Since there is zero movement at the negotiating table, several high-profile actors like George Clooney and Tom Hanks have taken their dissatisfaction with the process public by signing a petition that opposes the upcoming strike authorization vote. The list of some 100-plus stars calls for the Screen Actors Guild to scuttle a vote in January that, if successful, would be used as a negotiating tool with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The brass at SAG, which has been working without a contract since June, remains unsatisfied with their lack of gains in new media and DVD residuals and hopes the threat of another strike will force the conglomerates to sweeten the proposed deal.
The stars think otherwise, however, which prompted them to sign the petition. "We support our union and we support the issues we’re fighting for, but we do not believe in all good conscience that now is the time to be putting people out of work," it is stated in the letter, which was also signed by Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Carell, along with 100 or so other high-profile celebs. The stars go on to urge SAG’s negotiating committee to put off the fight for three years, when they can possibly team with the other Hollywood unions to fight for a better deal.
SAG is the only Hollywood union left that has not inked a new contract with the conglomerates. The union believes it forfeit millions of dollars with agreements it made when home video was just a fledgling business, and it is hellbent not to make the same mistake again with Internet streaming.
A smaller contingent of actors, including Mel Gibson and Martin Sheen, signed a petition of their own earlier this month in an attempt to show solidarity to their union and the strike authorization vote. SAG’s plan is to collect votes from Jan. 2 to Jan. 23; seventy-five percent of the paid-up membership must approve it to be successful. The SAG brass has insisted that a strike authorization vote would not necessarily lead to a strike.
In the meantime, SAG continues to hold public meetings with members to update them on the negotiations and their demands for the new contract. After a reportedly contentious session yesterday in New York, SAG President Alan Rosenberg and the negotiating committee members will reconvene a town hall meeting in Los Angeles on Dec. 17.
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Damn right! It’s about time that SAG started smartening up about the whole thing. I support the union, I do, but now is REALLY not the time. I liken SAG going on strike is like trying to fix a problem that threatens all of humanity without a nuclear weapon. Not going to happen.
Part of what can make a strike successful is public perception. If the general public is behind those on strike then usually their demands will win out. On that perspective alone, it would be ridiculous for the actors to vote for a strike. I gladly supported the WGA during the last strike. However, the timing could not be worse now. With many Americans losing their jobs and the future of our economy so uncertain, many people would not look highly upon the actors calling it quits.
Not to mention the damage the last strike did to the LA-area economy and the television business, which has still not recovered completely. Actors, please follow the writers and other guilds, take what you can get now and live to fight another day. In these tough times everyone needs to make sacrifices.
hmmmm… lets see how that writer’s strike went… oh yea, massive cancelled shows and no developments for the fall. I see reality tv and unknown non-union “actors” breaking out if SAG goes on strike. And to be honest the actors will deserve it if they do, stupidity is not rewarding.
I have always supported workers’ rights, but at some point the leadership of these groups has to take the greater good in to account. I absolutely believe that the vast majority of the public does not support SAG at this point and will resent them even more if they go on strike. And I think there will be rioting in the streets in front of SAG’s office in Los Angeles if they destroy what little is left of the Los Angeles/Hollywood economy. I can only imagine how Canada is drooling… just waiting for the opportunity to take what little television production is left!
Tom Hanks, Producer. George Clooney, Producer. The strike would be against those who make the vast majority of money in the industry, Producers. Producers would be the cause of a strike not actors.
Exactly. Labor doesn’t have rights in a globalized economy. In fact, I think most people shouldn’t be paid more than a Chinese worker of equivalent capability (that’s almost everyone). A strike will only hasten the decline to those natural levels.
Hollywood almost destroyed their industry with the writer’s strike. Now, in the midst of a dire economy, they want to strike again? Both sides need to get a grip and make some compromises. And wow, all the unions working together to get a strong contract in the same time period – what a novel concept.
I met clooney when he was just 16 at his aunts house…my father was doing some carpentry work.
I admired him then and even more now. His taste is women has to be tuned up like his harley… I think he thinks best when he rides….and his drinking needs some managing, however his integrity is true blue…his word his word…you dont find that too much any more…and his rat pac…they are the same standing…good men and stand together..he really should do a movie on his version of old town Vegas he probably like me met most of those characters due to family connections…fun times
Mylo! what was Clooney like back then? was he just as charming or more of a awkward teen? Hes my fav actor and i never knew what he was like as a teen
The WGA strike cost $2.5 billion. And the threat of a SAG strike has slowed down movie production, so many people involved with film and TV production are either unemployed or under employed. Those are the people who don’t earn residuals, they only make money when movies and tv shows are being made. And actors should remember the affect striking had some sports when professional atheletes decided to strike. Attendance and viewship went down for both baseball and basketball post strike. If fans find other forms of entertaiment studios make less product and actors get paid less. Fan good will is not with the actors right now. When you are looking a paycut yourself and being laid off you are less sympathetic to those who are employed who willfully choose not to work and those cause others to loss jobs and income.
I really wish some of you people could keep in mind that those in “support” of a strike, if necessary, are those who have credits on their resumes like guest stars and co-stars, most of which who cannot quit their day jobs and a struggling anyways. If they worked forever at their day jobs and never saw a penny raise, you can assure their would be a backlash there, too. So this fight is for those who are affected by these contracts … not the star/producers like Hanks and Clooney. In 3 years’ time, television will be digitally delivered via ABC.com and NBC.com to service providers … ie: NEW MEDIA. If they don’t hammer out provisions NOW, the struggling co-star and guest star actors will become a thing of the past because they will have residuals wiped away. But of course this won’t affect the stars/producers. In fact, it will SAVE them money as producers by paying less to their talent. How convenient. Actors don’t WANT a strike – they HAVE TO strike.
i’VE BEEN YTYING TO PITCH 10 SHOWS TO HANKS AND CLOONEY. MY FAMILY IS FROM pARIS, kENTUCKY. iF INTERESTED CALL WENDY (410)922-8299.
I have tried to understand this issue from both sides. DVD residuals…maybe. No internet production risduals now. You have to stand in line behing everyone else, including the newspapers on that one.
The actors need to insure others who cannot afford this strike who make less, and are just on the line here, as well as carefully placing future alliances with the other unions.
I get why they want to get some benefit from DVD’s and the internet, but I don’t get why taking this stand now would actually get them anywhere.
Strategic alliance at a better time seems to be more realistic in obtaining that goal.
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