With reports stating 70 of the 80 pilots ordered by networks this season are covered by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, a merger between AFTRA and the Screen Actors Guild seems questionable. In 2008, 90% of pilots were covered by SAG, so this year will mark the third year of decline for the Guild.
SAG President Ken Howard, who is pro-merger and is influential over the national and Hollywood division boardrooms, jointly negotiated TV-theatrical and network-code contracts, and made the possiblity of a merger between SAG and AFTRA a fore-front issue. During January’s SAG Awards, Howard said he hoped the two unions would merge before next year’s awards.
