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2ND UPDATE: SAG met this afternoon with the AMPTP and said it needed more info to analyze and review the Big Media offer. So don’t expect any new developments until next Monday. But probably not until July 8th when all sides find out whether the AFTRA/AMPTP was ratified. Then Hollywood travels into uncharted territory. (See my two SAG/AFTRA/AMPTP articles in LA Weekly: here and here.)
Here’s SAG’s statement tonight:
Los Angeles, July 2, 2008 – The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee met with AMPTP negotiators today to present a series of substantive questions on the employers’ proposed package. Guild negotiators and staff will further analyze and review the AMPTP’s responses over the next several days in order to prepare a response to management’s proposal. The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee is working hard to achieve a fair deal for actors. The committee is mindful of its obligation to advance actors’ interests and to safeguard the protections our contracts afford them. Guild negotiators are engaged in, and committed to, the negotiating process and are confident that an equal commitment from management will allow the parties to reach a fair agreement that serves the needs of Screen Actors Guild members, their employers and the industry.
UPDATE: The AMPTP issued this statement tonight:
On Monday AMPTP presented SAG with our final offer, containing more than $250 million in additional compensation for SAG members over three years, groundbreaking rights for actors in the new media area, and a basic economic framework that has already been accepted by the DGA, WGA and AFTRA in four separate labor negotiations this year. On Wednesday, we met at SAG’s request for 4 hours to answer SAG’s questions about our final offer. SAG asked for more time to study our final offer and indicated it will contact the Producers on Monday. We remain hopeful that SAG will advise that it is accepting our final offer. No further meetings are scheduled.
Previous: I hear that today’s negotiating session will probably just be a preliminary discussion about the AMPTP’s “last best final” offer made Monday to SAG. The actors guild will still have to do a comprehensive analysis and further review.
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Speaking of not expecting much…
Is anyone else getting a deluge of phone calls from their old pals… Like Sean Penn, Tom Hanks, and the 100 other celebrities you don’t know to vote?
Nothing makes me want to vote contrary to my own causes like having my time wasted.
J.R.
Goddamn DGA. This is all their fault.
I was so happy to hear from Mr. Spicoli from the Ridgemont High Alumni Association. I told him I was on the do not call list but he kept rambling on. Not nice to call from a blocked number roboSAG.
Why is Hanks pushing the stinko AFTRA deal? Because he’s a producer and could cheap out on the actors?
here’s the deal. AFTRA ratifies by 70% or more… SAG sucks it up, postures for a few weeks and takes the deal.
AFTRA ratifies by 70% or less… SAG sends out strike authorization votes and sits on the results while the make SOME progress, but nothing to write home about.
If AFRA members are smart, they’ll give SAG a little love and come in around 68% in support.
No one is going to strike, not now. But SAG does still have a few moves left in this chess match.
Had AFTRA not screwed them, everyone would have come out ahead.
Why is everyone saying its someone else’s fault? Can’t anyone accept responsibility?
Let’s assume that nobody else has made their deal and this is the only deal to focus on.
How does this offer compare with ALL the other offers from ALL previous negotiations since the begining of SAG?
The answer is:
This is the best increase in the history of the SAG contract. Please somebody prove me wrong. Point to other contracts where bigger gains were made.
You can’t.
You also can’t tell me why the leadership isn’t presenting the best gains ever to the membership so that THEY can decide what’s best for THEM.
Everyone has an opinion, so let them vote. Im not scared, why should you be?
Let me get this straight.
1) AFTRA agrees to a deal with AMPTP
2) SAG says that AFTRA’s deal is HORRIBLE!
3) AMPTP now offers SAG the AFTRA deal
4) SAG needs time to analyze the deal
Why in the hell would SAG need time to analyze the deal? They have been outspoken against the deal for several weeks. Either they never thouroughly reviewed AFTRA’s deal to begin with and were against it simply because AFTRA negotiated it and they didn’t or they are saying they need more time to analyze it to see how close AFTRA’s vote is in hopes they can still proceed with a strike.
