Looks like it's going to happen
Here's the joint email message to SAG-AFTRA members from our unions:
Dear Member,
This weekend, the SAG and AFTRA National Boards took a decisive step to strengthen our future by overwhelmingly endorsing a plan to merge Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
If members approve the merger, the new union will be called SAG-AFTRA.The vote of the unions’ National Boards came after more than a year of focused effort to hear from members about their needs for stronger union representation and to develop a merger plan to meet those needs.
With the enthusiastic approval of our boards, the decision now rests in the hands of AFTrA and SAG members.
Merger referendum ballots are scheduled to be mailed on or about February 27th – but all members of both unions will have access to the complete merger documents within the next couple of days on the SAG and AFTRA websites.
Full printed merger documents will also be mailed to each voter with the referendum ballot, which will be due for return on March 30th. This will give each member ample time to make a thoughtful and well-informed decision. We’re also excited to announce that on Friday, February 3rd, we will launch a new joint website to provide members all the information they’ll want to consider before casting their votes. The website will include complete merger details, FAQs, and a comprehensive calendar of events to alert members nationwide to informational meetings and other opportunities for learning about the plan.
Watch your email later this week for details of the website launch.
After more than a year of intensive work, we are extremely proud to bring you this historic opportunity. We also want to acknowledge the ceaseless dedication of the AFTRA and SAG members and staff who came together as the Group for One Union (G1) to produce this remarkable plan. We look forward to sharing all the details and answering any questions you may have. Finally, we are confident that SAG and AFTRA members will embrace this singular chance to harness the true power of unity, and that SAG-AFTRA will protect members and shape the entertainment and media industries for decades to come.
In unity,
Ken Howard
SAG National President
Roberta Reardon
AFTRA National President
------------------
And, in the event that you've been a cave for the past day, here are the SAG AWARD WINNERS with the press release from our guild:
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 29, 2012) - Screen Actors Guild presented its coveted Actor® statuette for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2011 at the “18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®” in ceremonies attended by film and television’s leading actors, held Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The “18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®” was simulcast live coast-to-coast by TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). An encore presentation was telecast on TNT at 10 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (PT).
Honored with individual awards were Viola Davis, Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer for performances in motion pictures and Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Lange, Betty White, and Kate Winslet for performances in television. Screen Actors Guild originated awards for the outstanding performances by a motion picture cast and by television drama and comedy ensembles. The Actor® for a motion picture cast performance went this year to “The Help”, while the Actors® for television drama and comedy ensemble performances went this year to “Boardwalk Empire” and “Modern Family.” Screen Actors Guild’s honors for outstanding performances by a stunt ensemble in film and television were awarded to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” and “Game of Thrones.” Nearly 100,000 active members of Screen Actors Guild nationwide were eligible to vote for the recipients.
Dick Van Dyke presented Mary Tyler Moore with Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the 48th Annual Life Achievement Award, following a filmed tribute. Jessica Chastain introduced a film salute to SAG's regional branches, spotlighting memorable moments created by actors who live and work across the nation. Meryl Streep introduced a filmed “In Memoriam” tribute to the actors we have lost in the past year.
PEOPLE magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) hosted the Screen Actors Guild Post-Awards Gala for the 16th year. This exclusive event, immediately following the SAG Awards on the back lot of the Shrine Exposition Center, honors the philanthropic causes and good works of the members of the Screen Actors Guild. The gala benefits the SAG Foundation.
The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards is produced by Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC. For more information about the SAG Awards, SAG, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about, “like” SAG Awards at facebook.com/sagawardsofficialpage and follow SAG Awards attwitter.com/sagawards.
The complete list of recipients of the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® follows.
18th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® RECIPIENTS
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
JEAN DUJARDIN / George - "THE ARTIST" (The Weinstein Company)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal - “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote
PRIMETIME TELEVISION
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke - “TOO BIG TO FAIL” (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce - “MILDRED PIERCE” (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson - “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
JESSICA LANGE / Constance - “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” (FX)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky - “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson
DOMINIC CHIANESE / Leander Cephas Whitlock
ROBERT CLOHESSY / Ward Boss Jim Neary
DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
CHARLIE COX / Owen Sleater
JOSIE & LUCY GALLINA / Emily Schroeder
STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
JACK HUSTON / Richard Harrow
ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
HEATHER LIND / Katy
KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
RORY & DECLAN McTIGUE / Teddy Schroeder
GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
BRADY & CONNOR NOON/ Tommy Darmody
KEVIN O’ROURKE / Mayor Edward Bader
ALEKSA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
JACQUELINE PENNEWILL / Lilian
VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
PETER VAN WAGNER / Isaac “Icky” Ginsburg
SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson
MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS / Chalky White
ANATOL YUSEF / Meyer Lansky
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS / Lily
JULIE BOWEN / Claire
TY BURRELL / Phil
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell
NOLAN GOULD / Luke
SARAH HYLAND / Haley
ED O’NEILL / Jay
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria
ARIEL WINTER / Alex
SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (WARNER BROS. PICTURES)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award
MARY TYLER MOORE
------------------
Additional merger news will be forthcoming.
Comments