SAG-AFTRA presidential candidate Matthew Modine and his operating mate, Joely Fisher, have emailed the union’s whole membership, accusing their opponents – Fran Drescher and Anthony Rapp – of not being prepared to steer as a result of they don’t have any file of service in union workplace or on its boards or committees. In addition they accused the union’s present management of getting misled the members concerning the “dire” scenario the SAG-AFTRA Well being Plan was in final yr – a cost that the ruling Unite for Energy social gathering calls “The Large Lie.”
“Whereas we respect our opponents and their activism and recognize their need to serve,” Modine and Fisher stated of their e-mail, “it doesn’t make them ready to step into main the nation’s largest leisure union. Our opponents have bragged that they will ‘decide it up, fast.’ This isn’t a chilly learn. There’s no improv. Our opponents – hand-picked by leaders who deserted the chaos they created and selected to not run once more – are asking you to imagine they’re prepared, simply because they are saying so. It’s unacceptable. It is a crucial enterprise that represents potential life-altering choices made on behalf of our members.”
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Modine and Fisher, operating on the high of the MembershipFirst slate, additionally blasted the present management of president Gabrielle Carteris, who has endorsed Drescher and Rapp and is operating for a nationwide board seat as a part of their Unite for Energy and USAN ticket.
Modine, who at the moment serves on the nationwide board, misplaced to Carteris within the presidential race two years in the past. Fisher, who’s operating for nationwide secretary-treasurer, served as a nationwide board member within the early 2000s and at the moment serves on quite a few committees.
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“Firstly, our union members deserve skilled leaders you possibly can belief,” they stated. “Throughout this time of extraordinary business change and development, our members will need to have a president and secretary-treasurer with foundational data of union operations and years of expertise beneath their belts.
“At this crucial juncture, you deserve Leaders who’re ready, on day one, to deal with severe points – with severe options; who can lead powerful negotiations in your behalf; who will try to supply protected work environments and enhance the monetary alternatives of all 165,000 SAG-AFTRA members. We’re these leaders.
“We’ve devoted years and untold hours serving on the nationwide and native boards and committees, working in your behalf. We’ve fought for you, our union household. You’re our precedence. The selection is yours. Our opponents who wish to be taught on the job? Or skilled, vetted candidates who’re ready, day one, to go to give you the results you want.”
Well being care is likely one of the foremost points for MembershipFirst, which accuses the ruling social gathering of failing to forestall the necessity for the trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Well being Plan to extend eligibility necessities earlier this yr so as to maintain it the Plan from operating out of reserves by 2024.
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Extra from Modine and Fisher’s marketing campaign assertion:
“They are saying the union isn’t answerable for what occurred to virtually 12,000 members once they misplaced healthcare,” Modine and Fisher stated. “Our opponents are defending the selections of the ruling administration that declare they ‘had no thought’ the well being plan was failing and that it was the one factor the trustees may do. That is merely false. The reality is that they did know and so they bear duty. The actual fact that they’re defending horrible coverage failures proves they aren’t solely a part of the continuing downside, however ought to disqualify them from operating the union.
“Our SAG-FTRA Well being Plan scenario is dire. The mismanagement by present management and the trustees working in unhealthy religion resulted in over 11,750 individuals (plus their dependents) dropping protection. Members who used to qualify for well being protection beneath the earlier tiered program not do. Seniors had been kicked off the plan with no warning though they had been assured they’d have SAG-AFTRA insurance coverage ‘for all times.’ They believed that promise. What’s a union for, if to not maintain its guarantees to its weak members?
“In July 2020, present SAG-AFTRA leaders spent over $145,000 of your dues cash to ship you 4 rounds of postcards extolling the virtues of the brand new TV/Theatrical Contract and urging you to vote sure. Included within the ‘wins’ was this assertion: ‘As much as $54 million in medical health insurance contributions” – thus making a false assurance that the plan was steady.
“Right here is the reality: The looming, disastrous underfunding of the Well being Plan was stored secret from Negotiating Committees, The Nationwide Board – and also you, the members. They really inspired members to vote for a contract that might additional weaken our Well being Plan.
“Sure SAG-AFTRA govt workers function Trustees of the Well being Plan. Two had been intimately concerned in three main contract negotiations: The 2019 Industrial, 2019 Netflix and 2020 TV/Theatrical contracts. Sure members who’re additionally Trustees sat on these identical Negotiating Committees and in addition on the Nationwide Board.
“The Well being Plan Trustees knew the Plan was in dire want of recent/further funding whereas negotiating these main contracts. Neither Union Workers Trustees nor Union Member Trustees – instructed anybody on the Committees or Nationwide Board that the Well being Plan was in deep trouble in order that our members may take preventative motion, together with altering our negotiating technique, proposals and priorities.
“By being stored at the hours of darkness, you had been by no means given the chance to decide on the place the union ought to focus the contract negotiations so as to save the Well being Plan.”
Unite for Energy, nevertheless, calls this “The Large Lie,” equating it to Donald Trump’s “Large Lie” concerning the 2020 election being stolen.
Quote from UFS’ platform:
“Sure union leaders have seized upon and exploited the hardships of a worldwide pandemic for political achieve. They deceive you, blaming individuals who not solely had been uninvolved in choices, however truly attempting to assist. These ‘leaders’ try to mislead you with shameless lies, repeatedly pushing a story that ‘heartless’ folks stole promised healthcare from seniors. Nothing may very well be farther from the reality. Nobody needs to harm our seniors, or go away them with out wonderful well being protection, however it positive can repay politically while you level the finger, demonize, and lie about your political adversaries. Don’t fall for it.
