As expected, dissidents have sued in federal court to try to block a vote by union members on whether to merge SAG and AFTRA. Ballots are due to go out next week.
The lawsuit demands an actuarial study of the impact the merger would have on pension and health benefits before any vote is taken.
“We believe that this suit is completely without merit and we will vigorously defend all claims in court. We are confident that our actions are appropriate and consistent with the law and our own rules of procedure,” said a statement sent to RBR-TVBR by SAG.
“Any suggestion that the members have not been fully and fairly informed is preposterous. We have scheduled more than 50 informational meetings across the country, have posted all of the merger documents on the website for over 4 weeks, and we have afforded the merger opponents the right to send an opposition statement at the unions’ expense as part of the referendum package,” the statement said.
“This lawsuit is a clear attempt at circumventing the will of the membership. It is disappointing that this group seems dedicated to preventing their fellow members from exercising their democratic right to vote on their futures through the union’s fair and established referendum process which is already underway. This filing is simply a public relations stunt that follows a clear pattern by some of the plaintiffs of filing unsuccessful lawsuits against their own union. We do not believe that the members will be fooled,” the SAG statement added.