You can never believe a word that comes out SAG’s MF leadership.
simon says strike said: “here’s the deal. AFTRA ratifies by 70% or more… SAG sucks it up, postures for a few weeks and takes the deal.”
SAG will nod bout have to take an inferior deal this time around because of all the others that caved in. Then in the next 3 years work hard to find a way to get rid of AFTRA. Not merge, succeed. Every actor I know has had enough of their making things worse for actors. It started years ago when their mismanagement caused them to assess every member a b.s. $100 fee charge without us getting to vote on it. This past year they have proven they value producers over actors. Instead of hurting SAG’s ability to negotiate they should have used that energy going after the many NON UNION shows and networks that their members work for. For God’s sake CNN is non-union. And they do nothing. Nothing!!!!! AFTRA has not only jumped the shark they are the shark.
Why is Hanks pushing the stinko AFTRA deal? It’s still a secret to me. I searched a blog names horsemingle.com, there many people are talking of it.
The final offer that SAG got is already better than the AFTRA deal. SAGs minimums are higher to begin with. What your all stuck on is the residuals. No one is going to agree to a residuals on an unproven business model. The job of a CEO is to paint the rosiest picture it can to it’s stockholders. They don’t even believe themselves I don’t think. The DGA spent time and money on their analyses and it’s valid for the next three years.
My suggestion is that no matter who runs the guilds, you mend fences and present a united front to these congloms. I would love to see the the IA be in with you, but unfortunately our union is run by mid west stagehands who have no understanding of film making. Just the strong arm.
BTL Mom -
If you were an actor – and apparently you are not – and possessed some feeling for the nature of the craft and the history of film, you would know that Sean Penn brought to the screen a character never before seen in film, but firmly grounded firmly in the reality of an emerging subculture. He did such an amazing job with that character that to this day, fans like you (and you must be a fan, or this character wouldn’t be so deeply seared into your cerebral cortex) still confuse the character for the actor, though we have seen Mr. Penn give a range of amazing performances that looked and felt nothing like his stoner surfer dude from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. His portrayal was so iconic that the stoner dude became a new type. Actors like Keanu Reeves (whose breakout role was a rather similar character in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) owe their success in no small measure to Mr. Penn.
A fair argument may be made that on occasion Mr. Penn lets his passions get the best of him – a tendency to excess often comes with talent like his – however, it is equally true that he consistently walks his talk, and frequently.
If you, BTL Mom, forthrightly state, point by point, where you differ with Mr. Penn’s politics and why, that’s acceptable. Your snide Spicoli reference is not simply disrespectful of Mr. Penn and his talent, is not simply a dim-witted and ineffective cheap shot, but also displays your lack of respect for the craft without which there would be no BTL employment in the first place. As it is, whether by intent or not, you come off as someone who neither understands or respects the beats & rhythms of this amazing creative industry.
This meltdown is not the DGA’s fault or AFTRA’s fault. It’s SAG’s fault for their lousy negotiation tactics and their total lack of ethics. The things they have done are a disgrace – to try to cut their own regional leaders in Chicago and NYC off at the knees, to send out robocalls to get another union’s contract rejected (say what you want about AFTRA, at the end of the day they are still their own union with their own authority and rights). They are reaping what they sowed.
SAG’s egotism, stupidity and greed is proof that actors are indeed the dumbest and least grateful of the Hollywood bunch.
For Chrissake’s mheister, don’t take yourself so seriously.
MHeister says, “Blah, Blah, Blah, Pompous, Pompous, Pompous, Blah, Blah, Blah. Hmmm, I like the sound of my voice.”
mheister-
I’m sorry…. I think I fell asleep during your post to BTL Mom, could you start over.
Mheister-
You have a Shrine to Sean Penn in your closet don’t you.
