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Feb. 28, 2010

AFTRA board OKs joint bargaining with SAG

Harmony continues to creep back into the labor landscape. On Saturday, the national board of directors of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists unanimously approved joint bargaining with the Screen Actors Guild on the guilds' TV-theatrical contracts under the terms of Phase One. Full story

Jan. 24, 2010

Joint bargaining still on SAG/AFTRA table

SAG and AFTRA may yet again sing from the same negotiating hymnal, but there was nothing like full harmony even among members of an AFTRA committee discussing the issue Sunday. The committee was expected to recommend a return to joint collective bargaining. Instead, it appointed a smaller committee to study the matter in more detail. Full story

Oct. 20, 2009

SAG action comes too late for some
News that SAG presidential candidate and national board member Seymour Cassel has been suspended for two years is a case of justice delayed in the eyes of some of his colleagues. Full story

June 4, 2009

SAG factions state their positions
Ballots for SAG's proposed new two-year TV-theatrical contract are due June 9, and the year-long campaigns for and against ratification show no sign of letting up. As videos are posted on the Web and stars and rank-and-file both try to persuade their peers, the leaders of SAG's two opposing internal parties -- Anne-Marie Johnson of MembershipFirst and Ned Vaughn of Unite for Strength -- agreed to answer questions about their personal strain, the jagged rhetorical excesses and what the future might hold for a divided union. Full story


April 29, 2009

SAG mailing ratification ballots May 19 
The Screen Actors Guild announced Wednesday afternoon that ratification ballots for the proposed new TV-theatrical contract will be mailed to the membership May 19. Full story

April 20, 2009

SAG handing out pink slips
One day after its national board approved a new TV-theatrical contract, SAG said it plans to lay off about 35 employees, or about 8% of the staff. Full story

April 19, 2009

SAG board approves TV/theatrical contract
Another hurdle has been cleared -- if only just barely. SAG's national board of directors voted 53.38%-46.62% Sunday afternoon to approve its tentative new TV/theatrical contract. The deal will be passed on to the membership at large for a ratification vote beginning in early May. A simple majority of "yes" votes is required for it to pass. Full story

April 18, 2009

SAG-AFTRA board OKs commercials contract
As expected, the joint national board of SAG and AFTRA has approved a new tentative commercials contract and will now pass it on to their memberships for ratification. The board met in a video conference Saturday morning to vote on the proposal and made the announcement shortly afterward. Full story

April 17, 2009

SAG, AMPTP reach tentative deal
SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative agreement on a new TV/theatrical contract. Full story

April 7, 2009

SAG task force updated on contract talks
The wheels of progress continue to turn, ever so slowly, on the labor front. But don't expect any breakthroughs before the Screen Actors Guild's next national board meeting set for April 18-19. Full story

April 6, 2009

SAG negotiators set to meet Tuesday
Chatter about SAG's long-stalled film and TV contract negotiations has turned from the despairing to the hopeful. Word spread over the weekend that SAG national executive director David White had found some common ground with studio executives during behind-the-scenes discussions during the past few weeks. Full story

April 1, 2009

SAG focus back on TV-theatrical deal
Any sense of victory or relief stemming from a tentative deal for a new commercials contracts between performers' unions and the ad industry may be short-lived. The focus is already swinging back to the impasse facing SAG and the AMPTP over a new TV-theatrical agreement. Full story

SAG, AFTRA reach commercials contract
SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said early Wednesday that they have reached a tentative new three-year commercials contract. In a statement, they said the AFTRA/SAG Joint Negotiating Committee has reached a unanimous tentative agreement with the Joint Policy Committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers for successor deals to the AFTRA Television and Radio Commercials Contracts and the SAG Television Commercials Contract. Full story

March 24, 2009

Small progress in SAG-AFTRA ad talks
SAG and AFTRA are inching closer toward advertisers in the ongoing talks for a new commercials contract and seem to have taken a step back from seeking strike authorization from the rank and file. Full story

March 17, 2009

SAG, AFTRA consider strike authorization
As if actors needed more bad news about labor talks, there's this: SAG and AFTRA leaders are considering sending out strike-authorization ballots unless negotiations with advertisers on a new commercials contract improve quickly. Full story

March 15, 2009

SAG plays politics with peace
Hollywood soon might find itself looking forward to September, and it has nothing to do with football season. With SAG's TV/theatrical contract negotiations stuck in neutral, there is growing concern that the guild's leadership is preparing to coast until its next election cycle, which would keep the industry in a state of permanent uncertainty throughout the summer. Or, worse, fears are surfacing that a resolution could be years away. Full story

Feb. 23, 2009

SAG, AMPTP may need mediation
Bryan Lourd, break out the good china and embossed invitations. With TV-theatrical contract negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP at a bitter standstill, both sides may be looking for a third party to pass out the olive branches. Perhaps the CAA partner will -- as he did to forward labor peace during the WGA strike last year -- once again bring powerful parties together to coax an extra dose of compromise from the players in the room. Full story

