Friday, May 29, 2009

SAG ANNOUNCES ONLINE STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY

NEWS: SAG PRESS RELEASE

Alec Baldwin, George Clooney, Sally Field and Tom Hanks Sign Statement of Support for a YES Vote on the Tentative TV/Theatrical Agreements

Los Angeles, (May 29, 2009) - Screen Actors Guild today announced the names of 500 members who are among the first to sign SAG’s new “Statement of Support” in securing ratification of the tentative TV/Theatrical agreements. The signers include Academy Award™ winners George Clooney, Sally Field and Tom Hanks.

SAG National Board Members including Adam Arkin, Amy Brenneman, Morgan Fairchild, Dulé Hill, Ken Howard and Kate Walsh signed the statement. Former SAG President Melissa Gilbert signed, as did SAG 2nd VP Sam Freed, SAG 3rd VP David Hartley Margolin, and other notable actors such as Alec Baldwin, Ed Begley Jr., Jane Curtin, Mike Farrell, Patricia Heaton, Kathy Joosten, Rob Lowe, Ian McShane and Sam Waterston.

The SAG “Statement of Support” reads:

“I support Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors and negotiators, and wholeheartedly recommend that SAG members VOTE YES on our tentative Television and Theatrical Contracts. The agreement provides important gains for members across the country, including a 6.5% increase in wages, additional union jobs for background actors in television programs and motion pictures, increases in major role performer payments, first time ever payments for programs streamed on the Internet and many other protections and provisions for new media. It’s time to put our industry back to work. I urge you to VOTE YES on this contract.”

The SAG.org website now features video testimonials and topical messages from Arkin, Brenneman, Hanks, Walsh and other members prominently displayed in a homepage video viewer. These videos can also be seen on SAG’s YouTube channel. Additional videos, including a message from Sally Field, will be added soon.

Initial signers of support include:
Amy Aquino
Adam Arkin
René Auberjonois
Dylan Baker
Kathy Baker
Alec Baldwin
David Alan Basche
Ed Begley Jr.
Alan Blumenfeld
Bruce Boxleitner
Amy Brenneman
L. Scott Caldwell
Gabrielle Carteris
George Clooney
Jack Coleman
Stephen Collins
Peter Coyote
Ellen Crawford
Ashley Crow
Michael Cudlitz
Steven Culp
Jane Curtin
Tim DeKay
Stacy Edwards
Morgan Fairchild
Mike Farrell
Sally Field
Kate Flannery
Kat Foster
Sam Freed
Kurt Fuller
Victor Garber
Lee Garlington
Jason George
Melissa Gilbert
Christopher Gorham
John Glover
Arye Gross
Annabelle Gurwitch
Tom Hanks
Mariette Hartley
Patricia Heaton
Dulé Hill
Judith Hoag
Ken Howard
Brian Howe
Gregory Itzin
Kathryn Joosten
James LeGros
Rob Lowe
John Carroll Lynch
Wendie Malick
Camryn Manheim
David Hartley Margolin
Ian McShane
Kathleen Noone
Mitch Pileggi
Robert Pine
Jason Priestley
Jeremy Ratchford
Pamela Reed
Mitch Ryan
Chris Sarandon
Rafael Sbarge
David Shatraw
Bill Smitrovich
Stacey Travis
Ned Vaughn
Marcia Wallace
Kate Walsh
Sam Waterston
Mykelti Williamson