Introduce Yourself : Merge the actors, not the unions... vote no! by Dell Yount

MERGE THE ACTORS, NOT THE UNIONS... VOTE NO! THIS IS THE CONCLUSION (minority report against merger): "The current merger plan solves almost nothing and adds too many inherent problems. Vote NO and demand that our union leaders conduct the necessary due diligence to create an agreement which will not harm actors." In Solidarity: Scott Bakula, Ed Harris, Joe dAngerio, Elliott Gould, Anne-Marie Johnson, David Jolliffe, Valerie Harper, Martin Sheen. O Captain! My Captain! Scott Bakula and I worked together on STAR TREK: Enterprise. I have respect for him as an actor and I appreciate the fact that he is standing up and fighting for actors and against the proposed merger of SCREEN ACTORS GUILD with A.F.T.R.A. Mr. Bakula is a gentleman of integrity and good character and I am very thankful for his passionate union leadership, as we try to convince ALL ACTORS that this current proposal is simply a bad deal for SCREEN ACTORS GUILD members. I appreciate the careful consideration undecided folks are giving this important question. It is difficult to reconcile the deep sense we all share that actors belong together, with this completely misguided, repackaged merger question. Unity of actors brings an exciting and vibrant sensation. Merging SCREEN ACTORS GUILD with A.F.T.R.A. is a mistake. Simply put, until such time as I am paid my residuals for the work I did as an actor on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I will have absolutely nothing to do with A.F.T.R.A. I am a professional SCREEN ACTORS GUILD actor and I will be voting NO on this particularly BAD merger deal. As with a disappointing meal at a restaurant, if I do not care for the food and the experience I do not return to that establishment. A.F.T.R.A. was an entirely bad experience for me and I see no reason involve myself with them again. Working with Mr. Will Smith was a real treat and meeting MC Hammer was an experience to be sure. The actors and director and crew were all fantastic. We played basketball between takes. I even made a few shots. Later, MC Hammer's entourage began a free-style rap based loosely upon "Ice, Ice, Baby. Vanilla Ice, Ice Baby!" It was something along the lines of "White Lies, Baby... they are all White Liars, Baby!" and as the song progressed, Will Smith stepped up and said: "Nah, that's racist, man... that's no good. We're not racist. We gotta be better than that!" Listening to the producers talk amongst themselves about how they probably only had another year before their star would be too old to play the character, and anyway America is frightened of black males after a certain age and this would probably be "the last job Will will ever do." Yeah, that was a hoot! The ONLY bad part of my Fresh Prince of Bel Air experience was dealing with A.F.T.R.A.! I have two years of e-mails showing just how poorly A.F.T.R.A. represents the rights of actors. Merging with A.F.T.R.A. is a bad idea and I will VOTE NO! NO, there is no good reason to vote yes and merge. A.F.T.R.A. continues to fail to do the job of protecting and fighting for the rights of actors even now. Why would I support a merger with such an organization. My personal experience dealing with A.F.T.R.A. is reason enough to VOTE NO! SCREEN ACTORS GUILD does not need to merge with A.F.T.R.A. Do the Marines need MORE to be stronger? Did Seal Team 6 need a single additional member? Would either be a stronger and more efficient force with embedded reporters? Is that elitist? Damn straight! PLEASE VOTE NO ON MERGER!!! We stand upon the shoulders of all the actors who came before us... actors who have REJECTED merger with A.F.T.R.A. over and over again. Before folks begin burning down the barn, let's make sure it's best for the horses... and actors! DELL YOUNT - Professional Character Actor - SCREEN ACTORS GUILD