The Screen Actors Guild takes a break from deliberating for the holidays.
SAG leaders have postponed the planned strike authorization vote for two weeks, it was announced late Monday. In a memo Monday night, SAG national exec director Doug Allen said that SAG’s national board must meet first in order to present a united front before sending out strike ballots and notified members that the vote would be held after an emergency board meeting on Jan. 12 and 13.
Allen said he and SAG president Alan Rosenberg had agreed to delay the authorization vote to “address the unfortunate division and restore consensus.”
“This division does not help our effort to get an agreement from the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers that our members will ratify,” Allen said. “This will provide us with more time to conduct member education and outreach on the referendum before the balloting.”
The delay comes as the “vote no” faction has been gaining traction among members. Over 1,400, including George Clooney, Russell Crowe, Matt Damon, Sally Field, Tom Hanks, Julianne Moore, Robert Redford and Susan Sarandon have publicly declared that they’ll vote against the measure, notes Variety.
Those supporting the authorization effort include Hal Holbrook, Martin Sheen, Holly Hunter, Mel Gibson, Rob Schneider and former SAG President Ed Asner.
Meanwhile, in an editorial posted on truthdig.com, actor Mike Farrell spoke out against the “Hollywood-centric ‘Membership First’ faction” and wrote, in part:
“Today, with the country in the most catastrophic economic condition since 1929 and our entire industry reeling, this faction wants us to vote for a strike. A strike? Now? Don’t we look foolish enough already? Do these people think it’s a way to somehow save face?”
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