Meeting between SAG and AMPTP Scheduled for 11/20

Posted: Fri., Nov. 14, 2008, 6:21pm PTSAG, AMPTP to meet Thursday

Efforts by a federal mediator to break apart the contract stalemate between SAG and the majors have led to a face-to-face meeting Thursday -- the first such confab between the two side in over four months.
Neither the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers nor the Screen Actors Guild would confirm the meeting but sources close to the situation said the get-together had been set.

Federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez met twice with both sides over the past month in an effort to resume the talks. The Screen Actors Guild requested mediation on Oct. 19.

The meeting does not necessarily represent a resumption of formal contract negotiations, which broke off July 16 after 42 sessions. The AMPTP's insisted repeatedly that it's done negotiating and will not revise its final offer.

The AMPTP's scheduled to hold negotiating sessions Monday through Wednesday with the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees over the West Coast contract covering 18 locals and about 25,000 below-the-line workers.

SAG's given no indication it it's willing to ratchet back its demands, particularly in new media. SAG's negotiators have contended they have to achieve a better deal than the other Hollywood guilds. The congloms have asserted that they're only willing to tweak parts of the final offer -- which contains similar terms to the WGA, DGA and AFTRA deals.

The congloms' final offer, touted as containing $250 million in pay gains over three years, was issued June 30 as the guild's feature-primetime contract expired.

SAG's national board also announced a month ago that its negotiating committee would have the power to determine if the mediation has failed and whether to send out a strike authorization to SAG's 120,000 members. That vote -- which would take at least a month -- would have to generate approval from at least 75% of those voting for a strike to be called.

SAG's national board saw control shift from the more aggressive Membership Faction to a moderate faction in September. That panel would have final say over calling a strike.