Subject: President Gilbert Speaks Out!

Dear Fellow SAG Members:

In the last couple of weeks, I've been called everything in the book and others have been slandered for speaking in support of me. I've been doing my job as President and spending countless hours in the critical ATA negotiations, and for that, I'm accused of "hiding" and criticized for not campaigning. It seems no matter what I do, I can't win (pun intended).

People's ears are ringing already and we don't need any more mudslinging, so let me just say I HAVE been campaigning for your vote--and campaigning hard. I've been doing it by working to fulfill the promises I made when I ran last fall. In that campaign, I made clear in my platform statement, on my website, and in messages to the membership how I stood on the issues facing us as performers. You know where I stand. It's what I've been doing since you elected me that's important. Here's a brief rundown on three of the most critical issues:

--Union Activism--

With attacks increasing on organized labor everywhere, solidarity with other unions is more critical than ever. In the last three months, I've made good headway strengthening SAG's damaged ties with other labor unions and entertainment professional associations. After being nominated by AFTRA President John Connolly, I was unanimously elected a Vice President of the AFL-CIO. My serving with John Sweeney on the AFL-CIO Executive Council gives SAG a great opportunity to bolster its strength by working hand-in-hand with our union brothers and sisters. I assure you, this opportunity will be seized.

--Runaway--

I've been working with Governor Gray Davis and others to help design a California tax incentive program to help curtail runaway production, which will serve as a template for our state-by-state efforts. I believe that effort, in conjunction with pending federal legislation, is the best way to bring production back to the U.S. I do not support the imposition of tariffs because it's self-destructive. If we taxed film and TV product from Canada, you can bet they'd do the same to us. As would other countries. And since we export far more product than we import, we'd be the losers in any tariff war.

--Talent Agency Negotiations--

Much misinformation has been spread on this issue and I can't respond because of a confidentiality agreement in the negotiations, but let me make a few things clear. I am not going to let our agents become producers. I am not in favor of advertising agencies owning our agents' businesses. What I do favor is preserving an agency franchise agreement, something that has served the membership well for over 60 years. My objective, as a member of the negotiating committee, is to get the best deal possible for the membership. IF a deal is reached, it'll be up to the membership to decide whether to accept or reject it. I'm just trying to give you that option.

As you can well imagine, the disruption caused by throwing out last fall's election has not helped us on any of these issues. To be successful as a union, SAG needs to project an image of strength and unity. Right now, we're projecting chaos and disarray. So in addition to costing lots of money, this rerun is destroying our image and diminishing our effectiveness.

If there's a new campaign issue worth debating, a vital issue that's arisen since the fall election, it's the rerun itself. Is it truly necessary? Is there a reason for it so compelling it justifies everything it's costing the Guild? Valerie and her running mates, Kent McCord and Elliot Gould, helped to force this rerun on us, so clearly they think so. I don't. Neither do Amy Aquino and Kevin Kilner.

As you know, the decision to overturn the election was made by a five- member elections committee. Both the makeup of that committee and the rationale it offered for throwing out last fall's election make it clear that not only was the decision unjustified, it was also probably politically motivated. That's a deeply disturbing idea, but it's the only conclusion I can draw from the facts. Consider them yourself:

* Every member of the committee was a Valerie Harper supporter. That's a plain fact, not an opinion. Every one of them had PUBLICLY endorsed Valerie's campaign.

* One of the two "problems" with last fall's election that the committee ruled was so serious as to justify overturning it was the absence of signature lines on some ballot envelopes. Well, take a look at the ballot envelope you just received for the rerun election. On it, it says: "You are not required to sign this return envelope for your vote to be counted." That's right, ballots DO NOT HAVE TO BE SIGNED--and never have. It may have been a minor technical violation that some ballots didn't have signature lines; but really, cause to throw out an election? Have they never heard the term, "No harm, no foul?"

* The only other justification given by the committee for rerunning the election was that the deadline for the return of ballots in New York was different from LA's. What they didn't tell you is that's the way it's been for over a decade--and no one has ever found reason to complain before. Something else not mentioned is that the total number of ballots received in those extra days in NY was less than my margin of victory. So even if every one of those ballots was presumed to be for me and thrown out, I still would have won the election.

Not surprisingly, the Department of Labor is now investigating the rerun decision. It is powerless, however, to act quickly enough to stop it. So PLEASE vote. Indeed, it's more important to vote now than ever before.

The political gamesmanship you're watching turn your union into a public laughingstock will destroy SAG unless it's stopped now. And the only way to stop it is for the membership to raise its voice and say "NO" by voting decisively to reject candidates who play politics at your expense.

Please mark your ballots for Melissa Gilbert, AMY AQUINO and KEVIN KILNER, and let's put SAG back to work for performers.

Vote louder.

Respectfully yours,

Melissa Gilbert