Inside Move: Board wars
H'w'd branch opposes national on agent pact
On March 18, SAG's Hollywood board voted 32-1 to oppose the pending deal with agents.
That came despite a 57-44 approval on March 11 by the national board, which took to heart warnings that top agencies would disenfranchise, as well as a convincing 57% victory for prexy Melissa Gilbert, who ran on a pro-deal stance.
SAG staff threw down the gauntlet March 19, declaring the Hollywood vote invalid and asserting SAG will not allocate resources to help "no" vote forces.
Hollywood board member Mark Carlton, who made the motion, took issue with the rebuke.
"Whether the vote is official or not, it is the true position of the Hollywood board," he says. "We should have the right to communicate our position with our constituents and not be denied access to the Web site and the guild's spin doctors, both of which are funded by members' dues money."
Further fireworks will come during the next few weeks, with high-profile members expected to weigh in.
SAG will send out 98,000 ballots on April 3 to revamp the master franchise agreement by easing agency ownership restrictions.
