Ripoff Readers:
First of all, before I explain the problem with Netflix let's keep in mind a few things:
For every big movie star there are thousands of us working actors that are people just like you that may spend days auditioning to get one or two parts a year.
We are also actors that do extra/standin, bit parts that work for a living just like yourselves and are not megamillionaires. Many of us have other regular jobs and do some acting to supplement our incomes and to earn health benefits through the SAG union. So when we are cheated out of income, it can have a very serious effect on our ability to pay rent, care for family, earn health insurance etc. The average SAG member only makes about $5,000 per year in SAG income and that maybe from auditioning many days (basically a gamble at no pay) with no guarantee of getting one or two paying jobs a year. So when we are cheated out of the income for those jobs; it has a very damaging affect on our livelihoods.
In other words, the vast majority of SAG working actors make much less than other professions and do not deserve to be cheated out of hard earned income. Only a few hundred SAG members out of over 100,000 make millions.
A clown named A. Robert Pisano just resigned from being the National Executive Director of SAG. He also happens to be a former MGM exec (big conflict of interest but since SAG is a corrupt, company controlled union this is the case). He also happens to be on the board of directors of Netflix (another blatant conflict of interest).
Just recently, at the beginning of SAG negotiated a new contract with the major Studios that happen to own and control Netflix. Unfortunately, the chief of SAG and chief negotiator was A. Robert Pisano. He unilaterally, against the best interests (maaporg.com) of all SAG members, decided not to negotiate DVD residuals for the SAG members; thus depriving us of millions of income and enriching Netflix and himself at our expense as well as violating his fiduciary duty to serve the best interests of SAG members (that paid him over $500,000 in salary with our dues, so he was one of the highest paid corrupt union execs in the Nation).
At about the same time he negotiated the worst contract in SAG history he cashed in on Netflix stock options paying him over 2 million in addition to his half a million SAG salary.
By refusing to negotiate DVDs in the contract for SAG members, no increase for rank and file members, he seriously defrauded us and enriched himself, his big studio cronies and Netflix (he is on the board of directors of Netflix) which was able to pocket the money that was earned by the many middle class actors that work in the industry.
A few brave rank and file SAG members launched a lawsuit to prevent him from negotiating for us. Unfortunately, they were not successful and because he has Studio controlled actor allies (puppets of the Studios, betraying their fellow actors) on the SAG board he was able to keep his job just long enough to screw thousands of actors for several years worth of income.
This bum resigned but he is audacious enough to get a "consulting" fee and "buyout" in the millions after ripping us off, due to the Studio domination of SAG.
If you are an actor, union member, small business person or just a concerned citizen, please do not buy anything from Netflix; they and Pisano cheated us out of millions (and the vast majority of us are just like the vast majority of you, people that work for living, not on trust funds, not movie stars etc but out there earning a living and holding down other jobs to survive).
If you are interested in more information on this google the words Pisano, Netflix, maaporg, SAG and you will get a real education about how big monopolistic corporations are cheating small businesses and middle class people out of millions and career opportunities while fraudulently lining their pockets (e.G. Pisano) at our expense.
The right thing to do is not buy anything from Netflix and send them a letter, call them, telling them why for these reasons.
Thanks for reading.
Jon
LA, California
U.S.A.
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