The Wild Bunch of Hollywood in the NEWS:

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	Back Stage West August 10, 2005
	MembershipFirst Meets the Wild Bunch Issues raised include vouchers. By Lauren Horwitch
	Screen Actors Guild presidential hopeful Alan Rosenberg joined fellow MembershipFirst members at a meeting with actors' group the Wild Bunch of Hollywood this weekend in Sherman Oaks. The Wild Bunch--a networking group of character actors specializing in portraying authentic "outlaws" such as bikers, bouncers, and criminals--invited Rosenberg and MembershipFirst to the home of Wild Bunch member Ed Pelletteri to learn more about Rosenberg's platform and share their concerns about the union. Rosenberg listened quietly for most of the meeting and said he was pleased with the high level of participation. "A leader turns to his membership," he said. "You are all shareholders in this union." Several Hollywood candidates for SAG's national board of directors attended the informal meeting, including Gretchen Koerner, Jenny Worman, Anthony De Santi, Joe d'Angerio, Angela Watson, and Russell McConnell. James St. James, who is running on both the MembershipFirst and Wild Bunch slates, and independent candidate Roy Eugene Boggs also participated. Marlene Sosebee, Wild Bunch candidate for national board, moderated the spirited discussion. The actors spoke passionately about myriad controversial issues facing SAG during the two-hour Q&A, including SAG executives' salaries, the need for a free flow of information between SAG officers and members, dues increases, the failed merge with AFTRA, and unregulated calling services. However, background performers' eligibility for SAG membership was the character actors' most-debated grievance. Wild Bunch members, many of whom work as background performers, said the current requirements for SAG cards allow too many inexperienced actors easy entrance into the union. Currently, background actors seeking SAG cards must provide proof—by way of vouchers--of having worked at least three days for a company signed to a SAG agreement. Principal performers must provide proof of one-time employment, such as a videotape, signed contract, or pay stub. SAG's website includes this note about eliminating the three-voucher system: "SAG is currently revising the entrance for background performers by developing a point system in which union and nonunion jobs, along with educational seminars and sanctioned events, count toward eligibility." The Wild Bunch said many commercial production companies that don't comply with the union are loath to hire background performers with ties to SAG. One member said he hasn't worked since landing on a blacklist of background performers who have contacted SAG regarding poor working conditions. Another reported being kicked off a set for informing other background performers about SAG policies. Wild Bunch national board nominee Steve Cutler said background performers had greater protection under the Screen Extras Guild, which merged with SAG in 1992 after a decade-long struggle to remain independent. "This category [of actors] was devastated when SEG dissolved," he said. "Over 100,000 three-vouchers were given to street people last year. That's 100,000 jobs that could have gone to members." Campaign for Unity's presidential candidate Morgan Fairchild, who attended a meeting at actor Kathryn Joosten's home Sunday, told Back Stage West in a phone interview that she worked successfully with a group of background performers and other SAG members to amend the three-voucher system in 2003. "Unfortunately, MembershipFirst voted down the funding that would've made the reform possible to implement," she said. "The great disappointment was that we got it in place, and then the funding was not made available." Independent presidential candidate Robert Conrad also spoke with BSW by phone about the three-voucher system. "I don't believe in exclusivity," he said. "I believe everybody has a right to work, and I don't believe in closing unions and/or guilds. It just seems unfair." Rosenberg had strong words for SAG's National Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Greg Hessinger, who was appointed by the national board on Mar. 6 and began work May 2. "We have to take the power away from the hired help," Rosenberg said. "[If I were elected], Greg Hessinger and I would certainly have a long talk." When asked which SAG executives Rosenberg would fire, he replied, "Hessinger may be at the top of my list." "From what I've seen, he's trying valiantly to do a good job," Fairchild later said of Hessinger. "He's only been there for three months. I think we should give him a chance." As to whether Hessinger and other executive SAG officers are overpaid, Fairchild said, "The salaries of our staff over there are pretty much commensurate [with] or less than what other people in those same kinds of positions would be making at other guilds." She added that MembershipFirst has requested hiring more executives, including a Hollywood executive director. Conrad also commented on the Wild Bunch's concern about the salaries: "I think you pay a person for their value. If you can put a person in a position where they can be outstanding in their work and it generates income for you, then they're worth whatever you pay them." Rosenberg reiterated his request for an open debate with his fellow candidates. Fairchild said she has already consented to a debate under certain conditions. "I would like to make sure that the parameters are such that it is fair, and that the members get to hear real views instead of a lot of shouting," she added. Sosebee insisted the Wild Bunch is not a faction of, nor does it formally endorse, MembershipFirst. On Monday morning, however, the group's website included this statement: "We support Alan Rosenberg for SAG president and Connie Stevens for SAG secretary-treasurer." Sosebee said the Wild Bunch has attempted to contact Fairchild and Conrad to meet with the group. Both candidates said they have not received invitations to meet with the Wild Bunch but would be open to discussion.

