Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Information...

suzy says: AMPTP seems to be keeping members up to date on a regular basis since talks restarted last week. As of 6/5 talks are ongoing without comment.

June 4, 2008

Joint AMPTP-SAG Statement

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and Screen Actors Guild met today and have concluded their session. We will reconvene tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.

We have no further comment.

ORIGINAL LINK: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Eviaded says: SAG might scuttle the AFTRA deal

SAG might twist sister's arm
Will urge dual card-holders to reject AFTRA deal

By Andrew Salomon, Back Stage

June 5, 2008, 01:00 AM

NEW YORK -- 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.

SAG and AFTRA formerly bargained together on major contracts until late March, when a bitter feud resulted in the suspension of their joint agreement, known as Phase One.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image][Only admins are allowed to see this link] alt="" />
Alan Rosenberg, left, and Doug Allen

AFTRA's national board is expected to approve the contract at meetings Friday and Saturday. If it does, the deal will be sent to the federation's roughly 70,000 members for their approval. A simple majority is required for passage.

About 44,000 of SAG's 120,000 members also are members of AFTRA, so ratification could be blocked. That's unlikely, however, given the general support for the pact.

Asked about the guild's executive committee meeting, SAG spokeswoman Pamela Greenwalt said, "We have scheduled a special session Friday to update the committee on the status of negotiations." The committee includes Rosenberg, secretary-treasurer Connie Stevens, the three vice presidents and members of the national board from Hollywood, New York and the regional branches.

AFTRA and the AMPTP reached their tentative agreement May 28 on a new three-year contract covering work in scripted programming on network primetime. Although SAG covers most of the work in that area, AFTRA has jurisdiction over a handful of shows, including "Cashmere Mafia," "Flight of the Conchords" and "Rules of Engagement."

SAG officials have limited their public comments to say only that they have been studying the AFTRA deal and had been briefed on the particulars by AFTRA officials. First word of potential opposition came after Rosenberg and Allen met privately with top executives of Sony Pictures on Monday and told them SAG would try to derail the AFTRA deal.

On Wednesday, a Sony spokesman would only say that "there was a frank and cordial exchange of views, and we said how important it was to the industry that a deal be reached as soon as possible, and the best way to do that is by negotiating with the AMPTP, so everyone's energies should be focused that direction."

SAG officials met with the AMPTP on Wednesday, the 23rd day of the negotiations. The contract expires June 30.

Given SAG's official silence, it's unclear exactly what the guild finds objectionable about AFTRA's deal. The federation was able to increase salary minimums by an average of 3.3% per year. For major roles, the annual increases average 4.3% during the life of the contract, and guest stars working three days will receive an 11% increase in 2009.

A Los Angeles-based actor who requested anonymity stated that the wage hikes aren't high enough and are part of a much larger problem facing middle-class members, those who earn $28,000-$100,000 a year. As an example, he said he earned $600 for a day's work in 1988. His most recent job for the same day's work was $750.

"Our lack of pursuing adequate minimums has caught up to us," he said.

When asked how AFTRA could make up for 20 years of lost time in one negotiation, the actor responded: "Yeah, but if you reach for the stars, you might hit the top of the mountain. If you go in as AFTRA does and reach for the top of the hill and you get it and say, 'Oh look we got it,' you've failed. Even if (the raises) keep up with inflation, you haven't made it one step further."

Also, some partisans of Membership First, a faction of the SAG membership that favors a hard-line approach against producers and AFTRA, have complained that AFTRA compromised on the right of consent regarding the use of clips on the Internet. The compromise it agreed to, however, was identical to the one SAG proposed in earlier negotiations with producers.

A SAG source close to the negotiating who requested anonymity said that Rosenberg, Allen and the Membership First group have no specific objections to the AFTRA deal -- they only want to defeat the deal to cover themselves politically with their own membership.

"They've boxed themselves into a corner at every turn," the source said. "They've got nowhere to go."

