EXCLUSIVE: Final Opposition Statement To SAG-AFTRA Merger Fact-Checked By SAG

EXCLUSIVE: I now have the official ‘Opposition Statement” (see below, or click here for the .pdf) that will be included in the official referendum package sent to members in good standing voting onthe SAG-AFTRA merger.It turns out that the draft which I posted previouslyis almost exactly the final1,000-word-limit versionjust approved.Which means that SAGfact-checked that draft and approved it. (So don’t believe the nonsense spewed by at least one pro-merger propaganda website betting thatit would “never makeit through the fact check process”.)Theofficial Opposition Statement is signed byScott Bakula, Ed Harris, Joe dAngerio, Anne-Marie Johnson, Elliott Gould, David Jolliffe, Valerie Harper, and Martin Sheen.The Opposition Statement explains why 12.9% of the SAGs National Board Of Directors voted against the proposed SAG-AFTRA merger.The referendum package is being sent out on or about February 27th and ballots must be returned and results tabulated on March 30th. It will take a 60% affirmative vote within each union to pass a merger referendum. Though the no votesweren’t enough to mandate a minority report,both SAG and AFTRA decided to let the anti-merger camp put its case directly to the memberships: SAG ACTORSHAVE YOU STUDIED THE IMPACT OF THIS MERGER? IF NOT, HERE ARE CRITICAL FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW: (Limited to the words allotted to us) SAG relies upon a Feasibility Review. While it concluded that a merger would be legal, noone ever doubted Mergers are legal. What about our benefits? SAG did not request any actuarial study regarding whether a merger would be financially safe. Why? They know, like the AFTRA Trustees, that the merger of pension and health funds aslarge and divergent as the AFTRA and SAG plans raises complex and unique financial, legaland benefit issues which can only be addressed through a comprehensive analysis performedby the funds. Despite the express statements in Appendix I to the SAG Constitution, and Board Resolutions,no study was conducted to assess the financial impact of a merger of Pension or Health Plans. Are your benefits safe? The SAG and AFTRA P&H&R Plans are extremely different. Considermerging these factors: SAG pension accrual rate: 2% of earnings: AFTRA: less than 1% of earnings. SAG early retirement penalty: 3% per year. AFTRA: DOUBLE: 6% per year. SAG Plan 2 annual premium (family of four): $1,620: AFTRA Individual Plan annual premium(family of 4): $17,260 The merger plan does not even attempt to reconcile these and other differences. Expertsaddressing the financial impact issues are convinced SAG members will likely sufferdiminished future benefits. Highly respected pension and health experts Brucker & Morra have concluded: Until a full and formal ERISA Impact Report of how to address and quantify these problems is completed, no one, not even pension experts, can intelligently evaluate or quantify the probable negative impact on the members pension and health benefits. The unionmerger is so inextricably interconnected with the plan merger thatmembers cannot be asked to evaluate and vote on the Union Merger untilissues relating to the Plan Merger have been resolved and concreteproposals formulated so the members can make informed choices. The issue has always been the impact on SAG member benefits, when merged with lowerAFTRA benefits. If the merger of unions is approved, SAG members will never have anyright to vote to protect their benefits by preventing merger of the Pension or Health Plans. If you vote to merge the unions, you are removing a major hurdle to later merger of those plans. Once the unions are merged, individual members will have no vote and no recourse regarding amerger of Pension and Health Plans. SPLIT EARNINGS The merger Plan does not even address, much less solve our split earnings issues. Rather, it willcodify the problem. If merger is approved, the stated plan is to CONTINUE to split yourearnings, just like during the last 12 months. If the proposed merger is approved, withoutsignatures from 15% of the approximately 158,000 members, you will have no further rightto vote on this issue either. NEW DUES STRUCTURE If merger is approved, over 70,000 SAG-only members’ base dues will increase from $116 to$198. BROADCASTERS – Preferential Treatment Broadcasters in the merged union can still work NON-UNION on basic cable networks (ESPN,MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FOX NEWS, etc.), with drastically discounted dues compared to actors. Broadcaster work dues from $0 to $100,000 will be the same as actors at 1.575%. Broadcasterwork dues from $100,000 to $250,000 can be drastically discounted to .274% (and capped at$250,000) with maximum dues of $2,184. Actors, however, will pay 1.575% on ALL earnings up to $500,000, with maximum dues almost400% higher: $8,073. BACKGROUND ACTORS – THREE VOUCHER SYSTEM The much maligned and poorly regulated Three Voucher entry requirement for SAG willcontinue. Merging unions does not guarantee more Background jobs. It can only result in morecompetition for the same covered jobs. BLOATED BUREAUCRACY There is no plan to streamline or eliminate duplicated services post merger. The new union willkeep all 635 SAG and AFTRA employees. Nor is there a plan to equalize the existing SAGstaff (3.5%) and SAG member (2%) pension accrual rates. CONVENTION Convention will be the highest governing body in the merged union – higher than the Board ofDirectors. Convention will have the authority to MERGE with more unions, set policy, controlthe Constitution, without giving the membership any direct vote on such matters. 8 out of 10 National officers will be CHOSEN at Convention; not by direct member vote. The ELECTED President will be able to delegate authority to the Executive VP, also chosen bythe Convention, not directly by members. ELECTED LEADERS MAY RECEIVE PAY The SAG Constitution prohibits paying elected officers and board members. The new unionConstitution opens the door for payments, currently not permitted. MAJORITY NO LONGER RULES Hollywood represents the majority of SAG members, and the majority of revenue. If merged,when Hollywood has a majority, it must secure an additional 5% from other Locals,regardless of its majority vote. Traditionally, seats on negotiating committees were based on Division/Local earnings. Thatwould no longer be true. The President can simply choose members with National Boardapproval. Those earning the majority of revenue on specific contracts will no longer be guaranteed majority say on those negotiating committees. EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION The unions have not exchanged actor contract details. We have no idea how-what-when-whyAFTRA gives away residuals in made-for-basic cable shows or other concessions tomanagement. AGENTS If merged, the Board, without a member vote, can alone decide whether agents can own or beowned by production entities. The SAG membership rejected the last agent agreementbecause of this potential conflict of interest. NEGOTIATING STRENGTH SAG and AFTRA have been negotiating jointly since 1981. How has that benefited SAGmembers? AFTRA has routinely undercut SAG interests. A merger of actors is all that isnecessary. This merger merely handcuffs SAG. CONCLUSION The current merger plan solves almost nothing and adds too many inherent problems. Vote NOand demand that our union leaders conduct the necessary due diligence to create an agreementwhich will not harm actors. For more detailed information http://www.sagminorityreport.com/www.sagaftraminorityreport.com In Solidarity: Scott Bakula Ed Harris Joe dAngerio Anne-Marie Johnson Elliott Gould David Jolliffe Valerie Harper Martin Sheen

