NEW MEXICO SAG MEMBERS TO STAND WITH WGA AT INFORMATIONAL PICKET

New Mexico Guild members: Join WGA members on Thursday, December 13 to stand and deliver the strike message that is affecting the broadcast and entertainment industry nationwide!

SAG members will hand out leaflets and inform the public of the WGA struggle in Albuquerque. The national commitment of actors has been astounding—and our message has been heard loud and clear: The WGA’s fight is our fight.

Make plans to show your support for your fellow creative artists. Wear your SAG t-shirt or hat and walk the line with those who write them!

ALBUQUERQUE
Meet at Gold Street Café
218 Gold Avenue SW
March on 2nd St. between Gold and Silver Streets-3320
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

When you arrive at the location, please see Matt McDuffey who will introduce you to the designated Screen Actors Guild staff or member.


SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS:

• Rapid changes in technology have had a significant impact on the production and distribution of our work over the Internet and in other new media like cell phones. It’s an important issue and we need to figure it out.
• No one likes a strike, but I really think this is a necessary step in order to get a fair deal. The employers have been unwilling to negotiate a fair agreement and until they do, I think we need to be out here. I’ll stand by the writers until they get a decent contract.
• All the writers want is what any worker wants – fair compensation for their labor. Nothing more. Nothing less. I support them 100 percent.
• The companies are making money hand-over-fist but refuse to negotiate fair terms with the writers. There’s billions of dollars in profit for this industry every year and extraordinary growth in new media revenues, yet the companies say they aren’t sure where the new media market is going? I think they need a better calculator.

REMINDER:

• Please stay at station locations, and do not join picketers at on-location sites. Screen Actors Guild is not condoning or participating in disruption and/or attempts to shut down location shoots.
• If you are contracted to work on a television series or motion picture that continues to produce while the WGA is on strike, you are obligated by your personal service agreement and the “No Strike” clause in our collective bargaining agreements to go to work. You can continue to audition for work and accept new work if you choose to do so.
• Screen Actors Guild members should not perform the duties covered by WGA contracts. Simply stated, you should not write anything normally written by striking WGA writers.
• Finally, and most importantly, we must support our fellow SAG members on every set even if they have to cross a picket line to get to work. They are simply following the advice of their union and honoring their contract. It is not reasonable to expect SAG cast members to risk the potentially enormous personal liability that may flow from refusing to work in the absence of a SAG strike. Please note, the WGA contract includes a similar “No Strike” clause and writers would be bound to the same rules as you are if another union were striking.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We have also set up a toll-free Screen Actors Guild WGA strike information hotline number for questions regarding work rules and picket line locations. Through this hotline number, you can get up-to-the-minute information on work rules, picket line locations and help with other questions. 1-877-724-7875.