BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Two weeks after an opposition group claimed union leaders caused the current stalemate in contract talks with the major studios, the group of actors that controls the Screen Actors Guild unveiled a slate of 33 board candidates on Tuesday.
About a third of the 71 members of SAG's national board are up for re-election, including 11 seats allocated to Hollywood actors that are now controlled by Membership First. Five seats will come from the New York branch while seven come from around the country. Votes are due Sept. 18.
The election is seen as a referendum on the current leadership's handling of talks with the studios and could be used as leverage by either side depending on the outcome.
The Membership First group currently controls 39 of the 71 seats, said Anne-Marie Johnson, a spokeswoman for the group. Membership First would need to lose four seats to the opposition before its control of the guild could be jeopardized.
Talks with the studios ended after the sides last met July 16. A key sticking point has been how to handle made-for-Internet productions.
The opposition group, Unite For Strength, announced its 31-candidate slate two weeks ago, aiming to unify SAG and a smaller actors union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Unite For Strength, led by actor Ned Vaughn, has accused Membership First of stoking a bitter feud with AFTRA that led the two sides to negotiate separately with the studios for the first time in nearly three decades.
(Agencies)