Feb. 22, 2009

SAG-AFTRA commercials talks starting up
No rest for the weary. Fresh from addressing the AMPTP's "last, best and final offer" on its TV-theatrical contract at a national board meeting Saturday, SAG will join with AFTRA in starting negotiations with the advertising industry for a new broadcast commercials contract. The parties will meet Monday at 2 p.m. EST in New York in a bid to work out a new contract with advertisers and ad agencies in the new-media age. Full story

Feb. 20, 2009

SAG rejects AMPTP's 'final offer'
SAG's national board rejected the AMPTP's "last, best, final offer" on Saturday after an all-day national board meeting. The unequivocal move throws an already tumultuous contract debate -- and the industry at large -- into indefinite limbo. Full story

Feb. 19, 2009

AMPTP gives SAG its 'final offer'
SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers broke off negotiations around 8:30 p.m. Thursday on the heels of the AMPTP’s delivery of a "last, best and final offer." The two parties had been meeting for the third day in a row to hammer out a resolution to a new TV-theatrical contract. Full story

Feb. 18, 2009

SAG-AMPTP talks stretch into the night
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and SAG completed a second full day of renewed contract talks Wednesday, meeting until 10 p.m. at the AMPTP's Sherman Oaks headquarters. Although no resolution has been reached, the two sides agreed to reconvene at 1 p.m. Thursday. Full story

Feb. 17, 2009

SAG, AMPTP revive discussions
Negotiators from the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and SAG met until 7 p.m. Tuesday at the AMPTP's offices in Sherman Oaks. It was the first negotiating session since November; the parties were scheduled to resume their talks at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Full story

Feb. 16, 2009

SAG, AMPTP set to talk Tuesday
With negotiators from SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers scheduled to gather Tuesday morning to iron out the niggling details of a new TV/theatrical contract, the entire industry can -- failing an unexpected glitch -- breathe a sigh of relief. Full story

Feb. 13, 2009

Rosenberg's appeal denied
A special appeal filed by SAG national president Alan Rosenberg, 1st vp Anne-Marie Johnson and board members Diane Ladd and Kent McCord was denied Friday. Full story

Feb. 10, 2009

SAG, AMPTP set date for new talks
It's not quite a clean slate, but someone new is holding the chalk. As expected, SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers have agreed to meet Feb. 17-18 to re-engage in negotiations for a new TV/theatrical contract. Representatives from the two parties will gather at the AMPTP offices in Sherman Oaks. Full story

Feb. 9, 2009

SAG ready to resume talks with AMPTP
Representatives of SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers are expected Tuesday to announce the resumption of their film and TV contract talks, most likely on Feb. 17. Full story

Feb. 8, 2009

SAG solidifies ouster of Allen
The new leadership at SAG on Sunday did its level best to make sure Doug Allen won't be returning as the guild's exec director of chief negotiator. Full story

Feb. 5, 2009

Judge denies move to save SAG's Allen
On Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant denied a request by SAG president Alan Rosenberg and three like-minded guild officials to bar the removal of SAG exec director Doug Allen. The decision leaves recently installed interim exec director David White in his post and a special board meeting on the books for Sunday. Full story

Feb. 4, 2009

Doug Allen's ouster back on SAG agenda
Welcome to today's installment of "As the Guild Turns." David White, interim national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild, has called a special bicoastal national board meeting for Sunday. While the agenda is not officially disclosed, a self-described moderate faction of the guild is expected to use the forum to fire former SAG exec director Doug Allen. For a second time. Full story

Feb. 3, 2009

Rosenberg's restraining order bid rejected
A California Superior Court judge on Tuesday rejected a request for a temporary restraining order filed by SAG national president Alan Rosenberg because of errors in the petition. Full story

Feb. 2, 2009

Legal threat halts SAG-AMPTP talks
SAG national president Alan Rosenberg and first vp Anne-Marie Johnson notified the guild Monday that it was seeking legal action, industry sources said, effectively halting the resumption of talks for a new TV/film contract between the guild and Hollywood producers that were to have begun Tuesday. Full story

Jan. 28, 2009

SAG seeks sit-down with AMPTP
The newly installed SAG negotiating leadership is wasting no time. On Wednesday, new SAG chief negotiator John McGuire, who replaced the fired Doug Allen on Monday, reached out to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to try and schedule a new negotiating session. Full story

Jan. 27, 2009

SAG interim director addresses members
SAG's new interim national executive director, David White, e-mailed a letter to members and posted it on the guild's Web site early Tuesday afternoon. Full story

Jan. 26, 2009

UPDATED: Doug Allen steps down from SAG posts
SAG national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen has been removed from his posts under tremendous pressure from opposing forces on the national board critical of his handling of the guild's TV/theatrical contract negotiations. Full story

Jan. 22, 2009

SAG faction calls for contract vote
Nine days after a group of SAG moderates failed to oust national executive director Doug Allen, the guild's hard-line faction MembershipFirst has issued a statement supporting Allen and called for the AMPTP's offer for a new TV and film contract to be sent to members for a straight up-or-down vote. Full story

Jan. 19, 2009

SAG moderates fire back at Doug Allen
The tug of war continues on the labor front. Moderate forces on SAG's national board responded Monday to a letter sent to the guild's membership the day before by national executive director Doug Allen. Full story

