SAG’s National Board met today and issued as statement.
(The AMPTP’s reaction is below it):

Los Angeles, July 26, 2008 — The National Board of Directors of Screen Actors Guild passed the following resolution at its meeting today:

It is a core principle of Screen Actors Guild –That no non-union work shall be authorized to be done under any Screen Actors Guild agreement and;

That all work under a Screen Actors Guild contract, regardless of budget level, shall receive fair compensation when reused.

Passed unanimously 68-0.This resolution represents guidance from the National Board of Directors to the National Negotiating Committee.  It reaffirmed the importance of these issues in these negotiations.“For some time, we have been telling the industry how important it is for all new media productions under our contract to be done union and how important residuals for made-for new media programming are when programs are re-run on new media,” said SAG National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Doug Allen.

“I am very pleased that our National Board today unanimously confirmed these essential principles in support of our National Negotiating Committee,” Allen added.

And the AMPTP responded:

“The continued refusal of SAG’s negotiators to accept AMPTP’s final offer means that actors will continue to work indefinitely under the expired contract – an old contract that contains none of the $250 million in additional compensation provided by AMPTP’s final offer, and an old contract that provides none of the new media rights and residuals that other Hollywood Guild members have now been enjoying for months. SAG has permitted non-union Internet production under its contract since 2001. AMPTP has offered to extend SAG jurisdiction to original new media production, including low-budget programs that employ a single “covered actor.” The AMPTP’s final offer also guarantees residuals when original new media productions are reused and terms to increase pay and residuals if the program is eventually exhibited in traditional media. None of these rights and residuals exists under the contract that expired on June 30th.”

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