A majority of the Screen Actors Guild Board, or SAG, voted Sunday to ask a federal mediator to step into the deadlocked contract talks with movie producers. The Board also voted to ask guild members to give their authorization to move forward with a strike if the current measure fails.
Nearly 97% of SAG's National Board of Directors voted in favor of having a mediator or go forward with a strike. The strike would become a reality if 75% of SAG members agree to it.
The negotiating committees of SAG and movie producers, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, have met for 44 days till now to come up with a new TV/Theatrical Agreement contract, but are yet to reach a mutual agreement.
Actors working in prime-time television shows and movies have agreed to continue to work under the terms of a contract that expired June 30. It is hoped that the discussions would bear fruit, which is likely to help avoid a repeat of the 100-day writers strike. The strike that ended in February reportedly cost the Los Angeles area economy an estimated $2.5 billion.
According to SAG National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Doug Allen, the Guild's number one goal remains to secure a good contract without a strike.
SAG National President Alan Rosenberg, said "We hope mediation will help move this process forward. Economic times are tough for all Americans, but we must take a stand for what is fair."
AMPTP said in a statement Sunday that they would like to close the SAG contract this year. Considering the current economic turmoil, it said "there is simply no justification for SAG to expect a deal that is in excess of what the other Guilds negotiated in better economic times. No matter what SAG does - whether it be authorizing a strike or following a different approach - it will not change the harsh reality that currently confronts our industry."
AMPTP has stuck by its June 30 final offer. The association had said then that the offer mirrored deals accepted by directors, a smaller actors union called the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and writers following their strike.
SAG board further resolved to add four new members to the National Negotiating Committee. Two will be from the Hollywood Division, one from the New York Division, and the last from the Regional Branch Division.
SAG is the nation's largest labor union representing working actors. The Guild, with 20 branches nationwide, represents over 120,000 actors working in film and digital television, industrials, commercials, video games, music videos and all other new media formats.
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