Dozens of SAG Members Protest Purposed Merger With AFTRA

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Dozens of SAG members rallied today outside of SAG's headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard today to protest a merger that they say will cost SAG members pensions and health benefits.

"When you walk into the room and you ask somebody do you have a pension with SAG, and everybody said sure that's right, and you think it's guaranteed. The answer is no, it's not," said Warren Berlinger, SAG member of 65 years.

But people who support the merger disagree. They say combining SAG and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, better known as AFTRA, will create one powerful union that will better serve the needs of entertainment workers. The SAG board says the organization has investigated the impact of the merger and determined there will be no reduction in benefits.

Still, Scott Pierce, a former member of the SAG board, is not convinced. He believes the SAG Board isn't being honest about the repercussions of the merger.

"I think what they're saying that they have conducted a feasibility study is misinformation,. It borders on, what I think, criminal," said Pierce.

SAG would not comment on these charges.

For the merger to pass 60% of both SAG and AFTRA members must vote it through. In 1999 and 2003, the merger was voted down.

"The Screen Actors Guild has a better pension plan, a better health plan and that by combining those two plans, SAG members would lose because AFTRA plans are not as solvent as the Screen Actors Guild," said Francis Fisher, a SAG member.

SAG currently represents the interests of 120,000 actors. AFTRA represents 70,000 actors, broadcasters, DJs, singers, and dancers. A joint SAG AFTRA union would be one of the largest unions in the entertainment industry.