Monday, December 15, 2008

STRIKE WATCH: AN OPEN LETTER TO ALLAN ROSENBERG

re: strike authorization vote, Dec 15, 2008

To: Alan Rosenberg, PresidentDoug Allen, National Executive DirectorMichelle Bennet, Director of GovernanceAnne Marie Johnson, 1st National VPSam Freed, 2nd National VPDavid Hartley Margolin, 3rd National VP Dear SAG Board Members, officers and staff:

We feel very strongly that SAG members should not vote to authorize a strike at this time. We don’t think that an authorization can be looked at as merely a bargaining tool. It must be looked at as what it is — an agreement to strike if negotiations fail.We support our union and we support the issues we’re fighting for, but we do not believe in all good conscience that now is the time to be putting people out of work.None of our friends in the other unions are truly happy with the deals they made in their negotiations. Three years from now all the union contracts will be up again at roughly the same time. At that point if we plan and work together with our sister unions we will have incredible leverage.As hard as it may be to wait those three years under an imperfect agreement, we believe this is what we must do. We think that a public statement should be made by SAG recognizing that although this is not a deal we want, it is simply not a time when our union wants to have any part in creating more economic hardship while so many people are already suffering.Let’s take the high road. Let’s unite with our brothers and sisters in the entertainment community and prepare for the future, three years down the line. Then, together, let’s make a great deal.
Sincerely,

Alan AldaJason AlexanderDave AnnableRenĂ© AuberjonoisDiane BakerBob BalabanAlec BaldwinWilliam Baldwin.Barbara BeckEd Begley, JrMaria BelloBarbara BossonBruce BoxleitnerJosh BrolinPierce BrosnanDavid BoreanazBlair BrownLizzy CaplanJennifer CarpenterSteve CarrellMark CassenErika ChristensenGeorge ClooneyGlenn CloseScott CohenJack ColemanStephen CollinsPeter CoyoteJames CromwellBilly CrystalMatt DamonTed DansonJames DarrenBruce DavisonJames DentonBrian DennehyDanny DeVitoCameron DiazGarret DillahuntLarry DorfMinnie DriverOlympia DukakisPatty DukeCharles S. Dutton.Shelley FabaresBill FagerbakkeMike FarrellSally FieldKate FlanneryMorgan FreemanJennifer GarnerTeri GarrMelissa GilbertSara GilbertJohn GoodmanChristopher GorhamHeather GrahamKelsey GrammerJennifer GreyMichael GrossChristopher GuestAnnabelle GurwitchMichael C. HallTom HanksTess HarperMariette HartleyEd HelmsMarilu HennerCheryl HinesFelicity HuffmanHelen HuntJeremy IronsKathryn JoostenCarol KaneDiane KeatonJamie KennedyMimi KennedyTR KnightSarah KnowltonJohn KrasinskiDiane LaneMichele LeeLucy LiuRob LoweTobey MaguireJanel MaloneyCamryn ManheimMarlee MatlinMelanie MayronAndrew McCarthyMary McCormackChris McDonaldNeal McDonoughRob McElhenneyEwan McGregorEva MendesDebra MessingHelen MirrenJames NaughtonEdward NortonMichael NouriGail O’GradyKaitlin OlsonSam PageEva Longoria ParkerAdrian PasdarSteve PasqualeRhea PerlmanJaimie PressleyJason RitterJohn SaxonWilliam SchallertAdam ScottTony ShalhoubArmin ShimermanChristian SlaterKevin SpaceyJerry SrokaMary SteenburgenMarcia StrassmanBrenda StrongDonald SutherlandKitty SwinkDavid TadmanJeffrey TamborCharlize TheronAlly WalkerTracey WalterBelinda WaymouthBradley Whitford.Lee WilkoffBrian WimmerKevin ZegersLouis Zoric