Jan. 18, 2009

SAG's Doug Allen angles for compromise
Doug Allen has drawn another line in the sand. The embattled SAG national executive director over the weekend continued to reach out to guild members about the ongoing internal fracas over what direction the guild should take in stalled contract negotiations. Full story

Jan. 15, 2009

SAG's Doug Allen pushing contract vote
If at first you don't succeed, try something else. That would seem to be the thinking behind SAG leadership's latest strategic shift. Exec director Doug Allen has written to guild directors seeking a membership vote, but not on a strike authorization -- a former goal that almost cost Allen his job this week -- but rather one on the latest film and TV contract offer. Full story

Jan. 13, 2009

Filibuster saves SAG's Doug Allen
Doug Allen, chief negotiator and national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild, was almost fired at a 30-hour national board meeting Jan. 12-13 but saved his job, at least temporarily. Full story

Jan. 12, 2009

SAG ousting chief negotiator Doug Allen
SAG national executive director Doug Allen, a lightning rod for criticism during the ongoing contract talks with the studios, is on the way out as chief negotiator. The development is an indicator that moderate elements of the board now have the votes to derail the proposed strike-authorization vote. Full story

Dec. 15, 2008

Big names move to stop strike authorization
A group of more than 130 well-known actors, including Oscar winners George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Charlize Theron and Morgan Freeman, have sent a petition to SAG national president Alan Rosenberg, national executive director Doug Allen and other guild leaders, asking them to cancel the strike-authorization vote. Full story

Dec. 12, 2008

AMPTP, N.Y. branch put heat on SAG
The AMPTP and SAG's New York board are applying added pressure on guild members to vote against a strike authorization. As AMPTP president Nick Counter sent a letter Friday to elected officials in several states making the case for its June 30 final offer, SAG's New York board was pushing back hard against the leadership's recent announcement of the authorization vote set for next month. Full story

Dec. 9, 2008

SAG members pack Monday meeting
On Monday night, SAG had SRO for its informational meeting about possibly going AWOL. The embattled actors union held a spirited town hall meeting at the Harmony Gold Theater to discuss its looming strike authorization procedure. Full story

SAG talks strike authorization
SAG's "educational campaign" toward strike authorization began Wednesday with a pre-Thanksgiving Q&A e-mail to its members. Full story

Nov. 24, 2008

Can TV take strike two?
Already engaged in deep soul searching following a dismal fall TV season and flatlining ad market, broadcast networks are facing another blow: a potential SAG strike early next year. Full story

Nov. 22, 2008

Mediator unable to bring SAG, AMPTP together
After two days worth of round-the-clock meetings – about 27 hours – federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez was unable to bring SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers together to hash out a new TV/theatrical contract.  Full story

Nov. 21, 2008

SAG, AMPTP return to negotiating table
SAG and the majors are back to the negotiating table for a second day of talks at the AMPTP's Sherman Oaks headquarters, following a 12-hour marathon meeting Thursday with a federal mediator. Full story

Nov. 20, 2008

Marathon talks, no deal yet
A marathon meeting between SAG and the AMPTP on Thursday -- the first session in five months -- gave Hollywood some hope but no relief from its labor pains. Full story

Nov. 17, 2008

No guarantee on SAG talks
Representatives for SAG and the AMPTP will meet officially on Thursday for the first time since midsummer -- but it's not at all certain that they will negotiate. Full story

Nov. 15, 2008

SAG, majors to meet face-to-face Thursday
After five months of no talks between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the two sides will meet face-to-face with a federal mediator on Thursday at the majors headquarters in Sherman Oaks. Full story

AFTRA extends video-game agreement
AFTRA has reached an agreement with video-game employers to extend its interactive-media contract for one year. Full story

Oct. 30, 2008

AMPTP meets with mediator
Negotiators for the AMPTP, including president Nick Counter and executive vp Carol Lombardini, met Thursday at their headquarters in Sherman Oaks for several hours with the federal mediator assigned to deal with the stalemate over SAG's TV/Theatrical contract. Full story

Oct. 26, 2008

SAG hopes to resume talks
SAG is hoping to resume negotiations with the help of a federal mediator. Full story

Oct. 23, 2008

AMPTP agrees to meet with mediator
If it's a mediator SAG wants. It's a mediator SAG will get. On Thursday, the AMPTP agreed to try to hash out its months-long stalemate with the actors union by meeting with federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez. Full story

Oct. 22, 2008

SAG's endgame still a mystery
He's back: Juan Carlos Gonzalez, the federal mediator who is the same neutral party brought in by the AMPTP last year before the writers strike, may soon play a similar role in the stand-off between the studios and SAG. Full story

Oct. 20, 2008

Federal mediator contacts AMPTP
The Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service formally contacted the AMPTP at the request of SAG to sit down and try to hash out the unsettled TV/theatrical contract. Full story

Actors unions on road to making amends
SAG and AFTRA are working to fix their broken wounds. Full story

Oct. 19, 2008

SAG punts on strike issue
SAG's national board, having had the strike authorization question dropped in its lap weeks ago by its negotiating committee, returned the favor Sunday. Full story

Oct. 10, 2008

SAG: Authorization does not mean strike
SAG president Alan Rosenberg had a message for members Friday morning: Seeking strike authorization does not necessarily mean a strike. Full story

