Morning (SAG-AFTRA) Merger Wake Up Call
Wednesday morning. Leap day. No appointment hopping today. Just the usual writing sessions, networking, and gym ratting.
Yes, I am a gym rat again. Yay. But this morning, this Wednesday morning, I can sleep in for a change, right?
WRONG!
8:02AM the phone rings. Ugh. Why?! Please, God! It better be someone on the West Coast with important news.
No. It's an 855 area code. I don't know this area code. Oh, dear. Trouble with the law. Joking.
I answer just to stop the phone ringing. I manage a faint, "Hello?".
I hear a loud female voice on the other end, "Is this Ann Hu?"
I answer, "Yes..?", in my froggy, half-brained, still have earplugs in my ears, morning voice.
She is talking so fast and so loudly, my head starts to spin. I decide to leave the earplugs in as I swiftly feel my blood pressure rising.
This woman is talking AT me. Not TO me. Not FOR me or even ABOUT me; as a member of both unions who is now even more perplexed on which way to vote.
I felt like I was being pelted by a high frequency verbal AK47.
And then I realize that there is no way my brain is going to comprehend the details or even remember anything she is saying to me.
I'm still wrapped up in the snug!
I beg, "Ma'am? Can you please call me back at another time to talk about this issue? I know it's important, but I was sleeping."
She answers, "Oh, I'm sorry Ann, but I'm afraid I won't be able to get a hold of your number again, oh wait, could you hold on for a second please...?"
What?!
I hear her give website instructions to someone who must have been sitting next to her, "Click here and then here, yes, that's right! Oh! Ann! Sorry to interrupt your call! Yes, so...".and she keeps on talking.
She continues to lecture, from what I'm guessing is a script, at the loudest audible volume I can imagine, in the most incomprehensible rhythm of speech needed in order to clearly relay the significant facts she was responsible for communicating.
I finally chose to interrupt her. "I'm sorry, but where are you calling from?
"D.C.", she answers.
"Okay, ma'am, I'm in Los Angeles, and it's early here."
"Oh dear! Oh my God! I am so sorry," she gets it finally.
"Yes, please...thank you for calling, but I really need to go. Thank you. Goodbye." And I hang up.
Less than a minute later, my phone rings agian. Same number. "Hello?" There is no sound on the other side, but I know exactly who it is. "Hello??!!"
Still no response, and then five seconds later, she hangs up.
Well! It turns out she could in fact get back to my number after all. Wow. I attempt to go back to bed.
Fail. My brain had already started to write this blog.
But now I have more questions besides the To Merge? Or Not to Merge dilemna?
First, why is someone from D.C. calling me about my unions? I thought both the SAG and AFTRA headquarters were in Los Angeles and New York respectively? Maybe I don't know?
I do live in the bubble that is the west side of Los Angeles. And I'll admit, my head has been buried in scripts lately more than newsletters.
Secondly, the woman sounded like she was hired to campaign. She sounded desperate, over stimulated and well, to be honest, crazy.
Thirdly, since when did SAG or AFTRA invest in marketing campaign calls?
This whole merger issue sounds like there is a lot more at stake than giving actors the strong representation and protection we deserve. A few days ago I found this video of Ed Harris speaking on the merger.
A few days before that, I learned on the local news that there is a lawsuit being filed against this merger...?
Can we afford to be this unorganized? And by we I mean, SAG, AFTRA, and all the actors in between?
In the speed of the digital age, where producers are at least ten clicks ahead of us, can we afford to be anything less than a union, less then unions, that have our s--- together?
It seems that this long awaited merger is only tearing us further apart.
I would love to be an actor who has the potential to make a living off of residuals, while working on new creative films and projects, accumulating health and pension benefits.
Kevin Costner must be rolling in it. I think both The Bodyguard and Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves have been playing on the BBC channel, FX, and the Lifetime Channel simultaneously for the past month.
And I would also love for there to be one strong, progressive union for actors. But now I feel confused, torn and suspicious. Who do you trust? The movie star? Or the morning merger wake up call?