There have been some questions raised about the legality of SAG working to defeat AFTRA's contract. Jonathan Handel, an entertainment attorney at the Los Angeles firm TroyGould who has represented the WGA, said AFTRA and the AMPTP would have little legal recourse to object because SAG has a First Amendment right to speak to its own members about a contract that affects them.

However, the SAG source responded: "There's a difference between freedom of speech and using union resources to undermine another union's operation. It's one (legal battle) I'd be pretty interested to see it play out."

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

suzy says: More info regarding the latest stumbling block.

SAG wants actors holding dual memberships in SAG and AFTRA to vote against the AFTRA agreement made a couple of weeks ago with the producers.

As food for thought the WGA (writers) strike cost California 2.1 Billion dollars in revenue. Based on fact that actors incomes are considerably more then writers this could be a hugely expensive strike. Actors could also stick it out for longer before the financial pinch squeezes. The writers would also feel obligated to walk with actors since actors walked with them.

FULL ARTICLE: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

from suzy:

SAG and AMPTP talks.......

Thursday June 5 was last day of meetings for the week.

Negotiations are to continue on Monday June 9th.

suzy says: SAG President, Alan Rosenberg, updates members in letter on sag website dated 6/8/08.

He talks about very specific issues and also states that AFTRA will not wait on SAG to sign its own contract.

Very interesting article & talks continue today.

Let's remember now we are only three weeks away from contract expiration.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image][Only admins are allowed to see this link] alt="" />

Dear Members,

Screen Actors Guild’s negotiating committee continued its bargaining with the AMPTP this past week. We continue to negotiate for a new contract that will be fair for actors and we are not done yet as there are still a number of significant outstanding issues including:

* More than cost-of-living improvements for working actor compensation, with real improvements in money breaks and schedule breaks and a significant increase in the major role minimum.

* Make real improvements in background coverage and compensation.

* Guild coverage and residuals for all original new media programs. Our employers should not have the right to produce non-union new media programming under our contract. We continue to fight hard to preserve residuals for actors now and in the future.

* Product integration – you should have the right of consent and to be compensated for scripted in-program product integrations in which an actor extols the virtues of a product or service.

* Improving DVD Residuals – we are holding on our proposal that management pay P&H contributions on top of the residuals instead of deducting it from your residuals payment. This would mean a 15% increase in DVD residual payments.

* An increase in mileage for the first time in 30 years. A gallon of gas cost about 63 cents in 1978. It’s almost $5 per gallon now – a cost jump of around 700%. I think we can all agree that it’s time for an increase in mileage.

These are examples of priorities for actors that were not achieved in the AFTRA deal.

I also want to bring you up to date on other recent actions. As you may know, your negotiating committee unanimously voted to ask AFTRA to delay the ratification of their tentative deal in order to allow Screen Actors Guild to successfully conclude its negotiations with the AMPTP. We believe that the tentative AFTRA deal and its pending ratification – coming as it does within several days of SAG’s June 30 contract deadline – is a distraction that the employers are using to delay significant progress in our negotiations.

Delaying ratification of the AFTRA contract could benefit all actors. AFTRA members too would benefit by increased leverage in our negotiations and through any favored nations clauses SAG might be able to achieve that would provide improvements in the AFTRA deal.

Regrettably, AFTRA President Roberta Reardon and Executive director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth informed us by letter that AFTRA will not agree to a delay in their ratification schedule. I assure you, this is NOT about union politics. It is about using our combined leverage to achieve the best terms possible for actors--in both unions.

We appreciate the attendance of observers from other unions who attended our negotiations throughout the week, as they have in the past.

Please watch your email and the SAG website at [Only admins are allowed to see this link] for further updates. Feel free to contact the committee at [Only admins are allowed to see this link] with your ideas, observations and comments.

