Actors Strike?

[LexFactor]

Been meaning to ask about this, thanks for the update, triplet.

 

[Mikelus]

It would be extremely selfish and stupid to strike when the whole economy is in recession and millions of people are suffering the consequences. I don't think actors will get much sympathy, even less if TV shows have to cut their respective seasons short, leaving us with freaking messed up seasons, specially Smallville since is getting near the end. If the SGA can't get what they want by May, then they could go to strike in the summer, this way we can have full seasons of our favorite shows.

 

[triplet]

It would be extremely selfish and stupid to strike when the whole economy is in recession and millions of people are suffering the consequences. I don't think actors will get much sympathy, even less if TV shows have to cut their respective seasons short, leaving us with freaking messed up seasons, specially Smallville since is getting near the end. If the SGA can't get what they want by May, then they could go to strike in the summer, this way we can have full seasons of our favorite shows.

I think it would seriously force the producers to try and break SAG.

They already had several Pilots that start production soon to sign up with the other acting union, AFTRA.

If they can break the union, they'd be happy... I think SAG should back down and take the deal the producers offered back in June and take up the increased residuals issue for Home Video when this contract expires again in three years...

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Actually, SAG is being stubborn and they're not going to accept the AMPTP's final offer from last summer...

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997167.html?categoryid=18&cs=1



How likely will they vote to strike given how different the econonic situation is now than it was last year, or even six months ago when they turned down the AMPTP's last offer?

I think it's unlikely, but I guess we'll see.

If the SAG has the gaul to strike, they will come off looking like the biggest *****ebags of the century. Given the state of the world economy with inflation, the highest unemployment in decades, gov't bailouts, etc. They're really going to stop working over those rather petty differences?

I dont think even the SAG is that dumb. They'd have zero public support, and they likely wont have support from the writers and directors, who recently just re-upped on their deals, considering the AMPTP's last offer was in line with those deals. Actors work in a luxury industry as is, one in which people have many alternatives to spend their ever-shrinking dollars. I dont think they have a leg to stand on here. They'd come off looking like selfish spoiled brats.

 

[triplet]

If the SAG has the gaul to strike, they will come off looking like the biggest *****ebags of the century. Given the state of the world economy with inflation, the highest unemployment in decades, gov't bailouts, etc. They're really going to stop working over those rather petty differences?

I dont think even the SAG is that dumb. They'd have zero public support, and they likely wont have support from the writers and directors, who recently just re-upped on their deals, considering the AMPTP's last offer was in line with those deals. Actors work in a luxury industry as is, one in which people have many alternatives to spend their ever-shrinking dollars. I dont think they have a leg to stand on here. They'd come off looking like selfish spoiled brats.

Quoted for truth.

Yeah, their leadership is being stubborn at the wrong time and the wrong place.

The times have changed, with rising unemployment, the economy in a tailspin and signs that the hard times have hit the studios (NBC canning running any 10/9 Central dramas for a 5 day a week Leno gabfest isn't a subtle sign that they're trying to save money...), should signal that this definitely isn't the time to push back on that contract.

The producers have no reason to give into their demands... they are hurting too and don't want to give up anymore money to the actors than they did to the directors and writers.

 

[Lighthouse]

I'll be honest, even though I've been keeping up with this story all year, I have to admit that I just do not know enough about Hollywood contracts and whats fair to the actors and whats not, so I cannot really make an informed opinion about whose right and whose wrong on this.

One thing I'm sure of though is that SAG really screwed the pooch in negotiations. If they were going to strike, they should have done it after their contract was up, but instead decided to spend money on completely destroying their relationship with AFTRA, and when that didn't work, they twiddled their thumbs for 6 months and decided to strike at the absolute worst possible opportunity.

 

[triplet]

Well, the SAG leadership conceded that they will have to take the AMPTP's offer if the membership doesn't vote for the strike authorization...

75% voting for that I think will be a very hard thing to do....

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997249.html?categoryid=18&cs=1

If authorization fails, SAG must settle
Strike requires 75% approval from those voting
By DAVE MCNARY

Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have admitted they'll probably have to accept the congloms' final offer if members don't approve the strike authorization.

SAG national exec director Doug Allen and president Alan Rosenberg made the disclosure in response to questions Wednesday during a meeting to brief publicists and managers about the authorization campaign. For SAG leaders to be able to call a strike, 75% of those voting would have to vote affirmatively on the authorization.

According to people with knowledge of the confab, the guild toppers conceded that if the authorization isn't voted up, they would likely agree to the deal proposed five months ago by the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. SAG's leaders have insisted repeatedly that the offer's unacceptable, particularly in three "threshold" areas -- new-media residuals on ad-supported streaming, new-media jurisdiction and retaining force majeure protections.

SAG held a similar session with about 40 agents Thursday as part of ramping up its campaign to persuade its 120,000 members to approve the authorization. Allen and Rosenberg stressed during that meeting that an authorization being voted up would not necessarily lead to a strike -- an assertion that's been blasted as untrue by the AMPTP.

Karen Stuart, exec director of the Assn. of Talent Agents, confirmed that 14 ATA agencies attended the two-hour confab at SAG headquarters but would not comment further.

During Thursday's session, Allen accused the AMPTP of intransigence during last month's talks, which were supervised by a federal mediator, and asserted that SAG had made multiple concessions without any corresponding movement from the congloms. Those talks cratered after SAG said it would drop its new-media demands but only on the condition AMPTP boost DVD residuals -- long a non-starter for the companies.