“Why did the Well being Plan trustees make the qualification modifications? That’s the urgent query. Below Federal regulation, SAG-AFTRA is a very separate entity from the SAG-AFTRA Well being Plan. The 2 organizations have separate boards with overlapping but completely different missions. The SAG-AFTRA Nationwide Board appoints half the trustees, whereas administration (studios, networks, and so on.) appoint the opposite half. All trustees have a fiduciary responsibility to guard individuals and the plan itself.
“As a number of trustees defined throughout Zoom classes, the monetary affect of the Covid shutdown was so damaging to the Well being Plan {that a} main change was the one approach to maintain the plan from going bankrupt by 2024, whereas additionally guaranteeing high quality well being protection for as many individuals as attainable.
“It’s a balancing act to make use of dwindling reserves, stay compliant with the Reasonably priced Care Act legal guidelines and lengthen wonderful well being protection to as lots of our members as attainable. This consists of all SAG-AFTRA members who work arduous and hustle to fulfill eligibility thresholds, particularly background artists and sure, our treasured seniors.
“Confronted with the double blows of skyrocketing healthcare & prescription prices, and nearly no employer contributions throughout the Covid-19 manufacturing shutdown, SAG-AFTRA Well being Plan trustees needed to grapple with monetary realities and make painful changes to stay afloat and compliant with Federal regulation. These modifications got here at a time of nice uncertainty and monetary hardship for our members. Lots of our volunteer leaders had been personally impacted by the modifications and endeavored to discover a means to assist as many SAG-AFTRA members as attainable. And so whereas others sought to politicize the issues and real fears of our members, Unite for Energy and USAN leaders took decisive motion.
“President Gabrielle Carteris labored with the late AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, MPTF, and the Actors Fund to carry a brand new complete and inexpensive healthcare choices for union members over 65. Not simply SAG-AFTRA seniors, however all union seniors. These new Medicare Benefit choices are extraordinarily inexpensive and are an important lifeboat for our senior members who could have misplaced SAG-AFTRA Well being Plan protection on account of the modifications.
“After we merged SAG and AFTRA, we elevated our bargaining power and clout. UFS leaders and the AFL-CIO used the identical successful technique to assist union seniors. Due to the quantity of senior member individuals from all unions, the charges are deeply discounted. Whereas different ‘leaders’ exploited and politicized the tough modifications, UFS leaders methodically set to work to guard our treasured senior members. No fanfare. No bragging. Simply outcomes.”
UFS notes that Carteris, “who by the best way, was to lose her personal protection – instantly upon studying of those devastating modifications, scheduled a Nationwide Board assembly to inform the board and requested that the Well being Plan schedule webinars to elucidate the modifications and educate as many members as early as attainable.”
Extra from the UFS platform:
“Well being plan individuals, had been understandably confused concerning the timing and had been deeply involved about sustaining protection. President Carteris knew that offering correct and well timed information would assist our members higher perceive the rationale for the trustees’ tough choices and what the Plan and the union had been planning to assist members negatively impacted.
“Our elected nationwide officers efficiently advocated in D.C for laws that would supply monetary help for these in want. The efforts bore fruit with a 100% sponsored COBRA possibility which proper now’s serving to many climate the tough instances. To be clear, this is able to not have occurred with out leaders like Gabrielle Carteris preventing for our members.
“As we face the way forward for member well being care in a rustic with uncontrolled well being care prices, Unite for Energy, USAN and Union Robust leaders from across the nation will do every thing in our energy to maintain discovering options and avenues to maintain as many individuals lined by the SAG-AFTRA Well being plan as attainable whereas pursuing each possibility (each governmental and thru partnerships) for our members who don’t qualify to search out high quality, low-cost insurance coverage.”
Modine and Joely, in the meantime, additionally blame the present management for failing make positive aspects on the bargaining desk that deal with the evolving nature of movie and tv manufacturing and distribution. “Present leaders are claiming duty for getting members work and try to persuade you that your residuals are nice!” they stated of their e-mail. “What does your checking account say? The very fact is that new streaming platforms are rising work alternatives (opposite to their marketing campaign literature flex, it’s not as a result of something Unite for Energy/USAN did) however your compensation goes down. Sure, there may be extra work…however you’re making much less cash!
“The present leaders merely have failed to remain forward of the tech curve – simply as they did with cable and DVDs – by weak negotiating,” they added. “MembershipFirst needs to make sure that our members earn a dwelling wage for that new work and we, as your leaders, may have a stronger negotiating fashion from which members will profit.”
Unite for Energy, in its platform, says its leaders “have led the best way to updating and modernizing our grasp Theatrical and TV contracts leading to $1.5 billion {dollars} of positive aspects for members for the reason that MembershipFirst-led contract negotiations debacle in 2008, which resulted in $100 million {dollars} of losses to members.”
MembershipFirst, in its platform, says: “The present nationwide administration, regardless of telling us these had been ‘ground-breaking’ and ‘historic’ contracts, underestimated the expansion of those platforms, the worth of our work and under-negotiated our rightful share in these contracts…A change in nationwide management is crucial so as to forestall historical past from repeating itself. It’s time to cease taking part in catch up, acknowledge the altering panorama, and begin getting forward within the negotiating sport.”
Election ballots had been mailed to members August 3 and might be counted September 2.