Amid a bitter battle for control of the Screen Actors Guild board, the upstart Unite for Strength faction has promised not to limit voting rights if it wins the election, and continues to support merger with a rival union to strenghten labor’s hand in negotiations with the major studios.

SAG is scheduled today to start send out ballots out 120,000 members, with the vote set for tabulation on Sept. 18.

Unite for Strength stressed that its platform centers on pushing for a merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in an effort to increase actors’ leverage at the negotiating table.

More than 1,400 actors signed a petition earlier this year asking that SAG’s board institute a requirement that would have limited those able to vote on the contract to those who — over the past six years — have performed an average of at least one day principal work or six days background work per year; or are fully vested in the SAG Producers Pension Plan. Backers of the petition noted less than 20 percent of SAG members earn over $7,500 annually.

The move by Unite for Strength appears designed to defuse a potentially explosive campaign talking point by incumbent group Membership First, which has been warning that Unite for Strength may limit voting rights if it wins the election.

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