HBDTDB BLUES

Thank you Eric Sales for such a wonderful birthday greeting! Made me smile:)

SAG and AFTRA Group for One Union Meets in Los Angeles- Press Release

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild convened for the third formal face‐to‐face discussions of the Group for One Union. Known as the G1, the group consists of members from the Screen Actors Guild Merger Task Force and the AFTRA New Union Committee.
G1 members including actors, performers, recording artists and broadcast professionals are working to facilitate the creation of a merged successor union to represent all the members of AFTRA and Screen Actors Guild.
The G1 received updates from the six workgroups established to formulate recommendations in key areas including Governance & Structure; Finance & Dues; Collective Bargaining; Pension, Health & Retirement; Operations & Staff; and Member Education & Outreach. Rank-and-file members of AFTRA and Screen Actors Guild who attended the nationwide meetings of the Presidents’ Forum for One Union Listening Tour identified these topics as necessary areas for study.
The workgroups gave detailed status reports on their achievements to date, providing G1 members the opportunity to evaluate any workgroup recommendations for inclusion in a comprehensive merger plan. Last spring, the AFTRA and SAG National Boards passed resolutions calling for creation of a Merger Agreement, National Constitution and uniform dues structure for a successor union to be presented for review in January 2012.
In a joint statement, Screen Actors Guild National President Ken Howard and AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon praised the G1 members and staff noting the achievements of the five-day meetings in a joint statement, saying:
“This was a remarkably productive meeting and we made solid progress across the full spectrum of issues we have to consider. The members and staff of both unions continue to work as a true team, and our efforts continue to prove that our shared interests are far greater than any differences we have.
The entertainment and media industries are evolving more quickly than ever, and the chance to bring our unions together is a golden opportunity – one we plan to take full advantage of. We’re committed to preserving the best aspects of SAG and AFTRA while we build a powerful new union that will be even better equipped to take on the emerging realities we’re facing. One thing is certain: we’re much stronger together than we are apart.”
The meetings were held in the Screen Actors Guild James Cagney Board Room at 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, and were again facilitated by Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations Professor Susan J. Schurman, and noted labor consultant Peter S. DiCicco

I attended the Occupy LA rally and march on10/15/2011. What I discovered was people from all walks of life- not crazy left-wing hippies as the greater media would have you believe. There were doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, students, immigrants, old and young. The message was clear: Get Money Out of politics. The way to do this? Re-instate Glass Steagall (commercial banks are not the same as investment banks and must be regulated to avoid further corruption and financial meltdown. No extraneous leverage should be tolerated); Marginal Utility is an acceptable and fair policy ($3,000. is more effective in the hands of a man who makes 30,000. than in the hands of a millionaire- especially in an economy that is consumption driven); Repeal the Citizens United Decision (The Supreme Court is wrong- Corporations are not entitled to the same natural rights that individuals are); Dump the Bought Congress (Government exists to ensure the safety and well-being of the common good- not to further the welfare of the wealthiest 1%)

Our current system is unsustainable. If we do not reform it, matters will only grow worse.

A short interview with the cast and crew taped at the screening.

Haming it up on the red carpet after our interview.

With production designer and Best Make-Up nominee Maria Timolat.

Maria and I with my Co-Star Paul Darrigo.

The screening is scheduled for Friday July 29th at 10:00 pm. You can buy tickets on their website