Tagged: possible actor’s strike

No deal with SAG – actors’ strike imminent?

Is Hollywood about to go on strike for the second time in less about six months? Could be! Phentermine-feuled negotiations between producers (AMPTP) and actors (Screen Actors Guild) fell apart Tuesday night after 18 days of intense negotiations.

SAG, unwilling to follow the model set forth in the deals signed by the directors (DGA), writers (WGA) and even by the other actor’s union, AFTRA, on their network code, is largely believed to be the barrier between a deal or no deal. For now, it’s no deal.

SAG controls most of network television, except for “Rules of Engagement,” “Cashmere Mafia,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Flight of the Conchords,” “Dante’s Cove,” “Reaper” and ” ‘Til Death,” which fall under the auspices of AFTRA. That, however, may change quickly if AFTRA, which is now free to enter into their own contract talks with AMPTP, decides to be more reasonable and settles quickly. At that point, AFTRA would be able to lure shows over to their union on the strength of having a contract in place that can keep shows in production. That would increase pressure on SAG to become more reasonable in their demands and settle quickly, before bleeding too many shows away to AFTRA.

SAG has not yet taken a membership vote on strike authorization, though that is expected in the coming days. Hollywood has already suffered through a 100-day strike by the WGA that some analysts estimate cost Hollywood and the California economy in excess of $2 billion in lost revenue. A few have even cited the strike as a contributing factor to the USA’s economic slowdown.

Is Hollywood willing to endure another strike, so soon after the resolution of the last one? This bears watching.

The rich threaten to strike

Ask the average Screen Actors Guild media relations guy if SAG wants to strike so soon after the extended writers strike that lost Hollywood billions, and they’ll assure you that of course they don’t want to create another work stoppage in the city of Guilded Implants.

But ask them about their expectations for the next SAG contract and their double-speak is about as convoluted as that of a truck accident lawyer. SAG is demanding to get what neither directors nor writers could manage: a better cut of DVD sales. Furthormore, they want even more than the AMPTP was willing to give writers and actors in terms of new media residuals.

SAG and AFTRA (who will negotiate separately for the first time in 27 years) naturally think they’re the most deserving because actors are out-front, the faces and bodies that sell movies. Never mind that the actors are already far more well-compensated on average than any director or writer will ever be.

Sure, folks like Tom Hanks will claim the battle isn’t for them, but for the casting session rejects who rarely get work. So… if they rarely get work… how is it that better DVD and new media residuals will help those folks again? No, this is all about turning $20 million per flick actors into $30 million per flick headliners.