The Unite for Strength faction of SAG has won control of the guild’s board. The surprise election results gave six of the 11 Hollywood seats to the dissident group in a turn that could raise the chances of ending the guild’s stalemate with the majors.
Amy Brenneman and Adam Arkin led the way as the top vote-getters on the Unite for Strength side while the more confrontational Membership First faction lost control for the first time in three years.
Unite for Strength now has a slim majority on the 71-member board since the coalition is expected to ally with reps in New York and the regional branches, according to Variety magazine.
The majority of the board’s influential Hollywood branch is still held by Membership First, but Unite for Strength members can now wield effective control over the national board by aligning with their like-minded counterparts from New York and other branches of the guild.
The wheels were already turning Thursday evening toward breaking the three-month logjam between SAG and the AMPTP. Hollywood heavyweights will begin reaching out immediately to the newly-elected reps.
