Thought we were all done with this? Think again: After its attempt to negotiate with the conglomerates failed (again) on Friday, the Screen Actors Guild announced it will mount a “full-scale education campaign” to convince its 120,000-plus members to support a strike authorization vote. The union needs approval from 75 percent of its voting members in order to launch a strike. SAG has been working without a contract since June and is the only major Hollywood union without a deal. The writers, directors, and daytime soap stars have already hammered out their own agreements with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“Critical issues unique to actors remain in dispute,” according to a union statement. “We have already made difficult decisions and sacrifices in an attempt to reach an agreement. Now it’s time for the SAG members to stand united and empower the national negotiating committee to bargain with the strength of a possible work stoppage behind them.”
Given the country’s deepening recession, it seems unlikely the membership would favor another crippling strike—especially going into awards season. Another work stoppage could result in the cancellation of the Golden Globes, which was already reduced to a cheesy press conference earlier this year because of the 100-day writers’ strike. No timeline has been set for the mailing or return of strike authorization ballots.
The AMPTP released this statement Saturday: “SAG is the only major Hollywood guild that has failed to negotiate a labor deal in 2008. Now, 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.”
Comments (1-30) of 170 Add your comment
What a bunch of greedy, self-serving jerks. I’d like to know why the actors think they are too special for the same deal that the REST OF THE INDUSTRY has. Not only that, the economy is already in shambles, and because they aren’t getting their super-special deal (that no one else got) they are going to put millions of other people out of work? And what really makes me mad is that this isn’t about new media, this is about SAG trying to force the studios’ hand in order to poach territory off of other guilds. It’s a self-serving, beaurocratic agenda only, and if SAG members are smart and honest, they won’t authorize a strike.
Actors are over compensated this gains nothing more than pain and heartache for those who depend on studios.
1) The producers owe $60 million in back residuals accrued over the last ten years that they want completely wiped away.
2) They want the ability to cut up any movie they want and use it any way they want (SEVEN could be cut up for a 7Up commercial w/o Brad Pitt’s approval) and of course the producers who had nothing to do with the film would get paid for it.
3) The Prod want to be able to spend $150,000 per 10 min of internet content and run it forever without ever paying any residuals. Meaning they would be paid over and over for commercials for infinity for pure profit.
These are not the same aspect the WGA and DGA faced and you should know that the WGA is now bring federal charges against the producers for already renegging on their own contract only 6 months in.
Hollywood makes more money each year and the average actor gets $100 a day) So try asking how much a producer who never steps on set collects.
I’m so upset right now. This is not fair! Whether a strike happens or not, *I* am one of the people who will MASSIVELY suffer because they did not reach a deal. And if a strike happens, well…I’m screwed. This is not fair.
The producers are being selfish and SAG is being stupid as heck. Right now I just hate everybody. This is not right. I cannot believe this.
I’m sorry, but I used to support all strikes, but this bad timing, people are loosing there houses, Inducing me,Unions are under attack, “Auto union” do they realize that were going through a economic melt down, are these actors that out of touch, Put this thing to rest, for now, These are hard times for the people that support these actors, “CREW” normal a lot of us have other things to do, in these situations, like carpentry, electrical, construction, their are no jobs to be found,NONE, we are withering, Please put this to rest, I bag you, please,
I’m sorry, but I used to support all strikes, but this bad timing, people are loosing there houses, Inducing me,Unions are under attack, “Auto union” do they realize that were going through a economic melt down, are these actors that out of touch, Put this thing to rest, for now, These are hard times for the people that support these actors, “CREW” normal a lot of us have other things to do, in these situations, like carpentry, electrical, construction, their are no jobs to be found,NONE, we are withering, Please put this to rest, I bag you, please,
This just makes me want to go fire up some bit torrents. Screw Hollywood, and screw the overpaid, greedy actors & producers.
I have been a local 44 member for 31 years now. I have been through strikes before, usually by the writers or the actors. No one ever makes back what they lose in a strike and the fact is that actors are grossly overpaid for what they do or they do not depend on acting as their sole income. In other words they can afford to strike while the thousands of other studio workers simply can not afford their selfishness. Producers put up the money, they take the risks, many lose money on projects. Not so the actors, they get paid whether or not the project is a success. Let them take what Aftra has taken and be done with it. The slow down this has already cost the industry anticipating another strike has been devastating to the other locals. Grow up actors, you are not nearly as important as you believe and you are killing the rest of us.
If these bozos go on strike the studios should just fire them all; simply never hire any one of them again. They won’t be missed and there are plenty more where they came from. Screw ‘em.
It’s all about greed.
SAG should get the 75% approval.
The studios need to be less greedy.
Actors are ready and willing to strike.
We missed the DVD revolution because the studios ‘hookwinked’ us.
Let’s not do this again.
To the person who said:
“SEVEN could be cut up for a 7Up commercial w/o Brad Pitt’s approval) and of course the producers who had nothing to do with the film would get paid for it.”
Why should Brad have any say though? He did his part, and he got paid. A LOT. That’s that. He did not CREATE the film. The producers created it along with the writers and directors. They funded it/made sure it got funding, watched over it during production, made sure it was property promoted, and so on. Producers work with studios to basically see a film through from before, to during, to long after.
What do actors do really? They go in and work for a couple months (mostly sitting around playing games in their trailers being waited on by unpaid interns), they then travel around (fully paid by the studio) in fancy cars, first class airline seats, and 5-star hotels to make appearances to promote the film where they get to talk about themselves, look hot, and be loved. And then they ‘re done.
