SAG members look to end dissension in election for president
Labor troubles at Hollywood's largest union, the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) seem never-ending as tensions arise once more over the upcoming election, and a potential merger. Having lost a lot of its political clout in the downturn, SAG is considering a merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), a move that has been unsuccessfully attempted twice before. AFTRA seems open to the idea, but wants the SAG to take care of its own internal problems first. The merger is a main issue in the upcoming election for President, which is mainly a struggle between a moderate group (including Tom Hanks and George Clooney), and those in favor of aggressive and confrontational bargaining. Actor Ken Howard is running for the moderates, and Anne-Marie Johnson for the opposition. Two independent candidates are also in the running. The same fight is expected to dominate the upcoming Writers Guild of America election as well.
See "SAG members look to end dissension in election for president", Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times, August 30, 2009