And, if you are in the Los Angeles area, please come to our Solidarity Rally tomorrow, Monday, June 9, from 10 am until noon at SAG National Headquarters, 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. Your presence at the rally will mean a lot to your fellow actors on the negotiating committee as we resume negotiations on Monday afternoon.

In unity,
Alan Rosenberg

ORIGINAL POST: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

from suzy: SAG to hold Membership Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday June 11 in LA

Attend the Member Town Hall Meeting in Los Angeles for Updates on the current status of TV/Theatrical Contract Negotiations

Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg and National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Doug Allen will present an update on the current status of TV/Theatrical Negotiations.

When: Wednesday, June 11
7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Where: Harmony Gold Preview House
7655 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Note: Please bring your SAG membership card (paid thru May 2008) for admittance. Parents/Guardians of SAG members under 18-years old may attend with the minor.

Parking: Parking available in rear and street parking.


ORIGINAL ARTICLE:[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

from suzy:

SAG deal unlikely before June 30
Guild hopes to keep AFTRA from ratifying
By DAVE MCNARY

With the SAG-AFTRA bloodbath in full fury, don't expect a deal between the Screen Actors Guild and the majors any time soon.

SAG president Alan Rosenberg told Daily Variety that progress at the negotiating table has been elusive at best in recent sessions, and he admitted it's unlikely that a deal will emerge by the June 30 expiration.
More than one option

"Our progress has really slowed down ever since AFTRA made its deal," he said Wednesday, following the 27th bargaining session with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. Talks will resume this morning.

Rosenberg made his remarks shortly before an evening town hall meeting for members at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles. The event drew nearly 400 and evoked enthusiastic support for SAG's stance against the AFTRA ratification, according to one eyewitness.

Rosenberg admitted that asking SAG members for a strike authorization remains an option but said that no definite decision would be made by guild leaders until next week. SAG can't strike without at least 75% of its members approving via an authorization vote.

"We have not decided to go ahead on a strike authorization, but if we do, we'll have to fairly soon," he added, noting that the voting process would take several weeks to complete. "And we can certainly work past the expiration date while we're still negotiating."

SAG's hoping its campaign to defeat the AFTRA ratification --results will be announced July 7 -- will lead to AFTRA returning to the table and improving its deal so that both unions will achieve pacts with similar terms.

Rosenberg and SAG national exec director Doug Allen have blamed SAG's lack of progress toward a deal on what they see as the deficiencies of the AFTRA deal. SAG's key gripes include new-media jurisdiction, product placement, force majeure and DVD residuals.

Rosenberg and Allen received a warm response at Monday's rally at SAG headquarters to urge a no vote by the 44,000 guild members who also belong to AFTRA.

"Since then, the response from members has been very positive," he added. "As an AFTRA member, it's my contract, so we have to get AFTRA to make a better deal. Otherwise, where are the employers going to go?"

Rosenberg's characterization of the AFTRA deal is wildly at odds with that union's take on the pact, reached May 28, and what AFTRA's describing as the "overwhelmingly positive" response from its members.

In addition to blasting SAG for interference in the ratification, AFTRA's also touted the pact's breakthroughs, such as more than 10% improvement for working actor compensation over the course of the contract; gains in overtime and schedule breaks; a 10% increase in the major role minimum; coverage for new-media programs with a payment structure similar to that in the DGA and WGA deals; preservation of performers consent for online clip use; and access to employers' transaction data, including contract information and license agreements.

The majors have made it clear that SAG won't get a significantly better deal than AFTRA. But Rosenberg and Allen told members in a letter this week, "We have not yet reached the point where either SAG or AFTRA has a deal that meets your needs as professional actors. This is a righteous fight, and we believe that with your support, we will prevail."

AFTRA negotiating committee chairman Matt Kimbrough has accused SAG of dragging its feet at the negotiating table in order to prep for the anti-AFTRA campaign. Rosenberg said that's not the case, adding, "We've been working hard every day."

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

This is making me nervous...

What the AMPTP says as of 6/12

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

SAG response to the above as of 6/12

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]