LOS ANGELES -- Seeking to compete better in the new era of media conglomerates, the two largest actors unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, have reached a preliminary agreement to merge.þþThe tentative agreement reached over the weekend by the boards of the organizations must be approved by their memberships. Information will be sent this week to nearly 200,000 members, who will be asked to vote by mail ballot in June.þþBoth unions rejected a consolidation proposal in 1998, one of many failed attempts over 70 years to unite. The unions, which have fought turf battles over the years, were previously unable to devise a plan to satisfy their disparate constituencies, which include movie and television actors, commercial actors, recording artists, and television news broadcasters.þþBut now leaders of both unions say the need to cut costs in the faltering economy, the introduction of digital technology and media consolidation have convinced them that operating separately no longer makes sense.þþLeaders say they need to work together as a unified force against media giants such as Disney, which has blurred the jurisdictional boundaries of the organizations by operating movie studios, a TV network, cable channels and radio stations. Such consolidations, they said, have dramatically reduced the number of media companies to six from 26 since 1985.þþÿThe timing is right, now,ÿ said Melissa Gilbert, president of the Screen Actors Guild. ÿThere have been many attempts in the past, but this plan directly addresses and answers the concerns of our employees.ÿþþUnder the proposal, a new umbrella organization--called the Alliance of International Media Artists--would consolidate the administrative functions of both unions, saving up to $6 million a year.þþTraditionally, the guild represented film actors, while the federation's membership consisted of recording artists, radio performers and TV actors. But with movie studios making TV shows and TV studios making films, the distinctions between the organizations have blurred.þþCurrently, 100,000 people belong to the Screen Actors Guild, compared with 80,000 in the Federation of Television and Radio Artists. About 44,000 performers belong to both.þþ
Source: Chicago Tribune