Oct. 6, 2008

Studios' 'final offer' safe for now
When the AMPTP made what it calls its final offer to SAG on June 30, it came with a caution: The offer would remain on the table unless there's a drastic change in the economy. Full story

Oct. 5, 2008

SAG's strike call was no balk
When SAG's negotiating committee sent the strike-authorization decision back to the guild's national board, some members suggested internal politics were the driving force behind the move. Full story

Oct. 1, 2008

SAG panel: Board should take strike vote
After months of seeing its talks with the AMPTP go nowhere, SAG's negotiating committee Wednesday urged its national board to take a strike authorization vote of its membership. Full story

Sept. 30, 2008

SAG closes in on strike vote
SAG's negotiating committee is expected to approve a measure Wednesday asking for the rank and file's approval for a work stoppage, and the measure probably will pass, according to SAG sources with knowledge of the meeting. Full story

Sept. 29, 2008

SAG asks to meet with AMPTP
In an attempt to extend an olive branch to the studios, SAG's leaders sent a letter Monday to the AMPTP's Nick Counter, Fox president Peter Chernin and Disney president Bob Iger, posing the question "What do you say: When can our committees meet face-to-face?" Full story

Sept. 22, 2008

SAG negotiator 'on thin ice,' or is he?
In the wake of MembershipFirst losing the majority on SAG's national board -- and losing seats on the Hollywood board as well --the big question facing the guild is this: Will national executive director Doug Allen keep his job? Full story

Sept. 18, 2008

SAG members vote for change
SAG members on Thursday voted for change, electing members of a faction that has promised to unite the union as it faces its toughest challenge in negotiating a new contract with the major studios and production companies. Full story

Sept. 17, 2008

SAG members polled on contract
With SAG and the AMPTP deadlocked on a new TV/theatrical contract, a recent poll by the actors union has revealed that 87% of its members who voted think leaders should continue negotiations and not accept the studio's final offer. Full story

SAG/AFTRA supports Canadian union
In a rare show of solidarity, SAG and AFTRA have sent out a joint statement throwing their support behind their sister actors union in Canada and its current stalemate in commercials contract talks. Full story



Sept. 14, 2008

Stakes high in SAG elections
Who will control SAG and what it will mean for labor contract negotiations is the big question this week as results are tallied in two pivotal elections. Full story

Sept. 12, 2008

AMPTP inks deal with casting directors
The AMPTP said Friday that it has inked yet another deal with a union, this time with casting directors and casting associates, and suggested that Hollywood is indeed back to work. Full story

Sept. 2, 2008

SAG's letter to members raises ire
The AMPTP said Tuesday that SAG's 12-page missive sent to members this week outlining the faults the union has with the studios' final offer is nothing more than a one-sided mailing designed to tell the actors' negotiators the only answer they want to hear: that the deal is bad. Full story

Aug. 28, 2008

Pinewood Shepperton profits up, but SAG could have impact
U.K. studio facilities behemoth Pinewood Shepperton posted solid interims despite the global economic downturn, but warned that the ongoing SAG dispute could have a major impact on fortunes for the group in the months to come. Full story

Aug. 27, 2008

Another add-on for ads contract
SAG and AFTRA have agreed to another six-month extension of their commercials contract with two ad industry groups. Full story

Aug. 22, 2008

Accusations flying ahead of SAG elections
If this past week is any indication of what's to come with the SAG national board elections, get ready for a lot of back-and-forth rhetoric and AFTRA-bashing/defending by the two factions fighting for control. Full story

Aug. 18, 2008

SAG, AFTRA together for ad contracts
Leaders of SAG and AFTRA are finally on the same page. Unfortunately, the newfound harmony comes not on the subject of SAG's long-stalled contract negotiations with Hollywood studios but rather the actors unions' next round of talks with advertising industry groups. Full story

Aug. 17, 2008

N.Y. board turns up heat on SAG brass
SAG's New York regional board on Sunday demanded that the union make meaningful steps toward negotiating a new contract by Aug. 25 or bring in a federal mediator. Full story

Aug. 14, 2008

Another deadline has come and gone
The latest deadline in the stalled talks between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers has officially passed. Full story

Aug. 13, 2008

Upstart SAG faction has A-list backing
Unite for Strength, a SAG faction bent on replacing the guild's current leadership, rolled out a list of several actors including Tom Hanks and Sally Field who support the group's slate of candidates in the upcoming national board elections. Full story

Aug. 5, 2008

SAG factions battle for board
A divided SAG is nothing new. When the union was formed in 1933, there were actors who supported forming a performers union and those who opposed it. Not much has changed in 75 years as Tuesday's announcement of 84 candidates out of Hollywood vying for seats on the union's national board demonstrated. Full story

Aug. 4, 2008

SAG, AMPTP: Are they talking?
SAG and the studios, locked in a stalemate and having held just one sidebar meeting since the guild contract ran out nearly a month ago, are taking their disconnect to new heights. Full story

July 31, 2008

Two-sided pressure mounts on SAG leaders
SAG's leaders are coming under increasing two-sided pressure -- from an impatient membership and from the studios that are gingerly ramping up film production -- to put the AMPTP's "final offer" up for ratification. Full story

