SAG plans return to the negotiating table

Now that the moderate board members have managed to shake up the union's leadership ranks, the Screen Actors Guild announced Wednesday that it'll return to the negotiating table next Tuesday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. (The actors have been working without a contract since last June.) However, this latest development didn't sit well with SAG president Alan Rosenberg, who expressed anger over the ouster of chief negotiator Doug Allen on the SAG website Wednesday and not-so-humbly added that he and Allen (rather than the new leadership) deserve the credit for any gains SAG may achieve next week. 

"Our negotiating committee has been replaced by a new, more moderate task force. You can expect that not long after this new team enters the bargaining room, they will be offered some 'plum,' some concession from the AMPTP that was said, heretofore, to be unattainable," Rosenberg writes. "This will be given by our employers, not as an act of good will, but as a demonstration of the fact that 'reasonableness' will be rewarded, while 'militancy' will be punished. Make no mistake, if this should occur, if there is any gain made, or if we are ultimately able to resist one of the massive roll backs that has been demanded, it will not be due to the skill of this new 'negotiating team.'

"Anything that is won from this point forward will still be the result of the enormously hard work put in by Doug Allen and the majority of the negotiating team.... I am enormously proud of that team, led by Doug, of which I was a member."

SAG strike vote: As the date approaches, actors take sides

Is it over yet? Despite fierce opposition from high-profile members, the Screen Actors Guild is still expected to send out ballots for a controversial strike vote on or after Jan. 14. Two factions have quickly emerged:
A-listers like George Clooney and Tom Hanks are urging members to sign a Vote No petition, while celebs like Mel Gibson and Holly Hunter are arguing that colleagues should walk off the job if need be. (Seventy-five percent of paid-up members must authorize a strike before the ­national board can actually call for one to take place.) SAG, which has been working without a contract since June, and the studio conglomerates remain at odds over DVD residuals and compensation for new-media extras like TV webisodes.

SAG president Alan Rosenberg: We shall overcome

Despite increased rancor from east coast members, SAG president Alan Rosenberg remains resolute in his hope to secure a strike authorization vote in the new year. Rosenberg reportedly told reporters on Thursday that he still believes he can secure a 75 percent approval rate among paid-up members to walk the picket line, even though A-list stars like Tom Hanks and George Clooney have gone public with their opposition by circulating a Vote No petition. Some 100-plus celebs signed the petition, which came out last week after another group of stars like Mel Gibson and Sandra Oh created one of their own that supports the union and the vote. Ballots go out Jan. 2 and are due back Jan. 23.

Rosenberg held an educational meeting recently in New York and was met with vehement opposition from east coast actors like Alec Baldwin, who pounded the union for its poor timing, especially given the bad economy. A similar meeting was held this week in Los Angeles, where members were reportedly much more sympathetic and supportive of Rosenberg's actions.

Industry observers believe that of the 106,000 paid up members of SAG, roughly 25,000 to 30,000 are likely to participate in the upcoming strike vote (those estimates are based on previous turnouts for board elections). That would mean only 18,000-plus "yes" votes would be needed to greenlight a picket line. Rosenberg has stated repeatedly that he'd use the vote as a negotiating tool and doesn't want a repeat of the writers' strike that crippled the industry earlier this year. 

SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers remain far apart over issues of new media. Among SAG's demands: union coverage of any production that is made exclusively for the Internet and rights to residuals should those programs be repeated in the future. The union also wants to benefit financially from product placement, as well as the power to say no to, say, holding a can of Coke in a movie or TV series.

The union has been working without a contract since June. Production on films has largely come to a halt, though TV series remain in full swing.

More Hollywood labor:
George Clooney, Tom Hanks among actors petitioning against strike authorization
SAG moves one step closer to potential strike
SAG, AMPTP talks fail: Is an actors strike coming?
EW's complete Hollywood labor coverage

George Clooney, Tom Hanks among actors petitioning against strike authorization

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.

SAG moves one step closer to potential strike

The Screen Actors Guild took another step toward a potential strike today by announcing its strike authorization schedule. Ballots will go out to paid up members on Friday, Jan. 2 and are due back for tabulation on Friday, Jan. 23. Seventy-five percent of the voting members must vote yes to approve a strike, which the 120,000-plus member union is expected to use as a negotiating ploy to seek further gains from the conglomerates. Should the union fail to achieve what they want in a new contract, SAG national board of directors must call for a strike before picketing can actually begin.

SAG has been working without a contract since June and is the last Hollywood union without a new deal. In a statement to members, SAG President Alan Rosenberg said, "SAG Members must understand that their futures as professional actors are at stake, and I believe that SAG members will evaluate the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers' June 30 offer and vote to send us back to the table with the threat of a strike. A yes vote sends a strong message that we are serious about fending off rollbacks and getting what is fair for actors in new media."

The authorization vote was delayed until after the holidays to give SAG a chance to educate members about the perceived benefits of a strike authorization. "Our objective remains to get a deal that SAG members will ratify," added Doug Allen, SAG's national exec director and chief negotiator, "not to go on strike."

The AMPTP reacted with a statement of its own: "It's now official: SAG members are going to be asked to bail out a failed negotiating strategy by going on strike during one of the worst economic crises in history. We hope that working actors will study our contract offer carefully and come to the conclusion that no strike can solve the problems that have been created by SAG's own failed negotiation strategy."

