SUPPORT OF LOCKED-OUT MEMBERS OF CANADIAN MEDIA GUILD

Los Angeles (September 7, 2005) – Screen Actors Guild (SAG) today announced it is urging all of its professional actors to support members of the Canadian Media Guild, who have been locked out by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for almost four weeks. Management’s lockout of more than 5,000 media workers began on August 15 after the break off of talks between the union and employers. The Guild is making its announcement on the eve of the start of the Toronto International Film Festival.

“It is disgraceful and entirely unacceptable that management at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has locked the doors on thousands of working men and women who sought only one thing: a just and equitable agreement with their employer,” said Screen Actors Guild President Melissa Gilbert, who also serves as a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Committee. “Screen Actors Guild stands squarely with the Canadian Media Guild in this fight to protect permanent jobs. The Guild is urging its members, particularly its high profile members, to seriously consider this situation and wherever possible avoid granting interviews with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation until this matter is resolved.”

The more than 5,000 union members who have been locked out by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation are part of the Canadian Media Guild, TNG-CWA Local 30213 (CMG).

About SAG
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents nearly 120,000 working actors in film, television, industrials, commercials and music videos. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG on-line at www.sag.org.