July 26, 2008

SAG board standing firm on new media
The union's national board met Saturday for an 11-plus hour marathon meeting that included passing unanimously, 68-0, a resolution indicating jurisdiction over new media and residuals for all made-for new media productions are of the utmost importance during the current stalled contract negotiations. Full story

July 25, 2008

MembershipFirst unveils potential board candidates
The controversial MembershipFirst faction of SAG announced Friday a slate of 33 potential candidates who will vie for openings on the national and local boards and go head-to-head with the newly formed opposition group, Unite for Strength. Full story

July 19, 2008

SAG says negotiations continue
SAG leaders had one message for their Hollywood members Saturday at its membership meeting in Studio City: we're still negotiating. Full story

July 17, 2008

Emmy nominees to SAG: Let us vote
The SAG leadership got a kick in the rear end Thursday morning from several outspoken Emmy nominees commenting on the guild's stalemate with the studios. Full story



July 16, 2008

No apparent progress at SAG sidebar meeting
Wednesday's sidebar meeting between SAG and the studios provided more of what industry watchers have become accustomed to: talk and no apparent progress. No statement was issued by either side after meeting for more than two hours at AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks. Full story

July 15, 2008

SAG and AMPTP to meet Wednesday
The stalemate between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers may all come down to a sidebar. Negotiators for SAG and the studios are set to meet Wednesday afternoon at the AMPTP's Sherman Oaks headquarters for an off-the-record sidebar. Full story

July 13, 2008

De facto impasse?
Talks between Hollywood actors and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers have become so fractured that it appears they are in the state of a de facto impasse, with SAG saying they're still bargaining and the studios saying talks have ended. Full story

July 11, 2008

Transcripts of SAG/AMPTP meeting released
As Hollywood attempts to digest what transpired Thursday at the meeting between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, details of what took place at the bargaining table have been released. Full story

July 10, 2008

Studios, SAG still can't agree
After a five-hour meeting between SAG and the studios Thursday, Hollywood is in the very same place it has been since talks started April 15: without a new actors contract. The studios said Thursday that SAG officially rejected their final offer. The guild says it didn't. Full story

SAG responds to AMPTP's 'final offer'
Representatives of SAG met with Hollywood studios Thursday in the groups' first face-to-face sitdown since AFTRA's members ratified their contract. Full story

July 9, 2008

Studios ratchet up pressure on SAG
One day after AFTRA ratified its pact and left SAG as the only Hollywood guild without a new labor contract, the studios ratcheted up the pressure. Full story

AFTRA pact brings hope in Toronto
News of a tentative deal between AFTRA and the major studios has fed optimism here that Hollywood producers will once again be greenlighting projects for production in Canada. Full story

July 8, 2008

AFTRA ratifies contract
After months of publicly battling with sister union SAG over its primetime/TV contract, members of AFTRA voted to approve the union's new deal with the studios by a 62.4% margin. Full story

Full statement from AFTRA president Roberta Reardon

SAG to respond to producers' deal Thursday
SAG has made a date with the studios on Thursday to respond to the $250 million last, best and final offer it received more than a week ago. Full story

July 7, 2008

AFTRA makes votes count
AFTRA isn't taking any chances with the ratification of its primetime/TV contract Tuesday. The performers union has recruited longtime industry go-to firm Integrity Voting Systems to oversee the results of the vote on whether to pass the recently brokered contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. Full story

July 6, 2008

Industry awaits AFTRA vote
The potential for a strike by SAG or a possible lockout of the guild's roughly 120,000 members by the studios will be greatly affected by the results of AFTRA's contract ratification vote. Ballots are due back Monday with the results expected to be announced Tuesday. Full story

July 2, 2008

SAG needs time to analyze offer
With actors working under a contract that expired a day earlier, SAG officials met Wednesday with studio reps for roughly four hours, discussing details of what the studios called their "final offer." Full story

July 1, 2008

SAG painted into a corner
With its final offer just hours before the screen actors contract expired Monday night, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers issued a dare to SAG: Take the deal or go take your strike vote. Full story

Guild pores over AMPTP package
Relative silence gripped the Hollywood labor front Tuesday, one day after SAG's TV/theatrical contract expired on the heels of a final offer from the studios. Full story

June 30, 2008

AMPTP makes final offer to SAG
Hollywood studios and networks broke off talks with SAG on Monday, issuing what it termed a "last, best and final offer." The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers' 42-page offer, coming just six hours before the guild's contract expired, puts the ball squarely in SAG's court. Full story

SAG contract to expire at 12:01 a.m.
Negotiators for SAG and the studios kept bargaining Monday as the final hours of the guild's contract ticked away. Full story

June 29, 2008

SAG talking, clock ticking
As the final hours of SAG's contract with Hollywood's studios slide away, it's clear that fans of final-reel turnarounds are likely to be disappointed. Full story

June 27, 2008

Film and TV production lagging in Canada
TORONTO -- Canadian studio operators are eyeing the horizon for U.S. film and TV shoots like sailors lost at sea as the SAG contract talks in Los Angeles put a damper on production. Full story

