Guild election to show whether actors are ready to fight Hollywood or merge with other union
By APThursday, September 24, 2009
Union election tests actors’ will to fight
LOS ANGELES — The Screen Actors Guild’s next president is expected to be revealed Thursday, after ballots are counted from union members. The choice could indicate whether actors are ready for another fight over Internet compensation or would rather merge with a smaller union for better bargaining leverage.
SAG’s election pits union-merger proponent Ken Howard against Anne-Marie Johnson, who promises to seek strike authorization before the next round of negotiations with studios. Those are set to begin in October 2010.
SAG’s 120,000 members are coming off a tough round of negotiations in which they failed to gain concessions from Hollywood. Now SAG still faces thorny issues in the next bargaining round, including how actors get paid for content streamed online.