Much of the session was devoted to recapping the history of the negotiations, including noting that SAG has staged strikes during other periods of economic uncertainty. One attendee mused that the guild toppers deflected a question about the DGA's study showing that new media won't begin to generate significant revenues until 2012.

The guild's sending out ballots to dues-current members Jan. 2 and will announce the results Jan. 23. Its national board, which has the final say over calling a strike, will meet the next day.

Opposition has been mounting within SAG over the authorization drive. Former board member Keri Tombazian has launched a site at SAGdecision.com and blasted the way Allen and Rosenberg have handled the negotiations with the AMPTP.

"After months without talks, and then just two days of mediation, SAG negotiators announced that they want the members to authorize a strike," she wrote. "After the 100-day WGA strike; after five other entertainment unions have negotiated deals; in the middle of the worst economic crisis in 80 years: We don't need a strike -- we need our negotiators to negotiate and bring us a deal we can live with for the next 2½ years."

Terence Howard gave an unenthusiastic response Thursday to the prospect of a SAG strike when asked after the Golden Globes nominations announcement.

"We need to be working right now," he said. "We're in a period of serious change. Now is not the time to stop."

SAG's leaders have stressed that their objective is not to strike but to use the authorization as a tool for negotiations. The guild added videos on its website Thursday from board members Anne-Marie Johnson and Justine Bateman in support of a yes vote.

Johnson, whose credits include "JAG," stressed that the vote's coming at a time when "middle-class" actors like herself are facing fewer employment opportunities and declining residual payment when measured against inflation. "We're just not earning the same income that we did several years ago for the same work," she added.

 

[Lighthouse]

It's official. SAG is doomed.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997298.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

N.Y. SAG leaders oppose strike
Union's New York reps disapprove of vote
By DAVE MCNARY

Leaders of SAG's New York branch have split from the Hollywood leadership and called for the guild to stop its strike authorization vote.

In a statement issued Friday, the New York reps cited the nation's worsening financial crisis for the move. The division leaders noted that while they had voted in October to support seeking a strike authorization if federal mediation failed, conditions have changed since then.

"While issuing a strike authorization may have been a sensible strategy in October, we believe it is irresponsible to do so now, in the face of widespread layoffs, cutbacks and reduced programming," the NY board said in a statement. "The hardest and most important decision any union member must make is whether or not to go on strike. Before we ask you to make that choice, we feel we must, as your elected representatives, make every move we can to get you a deal."

The New York reps asked that all plans for a strike referendum cease; that SAG president Alan Rosenberg immediately call an emergency national board meeting; that the national board appoint a new negotiating task force to replace the current negotiating committee at this emergency meeting; and that the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers be encouraged "in the strongest of terms" to return to the bargaining table.

"With a fresh team, the AMPTP will return to the table, and we can get a fair deal," the NY reps said. "A deal that will not cost careers, homes, lives. We want our members to understand that while strikes are sometimes unavoidable, we will do everything in our power to avoid this one."

SAG president Alan Rosenberg responded by denouncing the move while agreeing to hold an emergency national board meeting at a yet to be announced date.

"I am shocked and troubled that some members of our New York Board have issued a statement to the press regarding our October 2008 national board directive to send a strike authorization referendum to SAG members. Oddly, a portion of the group that now holds the majority of votes on our national board, and who voted as part of the 97% majority to send this referendum to members, has now reconsidered."

On Friday, the AMPTP sent a letter to elected officials that excoriated SAG leaders for refusing to accept the AMPTP's final offer, which contains similar terms to those in Hollywood labor agreements concluded this year by the WGA, DGA, IATSE, casting directors and AFTRA.

Guild leaders have insisted that the needs of actors -- particularly in new media -- have not been adequately addressed in the AMPTP's final offer, issued June 30 as SAG's contract expired.

SAG plans to send out the strike authorization vote to its due current members -- estimated at 110,000 -- on Jan. 2 with results announced Jan. 23. At least 75% of those voting must affirm the authorization for SAG's national board to call a strike.

SAG leaders have insisted that the authorization vote won't necessarily lead to a strike and have asserted a "yes" vote is designed to force the AMPTP back to the bargaining table. The AMPTP's declared repeatedly that it won't revise the terms of its offer.

A federal mediator brought negotiators together last month to try to relaunch bargaining, but those talks collapsed after two days on Nov. 22 amid a blizzard of accusations from both sides.

SAG held its first town hall meeting last Monday in Hollywood, with 400 members attending. It's scheduled two more such gatherings, one in New York on Monday at the Westin Times Square and another Wednesday at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel.

 

[triplet]

Along the same lines:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997375.html?categoryid=18&cs=1

SAG's war hits home
East, West guilds battle over strike
By DAVE MCNARY

Civil war has broken out at the Screen Actors Guild.

Gotham leaders of SAG are demanding that the guild's plan to seek a strike authorization vote be called off due to the faltering economy, and they want the guild's contract negotiating committee replaced in the hopes that new blood will help end the guild's months-long stalemate with the majors.

SAG president Alan Rosenberg responded by setting the emergency national board meeting for Friday at SAG's Hollywood headquarters -- but he insists that the New York guild reps attend in person. Rosenberg blasted SAG's Gotham toppers for their "extraordinarily destructive and subversive" action.

A guild spokeswoman said SAG would not comment on why the emergency board meeting is a "face to face" session. New York reps indicated that requiring cross-country travel on short notice, when videoconferencing equipment is readily available, can only be interpreted as punitive and designed to hold down attendance by opponents of the guild's Hollywood leadership.