Back Stage West September 15, 2005
	SAG Candidates Campaign As Time Winds Down React to dues caps, stalled incentive bill. By Lauren Horwitch
	With only days until the Sept. 23 announcement of the Screen Actors Guild presidential election results, nominees Robert Conrad and Alan Rosenberg pounded the campaign trail. On Sunday independent candidate Conrad spoke to the Wild Bunch at the group's informal meeting at the Sherman Oaks home of member Ed Pellettieri. Conrad told the group he decided to run after his son, actor Christian Conrad, a SAG member for 27 years, failed to meet the yearly salary requirements and subsequently lost his health insurance. "I'm here today because the Guild has run amok," he said. "If you like the way the Guild's being run, you should vote for Alan or Morgan [Fairchild]." The four Wild Bunch members running for seats on the national board attended: Steve Cutler, Marlene Sosebee, Rico Bueno, and James St. James, who is running on both the Wild Bunch and MembershipFirst slate. Bueno announced that 12 Wild Bunch members will run for the national board in next year's election. Independent nominees for the national board in attendance were Robert Amico, Eugene Boggs, and Mark Reed. Campaign for Unity, the traditional foe of Wild Bunch–supported MembershipFirst, made its presence know at the gathering. CFU's nominee for secretary-treasurer, Lee Garlington, and national board nominee Andrew Caple-Shaw amiably shared barbecued burgers and opinions with the Bunch. Garlington told Back Stage West she attended in the interest of unifying the union: "We're coming down the home stretch, and these are potential voters. I like anyone who has new ideas, and I'm a big believer in principles before personalities. It doesn't matter who's saying it; if it's a good idea it should be listened to." MemebershipFirst threw a gala fundraiser to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina the next evening at Hollywood club Avalon. Rosenberg focused on the need for hurricane relief rather than SAG politics when he addressed the crowd of SAG members and industryites, saying, "Following the devastation in the Gulf states, we felt the compelling need to do something. Our collective hearts, our thoughts, and our prayers have been with the tens of thousands of Americans who have suffered such profound loss…. Included in the number of victims down there are 900 members of the Screen Actors Guild and their families." The event was emceed by actor Joely Fisher and included performances by MembershipFirst nominee for secretary-treasurer Connie Stevens and Dennis Quaid with his band The Sharks. SAG's current First National Vice President Anne-Marie Johnson and MembershipFirst national board candidates Gretchen Koerner and Anthony DeSantis were also in attendance. Dues Caps The issue of removing or raising the working-dues cap emerged as a major issue for both SAG factions. Work dues on the first $200,000 of an actor's annual earnings are currently 1.85 percent, after $200,000 dues are lowered to .05 percent and earnings beyond $500,000 are not tapped. In June 2004 SAG voters rejected a proposed 30 percent dues increase spearheaded by President Melissa Gilbert that would have raised the work dues to bring the Guild $7.3 million annually. Defeated by a narrow margin, the prospect of new increases was on members' minds. Conrad said he was in favor of raising or eliminating the cap to create financial parity throughout the union. "If you make $1 million or you make $100,000, there should be a higher consideration for the higher income artists…. And I'm one of those people." Rosenberg also thought either action would make the dues system fairer. "If you're looking to make a more egalitarian union and make sure everyone's paying their fair share, then the answer is to raise the dues cap," he said. "Hopefully, we would generate enough income to be able to lower the percentage for everybody." He pointed out, however, that raising the initiation fee for potential SAG members would be more beneficial to the union in the long run. "You can generate a lot more income by raising the initiation fees than to raise the dues cap. Percentagewise, there are only a few members who make over $500,000 a year…. But I definitely think we should raise the cap." Campaign for Unity presidential candidate Fairchild responded that a dues cap could alienate higher-profile members. "The Guild will need to reform its dues structure at some point in order to stay fiscally solvent…. But eliminating the dues cap altogether, as MembershipFirst and others have proposed, is a rash step that could split our union," she told BSW via email. "It would set the haves against the have-nots and exacerbate divisions within the union. We can do more by working cooperatively to enact responsible reforms (possibly including an increase in the dues cap) that address our financial needs without alienating members." Response to Tax Incentives The candidates also weighed in on Assembly Bill 777, which was not ratified by California's legislature before its session closed Sept. 8. The bill proposed tax credits on wages and other production costs: 12 percent for films, 15 percent for TV productions, and 10 percent for commercials. At least 75 percent of principal photography would have to take place in California. Similar tax-incentive programs have already lured productions to Louisiana, New York, and New Mexico. In a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released Sept. 9, AB 777's author, State Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles), vowed to include production tax incentives in next year's budget. Conrad responded, "It's disappointing, particularly with Arnold Schwarzenegger being the governor." He added that Núñez's letter gives hope that the possibility of a tax-incentive bill is still alive. "Never say never," said Conrad. "I remember when there was the merger with the Screen Extras Guild. It took several tries, but it happened." Rosenberg said the bill failed in part due to the media's misinformed opinion of Hollywood. "All of the press came out, and they treated it as though it was something that would benefit rich actors," he said. "The fact is we're talking about working people…. The high-profile actors aren't suffering; they all go to Canada and New Zealand to work. It's the actors who are losing out on work and finding it difficult to pay their mortgages and qualify for health care." Fairchild echoed Rosenberg's opinion that tax incentives for Hollywood are often misunderstood. "If elected, I will make passage of Assembly Bill 777 or similar legislation a top priority," she wrote. "Our challenge will be to change the way many people in Sacramento view this sort of legislation. We must help lawmakers understand that tax credits for production in the state are not corporate 'giveaways' but necessary aids to help counter the lucrative incentive packages that other states and other countries have used to lure filmmaking away from California. We must help them understand that these incentives, if properly structured, can help create jobs for thousands of working men and women here in California."

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