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214 HARVARD BUSINESS REPORTS
suffering from business depression were complaining of the " silence" policy.
The first attempt to end the deadlock occurred during the first week of August when a joint committee representing the producers and Equity met at the request of six actors who had previously constituted the motion picture group without representation in Equity Council. The meeting was arranged by the representatives of the Department of Labor. Secret deliberations were held in the presence of the mediators. After a few days' consultation, the members of Equity were requested to vote on the question of what percentage of a cast was to be composed of Equity members. The association voted to accept not less than an 80% Equity membership in casts, to be specified as: principals, small parts, "bit" actors, professional actors, and chorus people. Producers refused to accept any cast percentage, but under terms of their proposed settlement offered to agree that once a person became a member of Equity, he would not be allowed to desert it through nonpayment of dues or otherwise, and would continue to enjoy the benefit of employment in studios.
The producers proposed that an entirely separate and distinct branch of Equity be established for the motion picture industry, and that all members who had offended Equity should be reinstated without penalty. As a result of this proposal, Equity offered a large measure of autonomy for the Los Angeles branch and a reinstatement of all except those members who had openly fought the association.
Dissension in the ranks of the Actors Equity Association was brought about by a public statement of Miss Ethel Barrymore, vice president of the association, criticizing the manner in which Mr. Gillmore had conducted the campaign. Miss Barrymore stated that Mr. Gillmore had induced the members to endorse the 8o%-2o% plan on casts which already had been rejected by the producers. This proposal, she declared, was not a solution to the problem, Mr. Gillmore replied, denying that any agreement with the producers had been reached at any time and stating that no "solution" was presented to members, but merely a request for endorsement of the committee's action on the proposed 80% Equity casts.
Mr. Gillmore was further criticized for his long inaction and especially for his failure to produce a sympathetic strike on the