The skirmish that erupted after the New York board, headed by prexy Sam Freed, spoke out against the strike authorization vote on Friday afternoon widens the gulf between SAG leaders in Hollywood and the rest of the country. New York board member Mike Hodge had already publicly criticized the decision to seek the strike authorization vote, while Gotham board member Richard Masur, a former SAG prexy, has been a longtime foe of the guild's current Hollywood leadership.

Rosenberg and national exec director Doug Allen are certain to receive a chilly reception tonight at a townhall meeting for New York members at the Westin Times Square. That confab was scheduled a week ago to discuss the strike authorization, which is still set to go out Jan. 2 with results announced Jan. 23.

The New York division leaders -- who rep about 25% of SAG's 120,000 members -- noted in their statement that while they had voted in October to support seeking a strike authorization if federal mediation failed, conditions have changed since then.

"While issuing a strike authorization may have been a sensible strategy in October, we believe it is irresponsible to do so now, in the face of widespread layoffs, cutbacks and reduced programming," the N.Y. board said in a statement. "The hardest and most important decision any union member must make is whether or not to go on strike. Before we ask you to make that choice, we feel we must, as your elected representatives, make every move we can to get you a deal."

In addition to seeking the emergency board meeting, the New York reps asked that all plans for a strike referendum cease; a new negotiating task force to replace the current negotiating committee at this emergency meeting; and that the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers be encouraged "in the strongest of terms" to return to the bargaining table.

Control of SAG's national board shifted in September elections away from Rosenberg's Membership First allies to a more moderate coalition of New York and regional reps along with half a dozen board members elected from Hollywood in the Unite for Strength faction, including Amy Brenneman and Kate Walsh. But the negotiating committee remains under the control of Membership First.

"With a fresh team, the AMPTP will return to the table, and we can get a fair deal," the N.Y. reps said. "A deal that will not cost careers, homes, lives. We want our members to understand that while strikes are sometimes unavoidable, we will do everything in our power to avoid this one."

Rosenberg responded by saying the global economy was already failing before the new board OK'd the plan to take a strike vote should the attempt at federal mediation fail to end the six month-long stalemate between SAG and the AMPTP. The sides held two sessions last month with a federal mediator, who called the process off on Nov. 22.

"We are keenly aware of and sensitive to the fact that the economy has further declined since then," Rosenberg added. "When economic times are tough, members rely on their union even more to protect them from management's tactics. I believe we must be even more vigilant during these challenging times. The solution to the industry's economic hardship must not be rollbacks that cripple our member's ability to earn a living."

The AMPTP made its final offer on June 30 as SAG's primetime-feature contract expired. Over 75% of SAG members who vote would have to affirm the authorization, with the national board having the final say, if SAG is to go on strike.

The PR campaigns to persuade actors have continued in high gear as SAG announced late Friday that it had launched a "solidarity statement" campaign for members to declare their support of a "yes" vote. The first 31 signers included Mel Gibson, Ed Harris, Hal Holbrook, Holly Hunter and Martin Sheen, along with board members Scott Bakula, Justine Bateman, Frances Fisher, Elliott Gould, Diane Ladd and Kent McCord.

For its part, the AMPTP went to elected officials with a blast at SAG leaders on Friday by sending a letter to leading members of the California delegation including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein along with local, state and national elected officials in New York, Illinois and Michigan.

The missive, penned by AMPTP president Nick Counter, excoriated SAG leaders for refusing to accept the AMPTP's final offer, which contains similar terms to those in Hollywood labor agreements concluded this year by the WGA, DGA, IATSE, casting directors and AFTRA.

"Now, astonishingly, SAG is demanding that working actors attempt to wipe away the consequences of SAG's failed negotiating strategy by authorizing a strike," Counter said. "This strike vote is remarkable because it comes at a time when prominent economists are saying that the current recession may turn out to be the longest and most painful downturn since the Great Depression."

SAG deputy national exec director Pamm Fair disputed the majors' contention that SAG should accept a deal similar to those signed by the other unions.

"Screen Actors Guild represents actors who have different needs than writers, directors and crew members," Fair said in a statement. "We are different, not better. Our unique needs require that we negotiate a fair contract specific to actors, background actors and stunt performers, and not simply accept what has been agreed to by our sister unions."

Guild leaders have insisted that the needs of actors -- particularly in new media -- have not been adequately addressed in the AMPTP's final offer, issued June 30 as SAG's contract expired.

The AMPTP also took out an ad in today's Daily Variety that attempts to refute Rosenberg on statements he's made about the final offer such as it representing the "beginning of the end of residuals."

In response, the congloms contend that the proposed deal includes the first-ever residuals for ad-supported streaming for features and TV; an increased residual rate for permanent downloads; first-ever residuals for derivative new media and original programs; exclusive SAG jurisdiction for new-media programs; and jurisdiction over "high budget" original new media productions and low-budget programs that employ a single "covered" actor.

SAG has insisted that the budget thresholds in the AMPTP proposal -- $15,000 per minute or $300,000 per production -- will lead to the guild sanctioning non-union work as more production migrates to new media platforms.

SAG fired back Sunday night, accusing the AMPTP of lying about the offer and asserting that streaming of new TV shows on new media platforms will pay day performers $46 for the first year’s use after a 17-day free rerun window. It also complained about the jurisdiction language; the lack of compensation for original programming on network sites as abc.com; and rollbacks in clip consent and force majeure.

"Management is offering a lousy deal with 'zero' in new media and is threatening the promotion of non-union work in a residual-free environment without minimum compensation," SAG concluded. "That could be the beginning of the end for actors careers and livelihoods.”