(photos and videos courtesy of CVS, SAG, AFTRA, and Ed Harris)
Yours Truly -- Ann Hu
Good article. I went to the SAG/AFTRA merger meeting and it was a mess. Most people just wanted to find out about their pensions, if they were going to lose any money. The Union officials never gave a straight answer on that, which pissed everyone off. What I gathered which seems like a plus, is that if they merge, everyone could more easily make their minimum job requirements to get Medical coverage, since you would not have to split between SAG jobs and Aftra jobs. Every gig would count towards medical. And now with 2 unions, Aftra gets more contracts cause they are cheaper, with one union, they can say to the producers "We have all the Professional Actors, either give us a good contract or work with amateurs." and they can ask for SAG rates. I like that, so I'm leaning towards voting yes. I also do not have a pension so, I'm in a small side group.
Posted by: Franco Barberis | February 29, 2012 at 08:12 PM
It's actually SAG and AFTRA members who are making these kinds of calls - not official union people or outside marketing reps. It's a bummer that they woke you up, though! I guess they were eager to share their facts and opinions ;-)
Posted by: Kelly | March 01, 2012 at 12:32 PM
Ed Harris is requesting that we decline merger because aftra has 1600 or so broadcasters?
Really?
So Ed Harris believes that 1600 broadcasters are going to wipe out the bargaining leverage of 200k actors?
Oh wait, SAG isn't JUST actors either. We've got extras. We've got stand-ins. We've got stunt people...is Ed Harris really saying that AFTRA, which has about 90% of all pilots this year is WEAKER and therefor not worthy to stand with the PUREBLOOD of SAG?
Really?
Does Ed Harris know that if you're in AFTRA or Equity for 1 year, that you can just walk in and join SAG? What do the anti-merger conspiracy theorists have to say about that?
And if what these flat-earthers who believe that we're stronger separate, than together (WHAT?!?) are REALLY concerned about is the wording in the merger contracts, that they REALLY REALLY REALLY want to merge, but oh, if only we got the wording JUST RIGHT...where has their proposal for merger been these past 20 years?
It doesn't exist for a reason. The same reason that SAG tried to rob AFTRA of the soaps. The same reason that SAG tried to get those same actors to DECERTIFY Aftra. The same reason that SAG walked away from the deal that AFTRA then got, then tried to blame AFTRA for sabotaging them at the bargaining table...before accepting a worse contract.
That reason? The anti-merger folks are morons. They lost us our pilots. They lost us a great bargaining partner in 08, they sued US when we kicked out their idiotic leaders and now they're suing us again to stop the merger. They're fools.
Why don't we vote on the measure of the quality of the merger documents being presented, not on the rhetoric of Ed Harris and his pureblood speech which overlooks the fact that SAG has more non-actors than AFTRA has actors!
Tell me again about the status and stature of SAG, and how our noble guild will be watered down with broadcasters when 85% of SAG is either BG, Stand-ins, Stunt People or the unemployed. I'm dying to hear.
Posted by: British Equity Is Laughing | March 02, 2012 at 02:57 AM
I like irony and slacker-style journal-writing as much as anyone else, but when it comes to an issue as sobering as merging my unions I prefer a more serious discussion. Washington D.C. is a strong union town. The joint SAG-AFTRA D.C., office processes hundreds of jobs a month for actors, narrators, etc. And this union sister volunteered to talk with fellow members about how important she feels merger is. Put her down for that…?
I watched Ed Harris' video and I'm sorry but there are no real facts or cogent arguments coming out of Ed's mouth. He is mouthing tired memberhipfirst fearmongering. THIS IS NOT A MERGER OF OUR PENSION PLANS. IT IS A MERGER OF OUR UNIONS. WE CAN NOT EVEN CONSIDER OPTIONS FOR THE PLANS UNTIL THE UNIONS ARE MERGED. The snotty, aw-shucks fratboy posture that Ed and the very small ingrown claque of anti-merger Hollywood actors tells us nothing about merger.
Unions are tools not fraternities. I'm a proud SAG and AFTRA card-carrying working actor. I am voting "YES" on this merger so that we can all have a very vigorous and open discussion about how to proceed with our pension & health plans. Until we get merge our unions we will never be able to solve the difficult problem for thousands of middle-class actors unable to qualify for healthcare.
Posted by: Bartram Bill | March 02, 2012 at 07:56 PM
This is bullshit I voted no. My dues went up from 63 to 99 dollars. And for what? What do I get for this extra money? To carry a dumb card around in my wallet. I never get auditions or work so why do I have to pay more for nothing? I took years of work shops have an agent, am talented, have a great look have a reel on actors access, decent pictures a few credits on imdb and its worthless. And now I have to dish more money out that i work hard for at another job. Its like flushing it down the toilet.
Posted by: James | April 30, 2012 at 10:55 AM