SAG tries to mend fences

June 15, 2008 With 15 days left before SAG's contract with the producers expires, the guild's national negotiating committee pushed a message of unity on Friday in an effort to salvage the divisiveness that has erupted in its battle against AFTRA and its newly brokered primetime/TV contract. The message outlines the priorities in their bargaining, including increases for middle class actors and more DVD residuals, and came one day after SAG's New York board, as well as members of both SAG and AFTRA in Chicago, publicly rejected the union's campaign against the AFTRA contract. "I'm assuming that they're finally saying, 'We hear you and there will be no more anti-AFTRA, no more anti-anything and we're going to work on a SAG contract,' " said New York board member and former 2nd national vp Paul Christie.

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