With the East branch opposing the strike authorization vote, I don't see how even if it goes through all the NY and East Coast actors (anyone East of the Missippi) will vote to authorize a strike.

I'm glad someone in SAG is seeing reason...

 

[triplet]

Apparently a meeting yesterday between SAG prez Rosenberg and the East coast members in NYC didn't go well for the pro-strike authorization folks...

Added to that, 130 A-listers and major B-listers have signed an open letter to the leadership that says that now isn't the time to strike...

http://www.variety.com/VR1117997396.html

Stars send anti-strike letter to SAG
A-listers cite weakening economy as incentive
By DAVE MCNARY, MIKE FLAHERTY

Looks like the "no" side is mobilizing the star power.

As SAG called off its emergency Friday board meeting, more than 130 stars -- including George Clooney, Matt Damon and Tom Hanks -- have strongly urged SAG members to vote down the guild's strike authorization.

The list also includes Alan Alda, Jason Alexander, Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, Billy Crystal, Cameron Diaz, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Irons, Helen Hunt, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Kevin Spacey and Charlize Theron, along with former SAG presidents Patty Duke, Melissa Gilbert and William Schallert.

In a letter sent Monday to leaders of the Screen Actors Guild, the stars said a strike would create more economic hardship and called for SAG to unite with other Hollywood unions in three years. Doing so would be a way to "take the high road," they added.

The letter was issued shortly before guild president Alan Rosenberg spoke before an overflow crowd of several hundred at a townhall meeting Monday night at the Westin Times Square. Prior to the meet, New York board member Paul Christie described New York members as "ticked off" about the strike authorization.

"They already realize how hard they've been hit financially, and the idea that we'd be asking them to go out on strike, and the idea that they'd be asking the IATSE guys, the craft services people, AFTRA guys and everybody else to go on strike at this point, we think, is just insane," Christie told Daily Variety. "I haven't run into one person here who's in favor."

Rosenberg remained resolute, saying before the meeting, "In a terrible economy like this, it's our responsibility to make sure our members aren't thrown under the bus; that we're not sacrificing disproportionately while the corporations set themselves up with billions of dollars in new media."

But Baldwin blistered SAG's negotiating committee, which met 46 times with the congloms between April and November -- when federal mediation cratered. "Nothing against them personally but they have failed as negotiators and they should step down," he said after speaking during the meeting.

New York board member Sue-Anne Morrow said that message was delivered clearly to Rosenberg and national exec director Doug Allen. "I think they're hearing an enormous lack of support for how they're handling the negotiations," she added.

Rosenberg admitted afterward, "It was a tough room."

But he noted that a Dec. 8 townhall meeting in Hollywood had generated the opposite reaction from members.

SAG's scheduled to hold another townhall meeting Wednesday at the Hollywood Renaissance and send out a strike authorization vote Jan. 2 to its approximately 110,000 dues-current members, with ballots due back Jan. 23. For a strike to occur, at least 75% of those voting would have to affirm the authorization, with the national board having final say over a work stoppage.

Rosenberg also warned Monday that a "no" vote would "cripple" SAG in negotiating a deal with the congloms and in upcoming commercials talks. "If these employers know we can't get a strike authorization, they'll just roll over us," he added.

SAG's leaders have insisted that voting for authorization won't necessarily lead to a strike but merely would push the congloms to improve their five-month-old final offer. But Monday's letter from the stars asserted that a "yes" vote would lead to a strike.

"We feel very strongly that SAG members should not vote to authorize a strike at this time," the letter said. "We don't think that an authorization can be looked at as merely a bargaining tool. It must be looked at as what it is -- an agreement to strike if negotiations fail."

The letter comes three days after SAG announced 31 high-profile supporters for the authorization, including Mel Gibson, Ed Harris, Hal Holbrook, Holly Hunter and Martin Sheen along with national board members Justine Bateman, Elliott Gould, Diane Ladd and Kent McCord.

The stars lined up similarly last summer during SAG's failed attempt to persuade AFTRA members to vote down AFTRA's primetime deal. Field, Hanks and Spacey had urged a "yes" vote while Harris and Sheen came out on the "no" side.

Monday's anti-authorization letter said the stars don't believe in good conscience that it's the time to be putting people out of work. And they urged SAG to look to 2011.

"None of our friends in the other unions are truly happy with the deals they made in their negotiations," the missive said. "Three years from now all the union contracts will be up again at roughly the same time. At that point if we plan and work together with our sister unions we will have incredible leverage."

Monday's letter was sent a few hours after Rosenberg called off Friday's emergency national board meeting in the face of objections over requiring reps to attend the Los Angeles confab in person. Over the weekend, Rosenberg had scheduled the emergency meeting and blasted demands by SAG's New York reps that the upcoming strike authorization vote be called off and that the negotiating committee be replaced.

One board member indicated Monday that requiring attendance in person violates the guild's constitution. Others said requiring cross-country travel on short notice, when video-conferencing equipment is readily available, could only be interpreted as a punitive move designed to hold down attendance by those opposing the guild's Hollywood leadership.

For his part, Rosenberg blasted away at the New York reps.

"Rather than argue over the propriety of an in-person meeting I have decided to withdraw the meeting notice for now," he said. "However, you will be promptly notified should the meeting be rescheduled for a later date. I am disappointed that during these critical times not all of our board members are willing to take the time needed to make real progress on the issues dividing our elected leaders."