Dimitra Arliss dies at 79

Dimitra Arliss, who played a hired killer alongside Robert Redford and Paul Newman in the caper comedy "The Sting," has died in Los Angeles. She was 79.Jaime Larkin, a spokesperson for the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital, says Arliss died Jan. 26 at the Woodland Hills facility of complications from a stroke.The Ohio native began her acting career at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. On Broadway, Arliss starred opposite Stacy Keach in "Indians" and with Kevin Kline and John Malkovich in "Arms and the Man."After appearing as a "hit lady" in the 1973 hit "The Sting," she was seen in "Xanadu," starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, and in Clint Eastwood's "Firefox."Her numerous television credits include "Dallas," ''Quincy M.E.," and "Rich Man, Poor Man."Arliss is survived by a sister. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Pilot Season: NBC Picks Up Projects from Jason Katims and Dick Wolf

Jason Katims, Dick Wolf NBC has picked up two new pilots: County, a medical series from Jason Katims, and a firefighter drama from Dick Wolf. County revolves around on a morally compromising and underfunded Los Angeles hospital. Katims will write and executive-produce the drama with Jason Ritter attached to star. Ritter currently guest-stars on Katims' Parenthood. Get the latest news on all the pilot pickups here Chicago Fire follows the lives of the men and women in the Chicago Fire Department. Law & Order boss Wolf will executive-produce alongside Michael Brandy, Derek Haas, Danielle Gelber and Peter Jankowski. NBC previously ordered dramas Beautiful People, Frontier, Midnight Sun and Do No Harm.

