Although no date has been set, SAG leadership has begun preparations for a strike-authorization vote, after two days of meetings with the studios failed to break the 5-month-old deadlock on a new TV/theatrical contract.
The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) lashed out in response to SAG’s strike authorization decision.
“SAG is bizarrely asking its members to bail out the failed negotiating strategy with a strike vote — at a time of historic economic crisis. The tone deafness of SAG is stunning,” the AMPTP said.
SAG president Alan Rosenberg has said that a strike-authorization vote does not necessarily mean the union will immediately go on strike.
The AMPTP doesn’t agree.
“Make no mistake about this: If SAG members authorize a strike, then a strike is all but guaranteed because SAG has shown no willingness to compromise on its unrealistic demands,” the organization told its members.
The studios’ bargaining arm sent a blistering message to its 300 members, placing the blame on SAG and indicating that it would do everything it could to educate SAG members and the industry about its offer to the actors union and why SAG should accept it.
“The more SAG members understand about the fairness and strength of our offer, especially during a time of historic economic distress, the less likely they will be to authorize a strike,” the message stated.
Until Nov.20, the two sides had not met with each other since mid-July, when SAG responded to the AMPTP’s estimated $250 million final offer with a counter-proposal that was rejected by the studios. The Nov. 20 sessions lasted 12 hours, and the meeting that began the following day went 15 hours.
SAG put the blame on the AMPTP for the talks failing and said that the studios continue to insist on terms the guild can’t “responsibly accept.”
“We don’t suspend bargaining in tough economic times,” SAG national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen said Sunday. “Now more than ever, actors need a fair contract to help the struggling middles class make a living in the future, including a future working in new media.”
The AMPTP has repeatedly said that SAG will not get a deal superior to the pacts agreed to by the other industry guilds, including the WGA, DGA and AFTRA.
“We will also continue to place the burden squarely on SAG to explain why it deserves better deals than the other entertainment guilds received earlier this year — particularly in light of the fact that the earlier deals were negotiated during better economic times, and SAG is attempting to reach a deal now during a period of tremendous economic upheaval,” the AMPTP told its members.? From The Hollywood Reporter