Rosenberg also complained that last week's meeting of the national executive committee had been cut short because New York members left. "Given this conduct, and the sensitivity and complexity of the issues at hand, I do not believe a video-conference board meeting will be effective or productive," he added.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Jesus! The way these actors talk about it, you'd think what they did was actually difficult!

 

[triplet]

Jesus! The way these actors talk about it, you'd think what they did was actually difficult!

Don't criticize what they do...

They have long hours and unstable jobs, where if their stage show shutters or their series gets cancelled or their character gets killed off, they're out of a job with an uncertain future...

If it were so easy to do, then everyone would be an actor. It's very hard to do well and the working conditions aren't always great.

Its easy to say they got it easy, they don't need to do what you do, but just because they don't punch a clock doesn't mean what they do is any easier than any other job.

It's a job.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

good to see some common sense being exhibited by at least parts of SAG. How can you even think of striking at a time like this?

 

[Serene]

good to see some common sense being exhibited by at least parts of SAG. How can you even think of striking at a time like this?

It's interesting to look at the list of people who do want to strike - mostly B actors who are more likely very dependent on their residuals and more motivated to fight for them.

I think the big wave of A-listers will kill this move to strike.

 

[dru-zod2501]

Anyone know what The CW and Smallville has planned if a strike would happen?

All I gotta say is WTF is SAG thinking forcing a strike so soon after the disastrous WGA one?



It's all crazy...

I'd forgotten all about this strike.

if it did happen, and they've been working on s8 for a while, I think they might be up to filming Requiem, but I have no idea, but it would I hope be another cliffhanger, followed not by another season but by a tv movie, cause I don't think tom wants to come back, strike or not.

man that would be extremely difficult to pull off.

What are they thinking? probably the chance to get a bigger piece of the pie, like the WGA did. Yuo call it "disasterous" what about it made it so disasterous? didn't they get what they wanted?

 

[triplet]

I'd forgotten all about this strike.

if it did happen, and they've been working on s8 for a while, I think they might be up to filming Requiem, but I have no idea, but it would I hope be another cliffhanger, followed not by another season but by a tv movie, cause I don't think tom wants to come back, strike or not.

man that would be extremely difficult to pull off.

What are they thinking? probably the chance to get a bigger piece of the pie, like the WGA did. Yuo call it "disasterous" what about it made it so disasterous? didn't they get what they wanted?

I believe they would have ended production before the break on episode 15, Infamous, but I might be wrong...

But they'll at least get two or more episodes in the can before any potential strike, since the earliest one would start would be the end of January.

However, I think a strike is less likely to happen since the East Coast members are so dead set against it. I just don't see how Rosenberg is going to get 75% to ratify the strike authorization with so many A-listers against it.

 

[The Major]

It would be extremely selfish and stupid to strike when the whole economy is in recession and millions of people are suffering the consequences.

Actually, it makes it the perfect time to strike.

The AMPTP will hurt much more while the economy is weak then strong.

I don't think actors will get much sympathy, even less if TV shows have to cut their respective seasons short, leaving us with freaking messed up seasons, specially Smallville since is getting near the end.

They should do what the WGA did by educating the public about their cause. That will give them sympathy.

Messed up seasons are annoying but viewers should be concerned that the actors in those shows are properly compensated for their work.

If the SGA can't get what they want by May, then they could go to strike in the summer, this way we can have full seasons of our favorite shows.

While losing enormous leverage in the process.

 

[The Major]

What are they thinking? probably the chance to get a bigger piece of the pie, like the WGA did. Yuo call it "disasterous" what about it made it so disasterous? didn't they get what they wanted?

Not exactly.

They're still owed serious money by the AMPTP in their deal IIRC.

They shouldn't haven't have caved when the Academy awards came on the scene.

SCANDAL! WGA Goes After Big Media For Reneging On New Media Payments

UPDATE: I'm hearing that the agents are going to intervene with the moguls on the WGA's behalf...
How ironic that this news hits Hollywood one day before the Screen Actors Guild has its long-awaited formal meeting with the Hollywood CEOs' negotiating reps, those AMPTP asswipes, and on the same day that the AMPTP and IATSE announced they're reached a tentative contract agreement. “In light of the fact that writers are not being paid for New Media reuse, it’s unconscionable that the AMPTP proclaims on its website, ‘By working under an expired contract, SAG members are not receiving the New Media residuals that other Guild members are already collecting,’ ” said WGAW President Patric Verrone today. Yeah, this is corrupt studio accounting brought to a whole new level of fraudulence.
If ever there were a time for showbiz guilds to stand together in solidarity, it's now. I'm talking SAG and the DGA as well as the low-cost toadies AFTRA and IATSE. And I'm talking about a boycott of the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. (The Guilds have their own awards nights anyway, right? I bet SAG could charge up the wazoo for the broadcast rights to its glitterfest now...) Bad enough that SAG has to keep pushing for its $60 million in overdue force majeure payments from the majors, since it's one of the few bargaining chips which the guild has to play with the AMPTP short of a strike authorization. The Hollywood CEOs want those debts forgiven and the whole force majeure payment issue removed from future SAG contracts. Then there's the issue of the moguls not making timely payments on residuals of traditional entertainment product to writers, directors and actors.
Just how many ways is the Big Media cartel screwing the guilds right now anyway? Hard not to interpret this as a direct assault on the Hollywood unions in the macro sense. This shows exactly what ****s are the studio and network CEOs and the labor lawyers leading them around by the nose no matter if the economy is good or bad -- because this nonpayment started waaaaaaaaaay before the stock market crashed. They should be ashamed of themselves. But that would require them to have consciences.
Today, the Writers Guild of America, West, confirmed what they'd warned about a few weeks ago: that the media conglomerates of the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers – the AMPTP – have failed to comply with the contract negotiated to end the Guild’s 100-day strike by not paying residuals for writers’ work that is reused on New Media. These payments were the key issue of the WGA strike so the WGAW said today it's starting "an aggressive contract enforcement program – including legal action – to ensure that the AMPTP companies make good on their obligations". To that end, the WGAW filed for arbitration today against the AMPTP over residuals for programs sold as electronic downloads (aka ESTs, or Electronic Sell-Through) involving the sale of video content via the Internet which allows the purchaser to keep a copy of a program permanently on a computer hard drive or other device. In addition to taking legal action, the WGAW is undertaking a campaign of extensive member outreach and education on contract enforcement issues so that writers can help monitor the progress of enforcing the 2008 Minimum Basic Agreement.
“Our agreement with the companies on material released to EST covers feature films produced after July 1, 1971, and television programs produced after 1977,” said John Bowman, chair of the 2007 WGA Negotiating Committee. “The companies have reneged on this agreement and are taking the position that only programs produced after February 13, 2008 are covered by the new provision. This may be their deal with the DGA, but that was never our agreement. Every proposal we made during negotiations made clear our position that library product was covered, and the AMPTP never objected to that position. The Guild will not allow this to stand.”