Timing of the vote should come as a huge relief to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which was surely wringing its hands over a possible repeat of last season's disastrous Golden Globes (the previous ceremony occurred in the midst of the writers strike and was subsequently boycotted by actors). Since results of the authorization vote aren't due until late January, the Globes should go on as scheduled Jan. 11. Brooke Shields, together with Elizabeth Banks, Terrence Howard, Rainn Wilson, and HFPA President Jorge Camara, will announce the nominations tomorrow morning.

More on Hollywood labor:
SAG-AMPTP talks fail
Private Practice stars voted to SAG board
Actors sound off on potential SAG strike
The Golden Globes are off!

SAG, AMPTP talks fail: Is an actors strike coming?

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."

Strike-induced delays hurting shows this fall

Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but it's looking like ABC and NBC may have made a tactical error by delaying the return of serialized shows like Heroes (pictured) and Pushing Daisies until this season. You remember why they did it, right? After the 100-day strike was resolved in March, ABC and NBC chose to table freshman series like Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, and Chuck and re-launch with the rest of the 2008-09 fall lineup. But it's been almost a year since those shows last aired in prime-time, and they're now getting the (low) ratings to show for it. On ABC, Practice, the Grey's Anatomy spinoff, was down 44 percent in viewers Oct. 1 versus its September 2007 debut (14.4 million vs. 8 million), Daisies was down a whopping 52 percent (6.3 million versus 13 million) compared to its series premiere, and Money was down 32 percent (7.1 million versus 10.4 million). The news was just as bad for NBC: Life was down 47 percent (from 18.8 million to 10 million), and Chuck lost 31 percent (6.8 million versus 9.8 million). And not even the sight of a shirtless Mohinder Suresh could stop the bleeding on Heroes, which is already down 41 percent this season (from 16.9 million to 10 million).

Not everybody is singing a sad tune right now, however. Unlike the competition, CBS fired up its regular schedule right after the strike and regained the momentum it lost during the labor dispute. As a result, most of its veteran shows have posted double-digit gains in viewers since returning for the new season: Criminal Minds is up 34 percent, NCIS is up 29 percent, and How I Met Your Mother is up 14 percent.

"Holding back the shows after the strike has certainly has not proven to be the best decision," concedes Bill Carroll, director of programming for the Katz TV Group. "We are creatures of habit, and when we no longer have the opportunity to watch our favorite show or our new favorite shows, we move on. At this point, viewers have not returned."

Screen Actors Guild negotiators call for strike vote

With additional reporting by Vanessa Juarez

Remember all those worries about an actors' strike if the union didn't get the deal it wanted from the conglomerates?  Well, it's far from over, folks. Yesterday, the Screen Actors Guild's negotiating committee issued a recommendation that its National Board call for a strike authorization vote from the 120,000 members. The union cannot walk the picket line until 75 percent of members who vote on the issue say it is okay. The National Board is set to meet Oct. 18.

SAG is the lone holdout still negotiating a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (its previous deal expired in June). Guilds for the writers, directors, and daytime actors all signed new pacts with the major studios in the last year. Internet residuals continue represent a key sticking point in SAG's stalled talks with the AMPTP. According to the advisory motion approved by the negotiating committee, "Negotiators...have requested that the AMPTP return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair deal, and the AMPTP...has refused to change their position and continued to refuse to meet to attempt to advance the negotiations."

'Private Practice' stars elected to SAG board

While the country’s presidential candidates have been arguing over lipstick and pigs in recent weeks, another polity’s election has been heating up Hollywood. Two factions within the Screen Actors Guild, Unite for Strength and Membership First, have been duking it out in hopes of taking control and steering the union’s 12-week-long stalemate with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to a deal. On Sept. 18, the newly-formed, and more moderate, Unite for Strength prevailed, with Amy Brenneman (Private Practice), Adam Arkin (Life), and Kate Walsh (Private Practice, pictured) elected to the board, which could (depending on how other regional members vote) put Membership First in the minority for the first time in three years.

What will this mean for the union's contract negotiations? A press release cicrulated on Wednesday stated that 87 percent of SAG members who responded to a recent poll would prefer to hold out for a better contract than the one AFTRA signed rather than accept the AMPTP’s present terms. But out of the 103,630 SAG members who were polled via a postcard mailing, only 10,298 responded. The low turnout and change-up in the board could mean the pressure is building for SAG to come to an agreement with the AMPTP sooner rather than later -- or at the very least, get back to the table for serious talks.

SAG update: Producers wait as actors mull proposal

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers met with the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles on Wednesday to discuss the "final offer" that AMPTP presented to SAG on June 30. According to a statement released by the AMPTP, "SAG asked for more time to study our final offer and indicated it will contact the Producers on Monday. We remain hopeful that SAG will advise that it is accepting our final offer." SAG confirmed as much in its own statement, saying guild negotiators would analyze and review the proposal "over the next several days in order to prepare a response to management's proposal." In addition, SAG said the "negotiators are engaged in, and committed to, the negotiating process and are confident that an equal commitment from management will allow the parties to reach a fair agreement that serves the needs of Screen Actors Guild members, their employers and the industry."

No further meetings are scheduled. Meanwhile, the members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists continue to cast their ballots on a tentative agreement, the results of which are due July 8.