Over 130 famous actors including Academy Award winners George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Morgan Freeman and Sally Field, signed a petition on Monday in order to oppose a strike authorization vote by the Screen Actors Guild.

The A-list artists stated their point of view in a letter that flowed on cyberspace while union leaders, as well as SAG President Alan Rosenberg, gathered in New York City so as to find support for a possible strike against movie and television studios.

The petition explained that it was not the right time to put people out of work, in spite of the fact that the actors who contributed to the construction of the letter claimed their respect for the union and the problems it is seeking to solve.

Nevertheless, the petition stirred bewilderment on Monday with regard to the genuineness of all the signatures, as several agents and publicists were not able to confirm the fact that their clients had taken part in the action. Some of these figures were Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Josh Brolin, Billy Crystal, Steve Carell and Matt Damon.

The move was mainly organized by actress Rhea Perlman and Richard Masur, a former national president of the union.

The letter was sent soon after SAG called off an emergency national board assembly that was due to consider public pleas from union officials urging the cancellation of the strike vote.

SAG announced last week that strike authorization ballots would be mailed to members on January 2. In order for the authorization to pass, at least 75 percent of the voters must endorse the request. The ballots are scheduled to be tallied on January 23.

The guild made public on Friday a list of 31 well-known members who support the plea for a strike authorization. The list includes the names of Mel Gibson, Holly Hunter, Martin Sheen and Sandra Oh.

Although Alan Rosenberg has explained several times that a “yes” vote is intended to gain influence in contract negotiations and does not necessarily imply a strike, members who oppose the move claim that the vote is injudicious.

The Screen Actors Guild has an extensive history of internal squabbling. The union’s forceful and moderate groups have been bickering last year over negotiating tactic and an unfortunate campaign to overcome the AFTRA accord.

Entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel explained that although high-profile movie stars have a strong influence in SAG, they are not directly distressed by the SAG contract, because they have their own contracts, which guarantee them “more money and better terms,” Reuters reported.