The Guild said today it's also preparing to file for arbitration against the AMPTP companies for failing to pay residuals due for the streaming of television shows on the Internet. “Our tracking has shown that episodes are staying on websites longer than the 17-day initial window called for in the contract. This triggers the payment of a residual, but so far we’ve seen nothing,” said David Young, the WGAW's executive director who also helped negotiate the new contract. “Given the reports by the conglomerates of the growth of the number of shows being streamed and increases in new media revenues, this is an unacceptable situation.”
Said WGAW President Patric Verrone: “The companies know what is being streamed, and they regularly announce how successful they are in generating online advertising revenue, so there’s no reason for them not to honor the agreement they made with us.”
WGA Says Moguls Not Living Up To New Contract: Angrily Calls It "Appalling"

By Nikki Finke on Wed, Nov 19th, 2008 at 04:56PM


http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.c...-big-media-for-not-making-new-media-payments/

 

[Lighthouse]

This is like a war where I almost want both sides to lose.

 

[triplet]

Hmm...

What good is it to work out an agreement if the producers aren't going to pay the agreed upon fees?

I guess SAG has a point, given that, but the timing is really bad. I think a strike will hurt the AMPTP members less than it would the actors and all the other people who would be affected by a strike.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997569.html?categoryid=18&cs=1

More heavy hitters are coming out against voting yes, including my boy, Russell Crowe. Although, putting Alyssa Milano and Hilary Duff in the same sentence as Robert Redford and Russell Crowe is just not right...

What kind of star power do they have?

SAG stars taking sides
More celebs take stance on authorization vote
By DAVE MCNARY

The Screen Actors Guild's battle of endorsements has moved into high gear.

The no side in SAG's strike authorization has gained more star power with Russell Crowe, Michael Chiklis, Hilary Duff, Alyssa Milano, Julianne Moore, Robert Redford and Seann William Scott coming out against the vote. As of Wednesday afternoon, some 830 members had endorsed the No SAG Strike petition, written two weeks ago by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman.

"As hard as it may be to wait those three years under an imperfect agreement, we believe this is what we must do," the letter said. "We think that a public statement should be made by SAG recognizing that although this is not a deal we want, it is simply not a time when our union wants to have any part in creating more economic hardship while so many people are already suffering."

The online effort debuted Monday as more than 130 stars announced their opposition, including George Clooney, Matt Damon and Tom Hanks.

Ballots go out Jan. 2 to about 110,000 members, with results announced Jan. 23. For SAG to strike, 75% of those voting would have to affirm the authorization; the national board would then have final say over calling a work stoppage.

SAG's pro-authorization effort, which launched online last week, drew 2,300 signers as of mid-afternoon Wednesday. Notable new names including Laura Dern, Mary Stuart Masterson and Matthew Modine, national board members Lainie Kazan and Nancy Sinatra, former board member Piper Laurie and New York alternate board member Eric Bogosian.

In a letter released Wednesday, Bogosian noted he wasn't part of last week's meeting by the New York board -- which demanded that SAG president Alan Rosenberg call off the authorization vote, replace the negotiating committee and call an emergency board meeting.

"Is this the right time for a strike authorization?" Bogosian said. "Yes. It is our only move. The contract is terrible."

Bogosian also blasted the no effort for siding with the congloms.

"If you are voting no for strike authorization because you think that our current board of directors are strike mongerers or hotheads, please think again because you are simply thinking what the AMPTP wants you to think," he said. "We are asking for a straightforward negotiation on straightforward points. We must negotiate these now or suck lemons until we can."

SAG also posted pro-authorization videos to its website Wednesday from Hal Holbrook, Martin Sheen and Alicia Witt.

"New media is not something we can negotiate 10 years from now or five years from now or three years from now," Witt said. "It's something we have to address immediately."

SAG leaders held a third town hall meeting Wednesday night at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, two days after members blasted Rosenberg and national exec director Doug Allen at a New York confab, alleging they've bungled the negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers.

Rosenberg's admitted that the opposition in New York will make it tough for the authorization to meet the 75% requirement. He's also said that should the authorization fail, SAG would probably accept the AMPTP's final offer, made June 30 as SAG's contract expired.