Southland: Breaking Down the New Partnerships

Michael Cudlitz, Lucy Liu Things will look a little different this season on Southland.The fourth season premiere (Tuesday, 10/9c, TNT) picks up six months later, and the partnership deck has definitely been reshuffled. Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), fresh off of back surgery and a rehab stint for painkiller addiction, is now partnered with Jessica Tang (guest star Lucy Liu), a seasoned cop with her own checkered past and emotional baggage. As first teased in the Season 3 epilogue, Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) and Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) remain partnered, and Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King) is training rookie Ruben Robinson (Dorian Missick), an ex-Marine turned homicide investigator.Get more scoop on your favorite shows in our Winter TV previewSo, what kind of drama can you expect from the new partnerships? We chatted with the cast, who helped us break it down.Officers John Cooper and Jessica TangIf you're shocked to see Liu in beat-cop blues, you're not alone. "I was surprised by it because I really thought it was going to be something much more in plain clothes," Liu says. "It's been a lot more challenging to be a police officer. ... It put me in a place where I had to really push myself."As Officer Jessica "Pootie" Tang, Liu is somewhat responsible for babysitting Cooper during his first days back on active duty. But because of Tang's own huge mistake (the video of which has circulated the LAPD), she puts herself and Cooper on equal footing. "He's not training her and she's not training him," Liu says. "She's there to keep an eye on him but they have a very similar outlook on what they're doing and how they go about doing it. ... They're really trying to figure something out for themselves. The emotional undercurrents for both of them are there but they don't talk about it, which I think is kind of wonderful."Check out our list of TV's sexiest crime fighters!As for Cooper, he's got no problem letting Tang take charge - even if that means letting her drive. "I think he's happy to sort of hand it over for a little while," Cudlitz says. "He wants nothing more than to be back on the streets, and he knows he f----- up big time. To think that he's going to get back everything he had prior immediately is ridiculous. So, he's okay with that. He just wants to be out there doing his job and settling back in."Officers Sammy Bryant and Ben ShermanAfter six months of riding together, it's clear this partnership makes sense. Hatosy, whose character gave up being a detective in the gangs unit to return to patrol last season, credits the union's strength to the similarly emotional way the two officers approach their work."Sammy is an emotional and volatile character," Hatosy says. "As a detective, there are procedures and there's a lot of structure and paperwork, and you kind of have to investigate and interrogate and get to the bottom of it. But as a guy on the street, if he sees somebody do something bad, he gets to chase them. And if they hit, he can hit back. It's a bit of a release, and I think that Sammy is confident and comfortable in his skin, more so than we've ever seen him."Southland scoop: Lou Diamond Phillips to guest-starHowever, a case in the Season 4 premiere may divide the partners. When Ben butts heads with a cynical veteran cop (guest star Lou Diamond Phillips) over what's proper police procedure, Sammy is stuck in the middle. But despite his methods, Phillips' character eventually proves himself to be the kind of cop who should be admired by making a life-changing choice that forces Sammy and Ben to consider the weight of the badge."I think that Sammy would like to think that's the kind of cop he is, but I don't think that there's a doubt in Ben," Hatosy says. "He's the perfect hero. There's no way that he's going to shake or he's going to miss the shot. He's going to hit the target every time."Detectives Lydia Adams and Ruben RobinsonPartner change is nothing new for Lydia, but for the first time, she's the training officer, and therefore the dominant figure. "The dynamic that Lydia and Robinson have brings out some of the playful side that I don't think we have seen before," King says. But life at home is, as usual, far from playful, as Lydia continues to struggle with being a single woman. The fact that Ruben is happily married will shed new light on Lydia's relationship woes. "She knows nothing about a family that is together and happy because she didn't grow up in that kind of family," King says. "When you have a single person and married person together, I think the conversation is a little more informative for each person. He's given her insight into what family life may be."And as usual, Lydia will let her heart get the best of her in the premiere, as she tries to keep an informant out of harm's way. "Lydia has always been a compassionate detective, probably to a flaw," King says. "You see how that compassion plays a part in she feels about herself."Southland premieres Tuesday at 10/9c on TNT.

Susan Lucci to Host Deadly Matters on Analysis Discovery

Susan Lucci Cleaning cleaning soap opera ripoffs are likely to showed up at existence for individuals My Children's Susan Lucci. Most broadly known on her behalf turn as Erica Kane round the ABC cleaning cleaning soap, Lucci remains attracted onto host and narrate Deadly Matters, a completely new original series slated to debut inside the fall on Analysis Discovery. See the relaxation of current day news The Ten-part series, which will begin filming in March, will feature the particular-existence tales of office romances, love triangles and infidelity. "There's without any other actress in the world more qualified than Susan Lucci to host Deadly Matters, Analysis Discovery's reaction to addictive daytime cleaning cleaning soap operas," mentioned Leader and Gm of I.D. Henry Schleff. "While our series, clearly, gets the additional advantage of featuring real tales of disloyality, we are delighted that Susan brings her distinctive voice and dramatic flair towards the real existence cleaning cleaning soap." Will you watch Deadly Matters?

VIDEO: Meet Syfy's Lost Girl

Anna Silk Syfy is delving into the world of a supernatural seductress in the network's newest series Lost Girl. The show, which was acquired from the Canadian Showcase Television Network, stars Anna Silk as Bo, a succubus (who feeds on sexual energy). After discovering that she's a member of a long-running group called Fae, Bo sets out to unlock the secrets of her origin. TVGuide.com users are most excited for The Finder, Chelsea Handler sitcom Watch a preview and a clip of the series, premiering Monday at 10/9c. Will you tune in?