June 26, 2008

George Clooney pens letter over talks
If SAG and AFTRA were warring countries, then George Clooney would be Switzerland. The actor on Thursday released a two-page message that gives a neutral position, laying out both sides of the fighting union's positions and focusing on the issues of the working actor. Full story

June 25, 2008

It's decision time for SAG
For the industry, D-Day is Monday, when SAG's contract with the Hollywood studios expires. But does that "D" stand for disaster? Denouement? Or simply delay? Full story

WGA blasts hidden integration
The WGA West has called for the FCC to establish guidelines that require on-screen "real time" disclosure when placement or integration of a product on a TV show occurs. Full story

June 24, 2008

A-listers fire back for SAG
The battle of dueling A-listers heated up Tuesday as SAG enlisted 67 actors -- including Jack Nicholson, Ben Stiller and Martin Sheen -- to back its campaign against the ratification of AFTRA's tentative pact with the studios and networks. Full story

Arbitrator rules against SAG in ad tiffs
A New York arbitrator has ruled that SAG must engage in mandatory bargaining when it comes to determining how much money advertisers should allocate to the union's health and pension fund when it involves a campaign that includes covered and noncovered work. Full story

June 23, 2008

More oppose SAG's quest
The blowback from SAG's decision to oppose the ratification of sister union AFTRA's agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers increased Monday. Full story

June 22, 2008

Headache for SAG
SAG celebrated its 75th anniversary this weekend in the face of a grim reality: There are only eight days left to negotiate a deal with the major producers and studios before its TV/theatrical contract expires. Full story

June 18, 2008

SAG, Sandra Oh go 'robo'
SAG members answering the phone Wednesday might have heard a familiar voice on the other end: Sandra Oh. Full story

June 17, 2008

Questions loom in SAG-AMPTP talks
As SAG inches closer to the June 30 expiration date of its TV/theatrical contract, two questions come to the fore. Will SAG extend the contract, enabling its members to keep working while negotiators keep bargaining? Full story

June 16, 2008

SAG's Rosenberg proposes debate
On Monday, SAG president Alan Rosenberg, citing the spread of misinformation, proposed that SAG and AFTRA hold an official debate on the issues involving AFTRA's newly brokered primetime/TV contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. Full story

June 15, 2008

SAG tries to mend fences
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. Full story

June 12, 2008

SAG deal in June? Don't count on it
Chances for an actors deal by a June 30 deadline grew considerably slimmer Thursday. In a three-page update on film and TV contract talks with SAG, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers told 350 member companies its negotiators are "frustrated and discouraged (that) SAG's Hollywood leadership is already saying that it's unlikely a deal will be made by June 30." Full story

Strike would spell big trouble for TV
Two of the biggest victims of the WGA strike -- the Television Critics Assn. press tour and the Beverly Hilton hotel -- might be among the first to face a fallout from a potential SAG strike. Full story

Potential strike already affecting film
As the clock ticks ever closer to the June 30 end of SAG's contract, the industry is nervously contemplating the possibility of yet another strike -- even as it admits that, at least in terms of film production, a de facto strike already exists. Full story

June 11, 2008

SAG fact-checks AFTRA deal
SAG continued its anti-AFTRA primetime/TV contract campaign Wednesday with a Town Hall meeting in Hollywood for its members to educate them about the new deal by their rival actors union. Full story

June 10, 2008

East Coast SAG brass: 'We were lied to'
East Coast members of SAG's national leadership board are fuming over what they say were lies told by union president Alan Rosenberg and national executive director Doug Allen about the nature of Monday's rally. Full story

June 9, 2008

SAG holds rally to oppose AFTRA deal
SAG took its battle with the studios to the sidewalk outside its headquarters for a Monday morning rally with members, vowing to fight the good fight for a fair deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and urging them to vote against the newly brokered AFTRA contract with the majors. Full story

June 8, 2008

SAG's ploy has AFTRA brass furious
As SAG enters its 25th day of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the union will hold a rally Monday morning at its Los Angeles headquarters for members. Full story

June 4, 2008

SAG might twist sister's arm
SAG will hold a special session of its executive committee Friday, at which president Alan Rosenberg and national executive director Doug Allen will seek to persuade dual card-holders to oppose ratification of the primetime TV deal recently agreed to by AFTRA and the studios and networks. Full story

June 3, 2008

SAG, AMPTP return to table
SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers returned to the table Tuesday after a three-day weekend break. Full story.

May 30, 2008

SAG, AMPTP take a three-day break
SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers will take a three-day break before starting up talks again Tuesday. Full story

May 28, 2008

AFTRA, AMPTP sign tentative deal
After burning the midnight oil Tuesday into Wednesday morning, AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers have reached a tentative three-year deal on the union's primetime TV contract. Full story

Gilbert hopes SAG returns with open mind
SAG president Alan Rosenberg's immediate predecessor applauded the AFTRA agreement Wednesday and said she hopes its terms aren't rejected out of hand by SAG negotiators. Full story

May 26, 2008

No holiday for contract negotiations
There were no barbecues or trips to the beach this Memorial Day weekend for members of the contract negotiating teams for AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. The two sides spent the weekend continuing their formal talks over AFTRA's primetime TV contract, known as Exhibit A of the Network Code. The weekend bargaining, the first since talks began May 7, is an indication that both sides might be close to a tentative deal. Full story