Rosenberg originally scheduled an emergency board meeting for Friday -- with the requirement that members attend in person in Los Angeles, prompting objections from New York members. Rosenberg called off that session and hasn't rescheduled yet.

Rosenberg and Allen received a warm reception last week at the first town hall meeting in Hollywood. About 60% of SAG's membership belongs to the Hollywood branch, and another 25% are members of the New York branch. The remaining 15% are repped through regional branches.

Several hundred SAG members attended the meeting but the Hollyood Ballroom -- capacity 600 -- was less half full when the sesh got underway.

Former guild prez Ed Asner said outside the meeting that actors need to vote up the authorization to give negotiators leverage. "It's the only weapon we have," he said. "We can't be as subtle as the companies."

He also said he couldn't predict how long a strike would last. "That depends how greedy the companies want to be," Asner said.

About a dozen location managers picketed outside the meeting with "no strike" signs.

Late arrivals pushed the attendance past 400, a SAG spokeswoman said, and SAG leaders received several standing ovations during the three-hour session. Among high-profiles, both Asner and Rob Schneider gave strong endorsements of the authorization vote and nearly of the speakers during the Q&A spoke in favor of a "yes" vote.

 

[The Major]

Hmm...

What good is it to work out an agreement if the producers aren't going to pay the agreed upon fees?

Exactly.

I guess SAG has a point, given that, but the timing is really bad. I think a strike will hurt the AMPTP members less than it would the actors and all the other people who would be affected by a strike.

SAG needs to get as many advantages as possible.

The AMPTP may still not be as vulnerable during the current crisis but they are far weaker then they usually are. That's a crucial edge the WGA never had.

To wait until the economy gets better will only put them in a weaker position.

More heavy hitters are coming out against voting yes, including my boy, Russell Crowe. Although, putting Alyssa Milano and Hilary Duff in the same sentence as Robert Redford and Russell Crowe is just not right...

What kind of star power do they have?

The infighting is what will hurt the actors more then the AMPTP. It's plays right into the AMPTP's hands.

Edit: Star power can backfire. The public will sympathize more with average actors who live week to week by paycheck and residuals then a high profile actor who gets $20 million a film.

 

[triplet]

Exactly.


SAG needs to get as many advantages as possible.

The AMPTP may still not be as vulnerable during the current crisis but they are far weaker then they usually are. That's a crucial edge the WGA never had.

To wait until the economy gets better will only put them in a weaker position.


The infighting is what will hurt the actors more then the AMPTP. It's plays right into the AMPTP's hands.

I guess there's some panicking going on a lot over in SAG...

They've delayed the strike authorization strike for two weeks.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997728.html?categoryid=10&cs=1

SAG delays strike authorization vote
National board to meet on Jan. 12 and 13
By DAVE MCNARY

Facing growing internal dissent, leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have postponed SAG's divisive strike authorization vote for two weeks.

SAG national exec director Doug Allen declared that SAG's national board must meet first in order to present a united front before sending out strike ballots.

In a surprise announcement Monday night, Allen notified members that the vote -- which had been set to go out on Jan. 2 and be tabulated on Jan. 23 -- would be delayed until after an emergency meeting of the board on Jan. 12 and 13.

Allen said in the missive that he and SAG president Alan Rosenberg had agreed to delay the authorization vote -- which requires a 75% approval from members who cast ballots -- to "address the unfortunate division and restore consensus."

"This division does not help our effort to get an agreement from the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers that our members will ratify,'' Allen said. "This will provide us with more time to conduct member education and outreach on the referendum before the balloting."
The delay comes with the anti-authorization effort gaining traction among SAG members with over 1,400 having publicly declared that they'll vote against the measure. George Clooney, Russell Crowe, Matt Damon, Sally Field, Tom Hanks, Julianne Moore, Robert Redford and Susan Sarandon have signed on to the "vote no" effort, contending that a strike is poorly timed amid the economic downturn.

Allen said in his message that a number of national board members have expressed concern about the opposition.

"While almost 100 high profile members and 2524 total members have endorsed the strike authorization vote mandated by the national board, more than 100 high profile actors and 1373 actors have lent their names to the opposition campaign," he said.

SAG leaders have insisted that the strike authorization is essential to give SAG enough clout to budge the congloms off their final offer, made June 30 as SAG's contract expired. And they've repeatedly proclaimed that the AMPTP's proposed deal falls short in new-media jurisdiction and residuals.
SAG's national board voted in October to give its negotiating committee the power to seek a strike authorization should efforts by a federal mediator to re-launch negotiations fail. Two days of talks supervised by the mediator cratered on Nov. 22, leading to the announcement of the strike authorization vote.

SAG's New York division leaders went public on Dec. 12 with their opposition to the strike authorization vote, demanding that it be called off and that an emergency board meeting be scheduled to replace the negotiating committee. Rosenberg and Allen were heavily criticized by members at a New York town hall meeting three days later for bungling negotiations.

Those supporting the authorization effort include Hal Holbrook, Martin Sheen, Holly Hunter, Mel Gibson, Rob Schneider and former SAG President Ed Asner.

Control of SAG's national board shifted in September from the more assertive Membership First faction to a moderate coalition of New York and regional reps along with the Hollywood-based Unite for Strength faction. The negotiating committee remains under the control of Membership First.

 

[triplet]

Does anyone think they'll still go on strike?

Now, I think it's looking less likely if you did.

Doug Allen, the National Director (the main member of the SAG board of directors who was responsible for negotiations) has been apparently booted...

