SAG Deal Becomes Campaign Issue

Screen Actors Guild presidential candidate Valerie Harper on Monday criticized a tentative deal governing relations between actors and talent agents, saying she is confident members will reject the accord because of potential conflicts of interest.

The salvo, triggered hours after the deal was unveiled, shows how divisive virtually every decision at the union is these days amid a controversial new election in which Harper is facing off again with actress Melissa Gilbert, who served on the committee that negotiated the pact with agents.

Gilbert defeated Harper last fall, but the results were scrapped after a SAG committee concluded there were election irregularities.

The most controversial part of the new “master franchise” agreement would allow limited investments by advertising agencies and advertisers in talent agencies. Agents have pushed for a relaxing of the rules so they can attract capital, but Harper and others say joining agents with advertisers blurs the line between agent and employer.

“It is an absolute lie that agents won’t become our employers,” Harper said.

Anticipating a backlash, SAG on Monday put forth three negotiating committee members who ran on Harper’s ticket in the fall--Chairman Tom LaGrua, actor Esai Morales and actress Tess Harper--to defend the deal and the work of the committee. Morales said he initially was skeptical of doing any deal with agents, but believes the agreement contains safeguards for actors.

Under the agreement, major advertising agencies or advertisers would be allowed to start with a 10% investment, and would be allowed to increase to the maximum of 20% only with approval of a joint committee of actors and agents. Agencies would be required to notify actors of any investments, and allow actors to leave if they don’t like the arrangement.

In addition, SAG would be allowed to bolster its depleted health plan by getting as a fee 1.5% of any investment that companies made in agencies.

SAG also gets a cut of new commissions that agents would get under the deal, including commissions for TV reruns as well as DVD and video deals they negotiate.