May 23, 2008

AFTRA members approve Sound Recordings Code
AFTRA members have ratified a new national Sound Recordings Code by a 98.5% margin, the union announced Friday. Full story

May 20, 2008

SAG brass cheered as members coalesce
SAG made a major push at solidarity with more than 400 of its rank-and-file members at a town hall-style meeting to discuss the recent formal negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. Full story

May 19, 2008

AFTRA hits new-media stumbling block
AFTRA has apparently run into "challenging issues" with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers that may not have a "quick or easy" resolution, the performers union president Roberta Reardon told members Monday in an e-mail. Full story

May 18, 2008

AFTRA, producers head back to table
After a second weekend break, AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers head back to the bargaining table Monday to continue formal talks on a new primetime TV contract that expires June 30. Full story

May 15, 2008

Image is all sorts of things
For actors, image is everything. And misuse of that image is enough to take someone to court for using it without consent. Full story

May 15, 2008

AFTRA says it is 'making progress'
As AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers continue their negotiations, the union sent its members an e-mail newsletter Thursday indicating that though it's limited in what it can divulge about the current talks because of a media blackout, the union is "making progress." Full story

May 8, 2008

TV networks still testing new production cycles
More television series than ever are staying in continuous production after wrapping their current seasons or starting production on their next season's orders early this year. At the same time many pilots for new shows have yet to be shot. All of this follows the writers strike, which brought production to a halt for two months during the middle of the shooting cycle. Full story

May 7, 2008

AFTRA meets with AMPTP
A last ditch effort by SAG to keep the negotiations alive between it and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers has been shuttered by sister union AFTRA, which refused to postpone for a third time its scheduled talks with the producers. Full story


May 6, 2008

AFTRA, AMPTP to begin talks
After two delays at the request of SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, AFTRA comes to the negotiating table and formally starts talks Wednesday on its three-year primetime/TV contract with the producers. Full story

May 4, 2008

SAG backs off on DVDs
SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers will return once again to the bargaining table Monday for what will likely be two days of intense negotiations on the actors' contract, which expires June 30. Full story

May 2, 2008

Actors, producers to continue negotiations
SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers have agreed to continue their formal talks on the actors contract through Tuesday. Full story

April 30, 2008

AMPTP splashes cold water on SAG
Any chance that SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers will ink a new contract by Friday is all but gone. Full story

April 27, 2008

SAG, AMPTP make little progress
SAG's contract talks with Hollywood studio reps enter their third week today amid a growing sense that progress has been meager behind closed doors. Full story

April 25, 2008

In L.A., no shelter from strike fallout
The 100-day writers strike left quite a bruise, as it turns out. Production tracker FilmLA said Thursday that on-location film, TV, commercial and other shoots fell 23% in the first quarter, the sharpest quarterly decline ever recorded. Full story

April 24, 2008

SAG outlines new-media value
As SAG continued its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on Thursday, the actors union sent its second report to membership, outlining their position on new media and why it is important to actors. Full story

AFTRA keeps the window open
AFTRA is giving SAG an extra week. Whether that's more time to hang itself or to produce an upbeat Hollywood ending to the town's long-running labor drama remains to be seen.
Full story

Strike's effect still stings
The 100-day writers strike left quite a bruise, as it turns out. Production tracker FilmLA said Thursday that on-location film, TV, commercials and other shoots fell 23% in the first quarter, the sharpest quarterly decline ever recorded. Full story

April 23, 2008

AFTRA postpones AMPTP negotiations
AFTRA is giving SAG an extra week. Whether that's more time to hang itself or to produce an upbeat Hollywood ending to the town's long-running labor drama remains to be seen.
Full story

April 22, 2008

SAG details 'the squeeze' on members
As SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers entered their seventh day of formal negotiations Tuesday, the union sent its first update to members since talks began April 15. Full story

April 21, 2008

SAG talks in second week as AFTRA ponders options
As SAG and the majors enter their second week of talks, there are a lot of questions and not too many answers about what has happened behind the closed doors at the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers headquarters in Sherman Oaks. Full story

No-strike pacts on Yari agenda
At least two indie film projects starring A-listers likely won't be disrupted if there's an actors strike in the summer. On Monday, producer Bob Yari said he plans to get SAG no-strike pacts for "Killing Pablo" and "The Governess." Full story

April 19, 2008

SAG, AMPTP to resume talks Monday
As SAG and the majors enter their second week of talks, there are a lot of questions and not too many answers about what has happened behind the closed doors at the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers headquarters in Sherman Oaks. Full story

April 18, 2008

Sides huddle up before Day 4
SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers will reconvene this morning in separate caucuses before entering the fourth day of talks in the afternoon, the two sides said Thursday. Full story

April 17, 2008

SAG, Film Dept. ink first deal
If there is an actors strike, at least one indie film company won't be affected. The Film Department said Wednesday that it has inked completion agreements with SAG for nine pictures that are gearing up for production in the spring and summer. Full story

April 16, 2008

SAG, AMPTP talks kick off
Negotiators for SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers sat down for the first time Tuesday to begin what is expected to be two weeks of intense talks on the actors union contract, which expires June 30. Full story