More moderate members had taken control of the board in the fall and it looks like they didn't like the direction Allen was taking them in. They appear poised to cancel the strike authorization vote and formally remove Allen from his position with SAG...

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117998416.html?categoryid=10&cs=1

SAG's Doug Allen out as negotiator
Board taking steps to table strike vote
By DAVE MCNARY

A badly split SAG national board has removed national exec director Doug Allen as the guild's lead negotiator, according to a prominent board member.

Seymour Cassel said Allen had been ousted Monday, while SAG spokeswoman Pamela Greenwalt disputed that assertion and insisted no vote had taken place. Meanwhile, the board — which began an emergency meeting at 9 a.m. Monday — continued meeting into the early hours of Tuesday.

Cassel also told several other reporters that the board had removed Allen as the chief negotiator. The actor, who's part of the Membership First faction that's lost control of the national board, nearly beat SAG president Alan Rosenberg, when the latter ran for re-election in 2007.

SAG's moderate wing, which gained control of the national board last fall, is likely to pass a resolution that includes removing Allen, replacing the negotiating committee and canceling the authorization vote by the end of the two-day session on Tuesday afternoon.

Allen's ouster would be a clear signal that SAG's leaders will cancel the guild's divisive strike authorization vote shortly. The move also could jumpstart SAG's long-stalled contract negotiations with the majors.

It's unclear whether Allen will stay on for the final year of his contract or who will replace him as chief negotiator. SAG senior adviser John McGuire is a potential candidate.

SAG's dismal relations with AFTRA during Allen's tenure have been a galvanizing force in the move to oust him. When Rosenberg and his Membership First allies came to power in 2005, they immediately fired Greg Hessinger from the top slot at SAG due to concerns over Hessinger's previous ties to AFTRA, where he had served five years as national exec director.

Leaders of SAG's moderate wing have become increasingly frustrated over Allen continuing to insist on pushing for a strike authorization along with his failure to reach a deal with the congloms on SAG's feature-primetime contract.

The internal battle has heated up since SAG's attempt to re-start negotiations cratered on Nov. 22, when the guild's negotiating committee insisted on an increase in DVD residuals — long a non-starter for the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. And the opposition to a strike authorization crystalized with high-profile members such as George Clooney and Tom Hanks opposing the idea of threatening a strike amid the worsening national economy.

Nearly 2,000 members have endorsed voting no on the authorization while 4,000 have come out in favor.

People close to the situation said that the board is also considering replacing SAG's negotiating committee with a task force that more closely mirrors the makeup of the 71-member national board.

SAG's negotiating committee, which has been in a stalemate with studios since spring over its primetime-feature master contract, remains dominated by Membership First. Monday's meeting included a motion to change the guidelines for the composition of SAG task forces to remove requirements that such bodies reflect the proportion of earnings under a contract.

The once-delayed authorization vote would have to receive 75% support among members casting ballots for the guild to strike. Allen has insisted repeatedly that SAG needs the authorization in order to persuade the congloms to sweeten their six-month-old final offer — despite repeated assertions by the companies that they won't alter the proposal.

Allen was hired in October 2006 after two decades in the No. 2 slot at the NFL Players Assn. and has a year left on his contract at a salary of about $500,000.

The moderate members — mostly those repping New York and the regional branches — have also been perturbed over the requirement that they attend in person rather than holding the meeting using videoconferencing equipment and have accused Allen and Rosenberg of trying to hold down attendance by those opposed to their policies.

About two dozen demonstrators rallied and leafleted outside SAG headquarters prior to the meeting, mostly on the side of supporting the authorization. The demonstrators included former SAG presidents Ed Asner and William Daniels.

Longtime SAG activist Tom Bower passed out leaflets of his message asserting that the congloms' six-month-old proposal would lead to the elimination of residuals — an assertion strongly disputed by the AMPTP. "That's been their plan all along, ever since they began negotiations with the writers in July 2007," he added.

Neil Hassman, a manager with two dozen actor clients, attended the demonstration with a "No SAG Strike" sign. "SAG's been unrealistic about trying to seek a better deal than the other unions and it's having a devastating impact," he said.

 

[triplet]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002545.html?categoryId=13&cs=1

I guess they're all done with their sabor rattling....

SAG, AMPTP reach tentative deal
Guild's national board to review this Sunday

By DAVE MCNARY


SAG and the congloms have reached a tentative agreement on the feature-primetime contract -- nearly 10 months after the previous deal expired.


Both the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers made the announcement early Friday afternoon.

SAG's national board is expected to approve the terms of the pact at its meeting this weekened -- triggering the mailing of ratification ballots to its 120,000 members.

The deal comes following two months of back-channels talks between SAG toppers and moguls such as Disney's Robert Iger and News Corp.'s Peter Chernin. The last key points to be settled centered on SAG insisting on an expiration date in June 2011 in order to stay in synch with the WGA, DGA and AFTRA expirations.

The back-channel talks also focused on settling claims for force majeure payments to actors from TV series that went dark during the writers strike.

Deal comes three months after the moderate majority on SAG's board ousted Doug Allen as SAG national exec director for allegedly botching the negotiations. Allen was replaced by David White as interim national exec director and by John McGuire as chief negotiator.

The hardline Memebership First faction, which lost its board majority last fall, has vowed it will urge members to vote down the deal -- on grounds that it falls short in on on multitude of areas, particularly new media.

The AMPTP has contended that its offer -- first made last summer -- is in line with those deals accepted by the other guilds last year and remains generous amid the declining economy.

 

[Webhead2006]

Well its great to hear things seem to be done for now.