Hanks, Baldwin Endorse USAN as SAG N.Y. Race Heats Up

Since announcing its formation last month, One Strong Union—the group challenging United Screen Actors Nationwide for control of the Screen Actors Guild's New York division—has touted its endorsements from numerous actors active in guild politics. Now USAN has hit back with high-profile backing of its own. On Aug. 24, USAN announced that it has received endorsements from Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin.

"I support the people who have guided SAG during these last months of huge changes in our art and industry," Hanks said in a written statement. "USAN has been vital in leadership positions and has worked ceaselessly to bring SAG and AFTRA together to create One Union to serve us all. That's why I support USAN."

Baldwin added, "I strongly endorse the direction the union is going in now, and I encourage all N.Y. SAG members to continue to support USAN."

USAN has already received backing from SAG national president Ken Howard and national secretary-treasurer Amy Aquino. The two top elected officers, along with 1st national vice president Ned Vaughn, will join current New York division president Mike Hodge and USAN's board candidates at a meet-and-greet Aug. 25 in New York. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Gossip Bar & Restaurant, 733 Ninth Ave. (between West 49th and 50th streets), in Manhattan. SAG members can RSVP to reservation@usanforoneunion.com.

One Strong Union has received endorsements from Holter Graham, president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' New York local, as well as several SAG members involved in the founding of USAN more than a decade ago. The new group announced last month that it would field a slate of candidates to challenge USAN in the New York board elections. Several of those candidates—including Sam Robards, who is opposing Hodge in the race for division president—were formerly aligned with USAN.

On Aug. 22, in a letter posted to One Strong Union's blog, Robards criticized the TV-theatrical contract that SAG jointly negotiated with AFTRA earlier this year, expressing dissatisfaction with the deal's new-media provisions. In "2011 we did not make great strides in new media, which disappointed me as a member of the negotiating team," Robards wrote. "There was no effort to reduce streaming windows, no serious consideration given to alternate models for residuals payments, such as percentage-based residuals."

Both USAN and One Strong Union claim to support merger with AFTRA as part of their platforms.