April 14, 2008

SAG, studios head to table
After months of industrywide angst, SAG will sit down at the bargaining table Tuesday with Hollywood studios and the networks. Full story

Ahead of talks, SAG axes petition
SAG's national board has sidelined attempts by a faction of members that would have limited voting on the upcoming TV/film contract, as well as any strike authorization. Full story

April 9, 2008

IATSE, AMPTP agree to break
IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers have agreed to continue at a later date their "opening round" of contract talks to make way for the upcoming separate negotiations the producers have with SAG and AFTRA. Full story

April 7, 2008

AMPTP: Share revenue 'fairly'
The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on Monday issued an "open letter" indicating its desire to "share fairly" the revenue generated from new media and other areas with the industry's talent. Full story

April 3, 2008

AFTRA leaving a window open
SAG will have less than two weeks to negotiate its film and TV contract before its sister performers union AFTRA sits down to negotiate its own pact. Full story

April 2, 2008

SAG has first line in talks
SAG has beaten AFTRA to the bargaining table. On April 15, SAG plans to sit down with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers to begin formal negotiations on a new contract. Full story

AFTRA sets date with AMPTP
SAG will have less than two weeks to negotiate its film and TV contract before its sister performers union AFTRA sits down to negotiate its own pact. Full story

April 1, 2008

Actors rush to get in first word
As the waters receded Monday from the labor tsunami that hit Hollywood two days earlier, leaders of SAG and AFTRA began moving forward in preparations to sit down with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. Full story

March 31, 2008

SAG, AFTRA face a race to the table
The feud between SAG and AFTRA is nothing new. But the decision Saturday by AFTRA's national board to suspend its joint bargaining agreement with SAG has heightened the bad blood between the actors unions to Hatfield and McCoy status. Full story

March 30, 2008

Actors unions butt heads over negotiations
The feud between SAG and AFTRA is nothing new. But the critical decision Saturday by AFTRA's national board to suspend its joint bargaining agreement with SAG, known as Phase One, has heightened the bad blood between the actors unions to Hatfield and McCoy levels. Full story


Is SAG going to strike?

Though its contract will expire at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, no strike authorization has been given by membership, nor has one been sought by SAG leadership. It is expected that SAG will continue to negotiate a new contract and members will continue to work under the old agreement.

Numerous A-list actors, such as Jack Nicholson, Ben Stiller and Sandra Oh, have weighed in on the SAG/AMPTP negotiations. What affect will these statements have on the talks?

Hollywood's big names have come down on both sides of the issue. Some, like George Clooney , have come down in the middle. These statements will likely have some affect, but the impact is difficult to measure.

What is at the heart of the dispute?

SAG is seeking, among other items, residuals for members' work seen online, increased residual payments for DVDs, and increases in pension and health contributions from studios.

What happens July 8?

Results from a deal, worked out between AFTRA leadership and AMPTP, and put to a vote of the general membership, are expected. SAG is urging its members -- approximately 44,000 belong to both SAG and AFTRA -- to vote down the proposal.

Why has no contract materialized?

SAG blames claims that AMPTP's offer is considerably worse than what AFTRA's leadership has negotiated with the studios. AMPTP, on the other hand, claims SAG is refusing to negotiation in earnest until after July 8, when the results of its anti-AFTRA will be known.

Has the stalemate caused any financial impact?

Studios and production houses are postponing starting work until a deal is reached, effectively causing a work stoppage. The pinch also is being felt across the border in Canada, where studio operators say the SAG contract talks are putting a damper on production there.

Key Dates & Figures

May 28:AFTRA's leadership strikes deal with AMPTP, subject to ratification by members.

June 18:Sandra Oh urges dual SAG and AFTRA members to vote down AFTRA proposal. The following week, she is followed both additional A-list talent, including Jack Nicholson and Ben Stiller.

June 30:SAG's contract with the studios expires

July 7:Deadline for AFTRA members to cast vote on AMPTP contract

July 8:AFTRA members approve contract with AMPTP with nearly two-thirds, or 62.4 %, voting in favor

Length of WGA strike:100 days

Estimated Cost:$2.5 billion in lost revenues

Key items of dispute between SAG, AFTRA and AMPTP
HOME ENTERTAINMENT
SAG	AFTRA	AMPTP
Wants DVD residuals doubled.	Withdrew its proposal to double DVD residuals.	Claims SAG proposal would cost it $500 million, seeking no change.
ACTORS' CLIPS
SAG	AFTRA	AMPTP
Wants consent for use of actors' clips in new media.	Preserved consent of clips. For productions that begin after July 1, actors can approve or deny consent.	Wants same deal with SAG as it has with AFTRA
NEW MEDIA RESIDUALS
SAG	AFTRA	AMPTP
Still negotiating with AMPTP regarding residuals. Wants jursidiction over all programming maid for new media productions.	Established jursidcation and payment schedule for Internet-based programming	Established jurisdiction and payment schedule for Internet-based programs.
WAGE HIKES
SAG	AFTRA	AMPTP
Seeks increases in, among other items, minimums, pension and health.	Agreed to a 10% increase over three years.	Took issue with SAG's proposed hikes, issue still under negotiation.