Lighten up pal.
I don’t have to defend my background on stage and screen to someone with zero retention of previous posts of mine he’s read previously and no sense of humor.
I will take issue with SAG bombarding me with unwanted calls and e-mails when if they had any information sharing with AFTRA in the last 3 + years they’d know that I’m on Honorable Withdrawal from AFTRA and they don’t need to waste my dues money calling me about a contract I can’t vote on without reinstating my current status with AFTRA.
The reality is that this is a vacation week for a whole lot of folk so this last minute push to get out the no vote is a waste of time and resources. If dual card members haven’t sent in their ballot yet, then they most likely won’t.
I also refuse to state point by point why I disagree with Sean Penn. I could care less about Sean Penn. While I agree that he is talented, he just has never appealed to me. I’ve seen a lot of his work because it featured other actors I do like, but his perfomances while good, don’t leave a lasting impression on me. I don’t care for cubism either, but I can look at a Picasso and know it’s an inspired work from a telented artist. I just wouldn’t want one hanging in my living room.
Sorry to burst your bubble but the character of Spicoli is not “deeply seered” into my cerebral cortex. I’ve seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High once. The only reason I even remember the name of his character is because it’s become a part of the pop culture lexicon for my generation and is referenced in other works.
As for stoner dude being a new type thanks to Mr. Penn, I guess you’ve never heard of Tommy Chong who mastered it back in the 1970s.
Letter to SAG;
How is all this stalling going for you? Do you really think people are dumb enough to vote down the AFTRA deal? it wont happen. what a stupid strategy. where do you people come up with such dumb ideas? Why did SAG wait so long to start negotiating? Who comes up with these idiotic plans? Is Pee Wee Herman running your negotiating committee? I wouldnt be surprised if he becomes your next union president. couldn’t be worse than the current clown.
I hope when SAG realizes it has wasted a month trying to undermine its sister union, which wouldn’t help your cause anyway, YOU will make a deal with the AMPTP and let everyone get back to work in the film industry. Why is SAG run by such idiots? I guess that’s what happens when washed up actors run a union. its really sad how unions are destroying the entertainment industry. One of these days people will realize how poor some of the Hollywood unions are and they will be broken so business can continue and not be thwarted by spoiled artists.
Steve,
Steve…. Steve ….. Steve….. Steve….. Steve, come on gimme a hug!
Goddamn DGA. This is all their fault.
Comment by scott
May I rebut you’re measured analysis on a point by point basis. Oh, you made no point, just another lame assertion from an imposter.
I disagree with Steve, I think guilds are a great thing in Hollywood. They provide health insurance, pension plans, minimums…they’re great for everyone including the producers.
There was a time when SAG was run by a professional union guy, he negotiated solid contracts for years and years without a single incident. But as SAG got bigger the amount of largely unemployed members got bigger, and the politics became more about who could harness this reservoir of resentment in order to get elected rather than who actually had the skill to negotiate contracts and run a guild.
And thus…here we are.
Steve wrote: “I hope when SAG realizes it has wasted a month trying to undermine its sister union…”
ROFLMAO…as opposed to AFTRA that has been undermining SAG for years now and has cranked up the poaching machine of late. Ask anyone who works on an AFTRA show how they like the residuals giveaway!
Quite simply, AFTRA is a weak union that will take whatever scraps thrown their way. Until they enforce their rule one and stop their members from working non union at will then they are not to be taken serious. Time for all actors to dump that union and let the broadcasters who love working non-union have it all to themselves.
Suit wrote:
“the politics became more about who could harness this reservoir of resentment in order to get elected”
Excellent turn of phrase. SAG’s situation in a nutshell. Well played, sir.
