do the same. It would be a crippling embarrassment to this union and its leadership if the membership were to withhold its support of Board calls-to-action.

As is required by SAG policy upon request, we ask that you include this letter in the Board packets for the next Hollywood Board meeting, the next meeting of the N.E.C., and the next meeting of the National SAG Board.

Sincerely,

Coalition of SAG Performers for a National Union

Don LaFontaine
Ashton Smith
Ben Patrick Johnson
Beau Weaver
Keri Tombazian
William Ratner
Rob Paulsen
Jim Cummings
Lori Tritel
Jason Richards
Melissa Disney
Randy Robert West
Thomas Kane
John Leader
Cedering Fox
Philip Tanzini
Scott Well
Dave Fennoy
Peter McHugh
Chris Hatfield
Kay Bess
Scott Rummell
Townsend Coleman