The Screen Actors Guild has scheduled what it is calling a "solidarity" rally at its Wilshire Boulevard headquarters in Los Angeles on Monday, but trade reports indicated today (Friday) that the rally will demonstrate no solidarity whatsoever with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists -- and in fact will denounce AFTRA's recent agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Daily Variety reported that representatives of Membership First, the activist group that now controls the union plan to call on SAG members who hold dual membership in AFTRA to vote against the deal when ratification ballots are sent out next week. The trade publication quoted a message sent by Michael Heister saying that "being physically present at this rally makes it known to AFTRA leadership and the moguls that actors absolutely will stand up for their rights, that we will not let our images be maligned for pennies, and we will not let the relevance of our unions be eviscerated under the cover of new media." Variety reported that little progress between SAG and the AMPTP was made on Thursday and that the two sides had agreed to take three days off and meet again on Monday. Meanwhile, a report from the Milken Institute released on Thursday said that the recent strike by the Writers Guild of America cost the state's economy $2.1 billion, with 37,700 workers losing their jobs.
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