Category Archives: Editorial

EDITORIAL: The Morning After

Posted on by
29

There was no banner reading “Mission Accomplished” on the back wall on March 30th — exactly one month ago today — when the overwhelming vote in favor of the SAG-AFTRA merger was announced, but there might as well have been. Former AFTRA president John Connolly was quoted as saying, “Message f___ing delivered!” This was an especially triumphant moment for him, as he had presided over the AFTRA side of the previous merger effort that was defeated in 2003.

It was, indeed, an impressive victory, against what often seemed like overwhelming obstacles. However, it would be a significant mistake to look upon merger as somehow magically making everything wonderful. Almost all of the problems that challenged SAG and AFTRA individually before merger remain just as challenging post-merger. New ones are on the horizon.

Merger is, in fact, just the beginning of the journey . . . not the end. Now the hard work starts: The unglamorous work, the difficult work, the work that will test whether the new SAG-AFTRA has what it takes to remain viable and relevant in a media landscape that is in turmoil. It took a certain brand of statesmanship to navigate the merger process. Now we need the kind of statesmanship that will allow SAG-AFTRA to navigate the treacherous waters of being merged. Here are some things we believe are needed:

1.  A Clear Vision.  While no doubt many who voted for merger (and indeed many who voted against it) will probably stop paying much attention in the wake of the merger announcement, there are many others who remain both interested and concerned about the immediate direction of SAG-AFTRA.  It is up to the elected leadership to articulate a vision for this coming transition year, to lay out the union’s priorities, and to set the tone for how the new organization will interface with its membership and its external constituencies.  We believe this should come no later than the conclusion of the first plenary board meeting set for mid-May.

2.  A New Effort at Unity.  SAG-AFTRA must devote conscious attention to making sure all of its pieces are working together in harmony.  There is always a tendency to fall into “us versus them” in a merger situation, whether because of geography or organizational heritage.  It takes genuine effort to avoid this.  Both staff and elected representatives must be alert.

3.  A New Effort at Inclusiveness.  SAG, in particular, has been hobbled by partisanship and cliquishness over recent years.  It is important that the new SAG-AFTRA find ways to build bridges among various factions, and to bring new voices and talent into positions of responsibility.  It would be a shame simply to trade one group of insular insiders for a different group of insular insiders.  We need more than “the usual suspects” to make the kind of progress that is needed.

4.  A New Effort at Openness.  Members need to be kept up-to-date about what is happening with core issues.  While there are undoubtedly matters that require confidentiality, the presumption should be in favor of sharing with members what is happening at the highest levels — both the challenges and the triumphs.

We do not wish to be misunderstood.  We are not predicting doom.  We are predicting success, and would like to see everything done that will help contribute to success.  There is too much hard work at stake to do anything else.

 

SAG-AFTRA Watch Hangs Out Its Shingle

Posted on by
11

Welcome to SAG-AFTRA Watch. This site is a lineal descendant of Sagwatch, and we hope to continue to provide a forum for information and discussion about the issues confronting the newly-merged SAG and AFTRA in today’s rapidly shifting media and technological landscape.

The original Sagwatch site was established in 2007 during one of the most turbulent times in the history of the Screen Actors Guild. It is probably not an overstatement to describe the union as being in a state of civil war throughout the last decade or more. However, in recent elections the membership at large spoke clearly that it wanted the warfare, both within SAG and between SAG and AFTRA, to end. With the overwhelming vote in favor of merger, announced on Friday, March 30th, the members effectively signed the armistice.

And with that, the two principal founders of Sagwatch, known to readers as Editor and Admin, declared that “our work here is done.” The Sagwatch site has now been frozen, and Editor and Admin have gone into a well-earned retirement from blogging. It has been quite an adventure, as a trip through the Sagwatch archives will quickly demonstrate.

Yet we are mindful of the following comment posted by Tom Ligon on the Sagwatch site:

I’d like to publicly acknowledge the beneficial effects of this website and all who contribute to it with articles, letters, and comments. The information here has always been unflinchingly toe-to-toe and often confrontational, and both sides – all sides – have been allowed to put in their two cents here without censorship (except for one egregious and rather infamous individual who seems to possess no ability of self-control). I encourage an on-going public forum such as this one to keep focused on the goings-on with SAG-AFTRA, and to continue to serve our community in the exemplary way it has done from its inception. Viva SAG-AFTRAWatch!

We think Tom is right about the value of continuing to provide a forum for clearheaded reporting and discussion of the issues that will affect the new SAG-AFTRA as it transitions from being two separate unions into one union. It would be naive to think that everything is simply going to go like clockwork, or that old disagreements will simply disappear. Accordingly, some of the more junior members of the Sagwatch team sought the blessing of Editor and Admin to continue with a new “SAG-AFTRA Watch” site. Those two thought that was a great idea, and encouraged us to move forward. Though Sagwatch is a hard act to follow, we will do our best to maintain the spirit and philosophy of the original Sagwatch site.

So with new personnel (“Editor” here is not the same person as the original Sagwatch “Editor”) we are launching this new venture with high hopes that it will continue to live up to Tom Ligon’s kind words above. Please bear with us as we get all the technical kinks worked out.

As with Sagwatch, we welcome all views, provided they are presented in a civil manner. Libel and personal attacks are not permitted. Also, while commenters may post anonymously, only one name for posting is permitted — multiple “sock puppet” identities are forbidden. Comments will continue to be moderated, primarily because “comment spam” is so prevalent on the internet.

Let us look forward to a time of relative peace and progress with the new SAG-AFTRA. Perhaps that’s a naive hope. We would like to be a helpful instrument in moving forward.