Union Votes Down Deal

A Hollywood union has taken the first step towards an actors strike – by voting down a proposed deal with studio bosses.

Members of the 120,000-strong Screen Actors Guild (SAG) have rejected a three-year deal offered by the major Hollywood studios and TV networks.

After five hours of talks on Thursday (10Jun08), union bosses dismissed the proposed contract.

They then presented their own counter-offer, which was rejected by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – the body representing the major studios and networks.

The news comes just three days after Hollywood’s smaller union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), voted in favor of a deal with the AMPTP.

But the decision by SAG members brings the threat of an actor’s strike this summer (08) a step closer – with AMPTP bosses refusing to renegotiate the deal, and SAG chiefs vowing to fight on to secure a better deal for their members.

A representative for the AMPTP says, “We made it clear our final (offer) is our final and that we’re not interested in further counter-proposals.

“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.”

(LR/WNWE/ZN)

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  1. xtremequeen wrote: This has gotten so out of hand. The actors aren’t thinking of the “little people” that are going to be affected by a strike. With the state of the economy they need their jobs.

  2. Taminar wrote: I can understand the actors wanting to get a fair shake in the changing world of distribution, but this probably just means more reality television. Ugh.