Rocked by internal dissent, Hollywood ’s largest union, the Screen Actors Guild has postponed plans for a controversial strike authorization vote, till after a special meeting of its national board is convened to discuss the matter.  With 120,000 of its members poised to vote on the planned strike referendum next month, with ballots going out 2nd January, an an e-mail to the union’s board members informed everyone that the strike referendum would be pushed back till after the board’s special meeting on 12th January to ‘address the unfortunate division and restore consensus.’
 
The union’s leadership has been arguing that a strike authorization vote is necessary, if they are to get any leverage in the stalled contract negotiations with the studios.  To pass, a strike authorization must be approved by 75% of members who vote, however, the guild’s education campaign to help build support for the referendum, has met with growing resistance within the union.
 
SAG’s New York members rebuking Rosenberg are demanding the strike vote be called off, and more than 130 high-profile actors, including Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, Alec Baldwin, Cameron Diaz and George Clooney, have also urged the union to reconsider its decision.
 
But, according to SAG nearly 100 celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter are supportive, arguing the studios’ contract offer is unacceptable, as it threatens the future of actors in the digital era.