SAG TO PRESENT RESPONSE TO AMPTP THURDAY 10 July

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07-08: SAG STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Screen Actors Guild will present its response to the AMPTP’s June 30, 2008 proposal at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks, CA.

The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee remains dedicated to achieving a fair TV/Theatrical contract for SAG members as soon as possible. The SAG national negotiating committee anticipates an equal effort and commitment by the employers and their representatives to achieve this goal.

Contact:
Pamela Greenwalt
(323) 549-6872

About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents over 122,000 actors who work in film and digital, television, industrials, commercials, video games, music videos and all other new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

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SAG Rejects Studios' Offer, Proposes Counteroffer
Thu., Jul. 10, 2008 8:58 PM PDT by Natalie Finn


SAG
SAG won't strike and it won't settle. So what does it want?

The Screen Actors Guild has again rejected the new three-year deal proposed last week by major Hollywood studios and TV networks, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said Thursday evening following a five-hour sit-down with SAG leaders.

Instead, the 120,000-member union presented an amended counteroffer that more resembled its idea of what fair residuals and wage increases look like.

"We made it clear our final is our final and that we're not interested in further counterproposals," a rep for the AMPTP said, a day after the alliance issued an Aug. 15 acceptance deadline if SAG wanted any upcoming wage increases to be retroactive to July 1.

The union's last deal—which for the time being is still governing the terms under which actors are currently working—expired June 30.

The AMPTP has said that the new deal it offered will result in $250,000 million in additional compensation for SAG members over the years.

Meanwhile, SAG executive director Doug Allen has called the sum "highly inflated." He called their counteroffer a "comprehensive [deal] that adopted some of their proposals and offered alternatives on others."

While SAG is trying to hang tough, the approval of a new three-year deal by the smaller American Federation of TV & Radio Artists earlier this week has certainly weakened its negotiating power.

The two unions share about 40,000 members.

"The last thing we need is a long, hot summer of labor strife that puts even more pressure on a badly struggling economy and deprives audiences of the entertainment they clearly desire in such difficult times," the AMPTP's statement continued.

SAG said that union officials will contact producers Friday afternoon after taking time to talk among themselves tomorrow.

Thanks for posting this. That doesn't sound very positive.

no, not very positive at all....

fab