Our “leadership” is such a joke. Hack Rosenberg will never work again and he knows it (not that he worked much before) so the longer he can keep himself in the limeight the better for him. Why did I just pay my dues?!? been working without a contract for months, the union is ignoring the membership… I’m sick to my stomach. NO STRIKE!!!!
I hate Hollywood actors. F them.
yeah now we don’t get the finales to our fav shows. this also means that because they won’t be able to film any movies in the late Winter/early Spring, that the box office will be pretty boring come Spring/Summer 2010. just somethin to look forward to. thnx u greedy bastards! and thnx for my cousin who works lighting on big flix. he’ll be glad to know he’s losing his home in a few months.
SIGN THE PETITION BLOCKING A STRIKE!!!
petitiononline.com/DealNow/petition.html
Gentlemen, a strike hurts us all. No matter who is the winner in the end, we are all suffer. For us, the smaller actors, the crews, the craft services, the grips, it is us who are hurt, not the heads of SAG or the producers or the big stars. Put your egos aside for once and think about the rest of us who will lose their homes. In the end, both of you will come to an agreement, why not make more of an attempt to make the agreement now instead of hurting so many lives because your egos are in the way. If you want to work it out, you can. You’re not children who throw a temper tantrum and stand in the corner to get your way. Do the right thing for the rest of us.
Well, seeing as there is nothing worth watching now, I doubt we will miss the actors anyway. Remind me or rather give me a reason I should not go ahead and have my cable service cut off.
You’d think that after seeing the long standin damage that the writer’s strike did that this woudln’t happen again. How many shows are either on the brink of cancellation or out and out cancelled bc of it? And in the midst of an economic crisis–I’m sorry, this is just hard to take, even if the actors are askin for fair things.
Selfish, greedy, foolish, irrational SAG.
The WGA Strike destroyed California’s economy. It also killed many new shows, such as the recently dearly departed “Pushing Daisies.” Not to mention it put many crew members on seriously hard financial times, thus greatly contributing to the national economic crisis that we are currently struggling with.
Oh yeah, remember that, SAG? We are currently facing THE GREAT DEPRESSION PART 2. Now is seriously NOT the time to go on strike and put thousands of people out of work so that you can get some extra cash.
This is unbelievable. If SAG actors authorize a strike, they can expect a huge backlash from the American Public, which does NOT support their greed.
Why are they considered greedy if they want what they deserve?? Maybe they all have enough money, but it’s not about wanting the extra money from Internet sales but the fact is that they put in the work for the films/shows and they deserve money from the airings as well as the Internet sales. It’s not about the money, it’s about the fairness of getting that money because they are the ones who worked for it.
Ok Alexa, but realistically how many people in this country make money like that? I know that when I process things for my job, I don’t get a piece of the pie after we do more business. I get my paycheck and go home. Most people do this. Some people, mostly the wealthy, get salary PLUS commission and so to want even MORE commission when most people don’t even have the salary is ridiculous.
New Media is very unpredictable. For SAG to secure their piece of the pie now could mean others lose out later on. They just need to resign a deal and WAIT.
The last strike caused enormous, long-lasting economic strife and damage from which it has yet to recover. I doubt that the people and businesses who were affected and *barely* lived through the last one will make it through another given the economic upheaval worldwide today. I don’t think audiences will patiently put up with another strike either considering that many shows have never recovered their momentum, have been dumped by the networks or are circling the cancellation drain. Add to that the fact that the audience never received one incentive or dime in compensation for paying 14 weeks of premium cable/satellite rates for essentially the news, re-runs and the weather channel.
Surely SAG would not be this ridiculous?
I think they are greedy, because the live privileged lives and they don’t realize it. They think that the way they live is normal. Well I wish they would walk one day in a regular blue collar employee’s shoes. See how long they’d last.
More of my comments on http://www.mytakeonsmallthings.blogger.com
ok Alex, the actors get paid regardless, they do not take the risks that the pruducer are taking,we all work hard, on thes films, I don’t get paid anymore for working hard, this is perly selfeshness, all about ther selves, No body even thought about the crew that runs theys things,
http://www.petitiononline.com/DealNow/petition.html
Speaking as a professional actor you guys have it wrong. The regular actors in SAG don’t make any more than anyone else. In fact, they get used less because they cost more so end up making crap for money. All but the very, very few who have recurring roles or are A-list celebrities (a tiny minority of SAG actors). The problem with SAG has nothing to do with the actors. It has everything to do with a union so out of touch with reality and so enamoured with it’s own ego that it doesn’t care if it’s people starve, lose houses or lose work. This is why AFTRA broke from bargaining with SAG. This is why they didn’t do a combo strike with the writers guild.
The problem is not the day to day actors as so many of you are erroneously spouting. The problem is with a top heavy, egocentric and out of touch union leadership. Much like the rest of the leadership in Hollywood actually. Out of touch with the real world.
I really don’t care.
Let them eat cake like the rest of us.
I watch TCM anyway. Actors are a bunch of snobbish legends in their own minds, with ego’s the size of Texas, and 98% of all modern movies suck.
i suspect an actors strike will damage broadcast tv beyond repair. I still don’t think tv shows have recovered from last year’s strike. Actors should think twice as they may be permanently out of a job and then what will the new contract get them – a big fat 0….
I can think of no other profession where there are thousands of people waiting in the wings for their “big break” to come. I have a hard time having sympathy for even the alleged ‘poor’ actors. The fact that they even have union astounds me. I think of how many other professions out there serve a greater purpose and should have a union fighting for them, yet….actors do?
I’m struggling as an actor.
*raises hand*