Movie miracle trumps reality

Rin Container TinCleopatra cost seven occasions its original budget, but Fox offered off its Century City acreage for some other reasons.Sundance starts Jan. 19, featuring 36 feature-length documentaries. The Television systems are airing tons of reality series, including lots of midseason ones. Apparently Hollywood likes to offer "real existence," but "real" is definitely an elusive concept -- particularly when showbiz is speaking about itself.A number of films' most immortal lines -- "Luke, I'm your father," "Listen to it again, Mike," "Avarice is niceInch -- were never really spoken. However these misquotes happen to be repeated so frequently that many people think they are the particular dialogue. And they are frequently much better than the actual factor.So it is by using Hollywood occasions. Oftentimes, the details are prosaic, and also the stories tend to be more colorful. So myth frequently appears more real than reality.Four good examples from various decades:Vidgames are tempting young'uns from films and television.In accordance to some 2011 report in the Entertainment Software Assn., the typical chronilogical age of a vidgame player is 37. Women aged 18 and older take into account 37% of customers -- in comparison with males 17 and under, who constitute a lowly 13%.This has come about as a surprise towards the 1 / 2 of Hollywood that thinks vidgames would be the domain of teenage boys. (Another 1 / 2 of Hollywood are vidgame lovers themselves.)Main point here: We'll need to find another excuse for declines in B.O. and television rankings.'Cleopatra' forced Fox to market land that grew to become Century City.Lensing from the film went from 1960 through '62, postponed by weather, a general change in company directors, Elizabeth Taylor's near-fatal illness, etc. On Jan. 9, 1963, Variety's Abel Eco-friendly pronounced the development cost as $35 million, or seven occasions the initial budget. Others have place the tally even greater.The reality: Fox offered 176 acres before "Cleo" started. On November. 28, 1958, Daily Variety reported the purchase to William Zeckendorf and the real-estate company Webb & Knapp the cost was believed at $56 million.At dedication events for that new Century City (Daily Variety, May 26, 1959), Fox prexy Spyros P. Skouras crowed that movie "attendance is the greatest it has been because the competition of television started."That's an optimistic spin around the real reason for that purchase of Fox's acreage: TV. Movie attendance dropped within the nineteen fifties because of television, and less films were made (frequently on location, instead of around the lot). The 1959 story came to the conclusion the remaining 80 acres was enough for Fox's production needs.This isn't to signify "Nefertiti" was benign. The studio canceled many planned productions and remained afloat because of the mega-success of 1965's "The Seem of Music."Still, the legend continues that cost overruns forced Fox to market. It's more enjoyable responsible a superstar as well as an overbudget film rather than cite the amorphous change in consumer habits.Moviegoing flourished throughout the Depression.The fad for seem movies -- or "talkers," as Variety called them, instead of the sooner "wordless" films -- increased B.O. for any couple of years, however the Depression required a toll. A June 21, 1932, Variety story reported that theater operators and marketers "complain that grosses are off 39% to 40% as well as in exactly the same breath charge that Hollywood does nothing through its galleries to balance the problem.InchA technology craze temporarily blowing up B.O., while participants fight with galleries! Wow, do you know the likelihood of that ever happening again?Academy awards are likely to the dogs.In Susan Orlean's terrific "Rin Container Container: The Existence and also the Legend" (Simon & Schuster), she states the Warner Bros. star received probably the most votes for actor in the first Oscars. "But people from the Academy, anxious to determine the brand new honours as serious and important, made the decision that giving an Oscar to some dog didn't serve that finish, therefore the votes were recalculated "It is a scrumptious doggy tale, but Academy authorities are dubious.Within the AMPAS archives, Robert Cowan (whose brother Lester was assistant secretary from the Academy at that time) states Warner Bros. topper Jack Warner did actually election for that pooch. "Somebody in the Academy told Lester to mail another ballot to Jack Warner, and when he did not complete it properly, to mail it back together with his resignation."Contempo AMPAS scientists havelocated Warner's original election, but the majority of the other ballots are (to make use of another Hollywood metaphor) gone using the wind.This canine caper points up a larger truth in most these tales.Ms. Orlean -- a responsible journalist along with a swell woman, incidentally -- pointedly uses the term "legend" in her own book's title. It's appropriate because showbiz has always celebrated the mixing of myth and reality.We'll don't know exactly the number of votes Rinty got. The Acad's version appears more plausible, but Orlean's is much more fun. (And also the pooches' operate in "Beginners" and "The Artist" were more nuanced than some human performances this year.)Still, believe what you should: Would you like details or would you like miracle?Nobody can be or disprove religious parables, but individuals tales were always told less history, but to train training. And what's Hollywood, otherwise a religion? Contact Timothy M. Grey at tim.grey@variety.com