Opponents Of Sag-aftra Merger Emerge

Three weeks before members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild are to begin voting on the proposal to merge the two unions, a group headed by longtime merger opponent Scott Wilson says it plans to launch a campaign to urge fellow members to vote no. "These are Dangerous times for actors," Wilson told Daily Variety , explaining that SAG's history of a democratic direct vote by the membership is threatened by the proposal, which would alter voting procedures. He also struck out at the fact that the unions' boards have not commissioned a study of plans to combine their pension and health plans. Previous merger efforts have foundered over the P&H issue. "There's been no substantiation of The Benefits by a creditable study," Wilson told Variety.

10/02/2012