“suit”
I think the “they’re all unemployed bitter people” argument is both offensive, and wrong. It’s a very specific union, where there are wild divergences in income: Will Smith – 100 million this year? Bob Smith – $2,500.00 Are there shitty actors in SAG? Sure, just like there are shitty whatevers in any union. Bob Smith may have been on a top ten series once. He may have been on the cover of TV Guide once. But now? Bob is 60, and he doesn’t get much work, and the residuals have stopped coming in as much, and Bob really, really needs the residuals he DOES get, and Bob is really, really counting on that pension he has coming, and the health insurance he gets,, if he’s really, really lucky, and can cross the earnings threshold every year, 10 grand if you’re over 40 and you have 10 years in. Sounds easy right? Not if you’re Bob Smith it isn’t. So, Bob goes without health insurance some years. Other years, he gets the odd gig on a TV show, which is hard, cause everybody remembers him from that old show. But that one top of show gig, plus residuals, may get him health insurance, and get him one year closer to that pension. See, what’s lacking on this blog, among other things, is compassion. What SAG is asking for is entirely fair and long overdue. That’s why AFTRA’s betrayal is so deep. AFTRA wants what SAG has: jurisdiction. Power. More members. More dues. Respect. But they are going about these things by stabbing SAG in the back. Should AFTRA have a 50/50 say at the bargaining table, when SAG has 100% of film and 99% of TV? Of course not. That’s insane. Why would AFTRA expect to have 50% of the board members when negotiations happen with the AMPTP? But they did. They just bullied their way there and refused to submit to the numbers and to reason. Now? Now they decided, for the first time in 27 years, to negotiate separately from SAG. They’re angry. They feel disrespected. Why? Because SAG membership voted “NO” on merging with AFTRA, despite SAG’s former President and many board members being vehemently for merger, and spending millions of dollars of SAG members dues, to convince SAG members they should merge. And the SAG membership listened. Twice. And, they said “NO.” Twice. You’d think AFTRA would get the hint, right? I mean, it was democratic, yes? Following SAG voting rules, yes? Nobody questioned the integrity of the vote, yes? But AFTRA leadership and the SAG/AFTRA dual card-holder board members who wanted desperately to merge, so AFTRA could enjoy the substantially better pay, residuals, benefits, health and pension, that SAG had negotiated over many, many years? They were pissed. Livid. And they wanted revenge. So, now, when the AMPTP gave them a way, they broke with SAG, and made a deal that does not provide the increases and protections that SAG wants, especially for the internet, where all production is going. See, the AMPTP wants as much wiggle room as possible for the internet, because they know, the more they can limit SAG’s jurisdiction, pay, residuals, and health and pension contributions for the internet, the more money they get to keep off actor’s work. And, if you listen to their corporate leaders themselves, in their own words, they are telling their shareholders it’s gonna be huge. HUGE. But to SAG? They say, “we have no business model.” So, SAG says, “well, fine, whatever, but ANY business model you decide on? You should have no objection to a fair PERCENTAGE of all original content and all residuals for reuse, right? Makes all the sense in the world: you do great? Same small percentage, SAG gets its due. You don’t do so great? Same thing – small percentage. That formula covers us both, right? “No,” says the AMPTP. “It’s a non-starter,” says the AMPTP. Why? Because they HATE SAG, and they HATE paying actors who aren’t stars ANY of their profits. They view it as THEIR product, paid for with THEIR money, and that THEY should decide what the so called “middle-class actor” gets paid. They HATE paying Tom Hanks 20 million plus 10 percent of first dollar gross too. They HATE it. But, Hanks? He’s “the cost of doing business.” Will Smith? “Cost of doing business.” BOB Smith? FUCK BOB SMITH. That’s what this is all about. SAG is the actors’ BEST and ONLY shot at getting the protections they deserve. Not AFTRA, with 1% of TV jurisdiction, and 0% of movies. SAG. Obviously, no one, none of the cynical nay-sayers on this blog, cares about Bob. But SAG actually does. They want what’s best for Bob. How do I know this? Because I’m an actor. I’m sorta like Bob, in fact. And I know Alan Rosenberg knows, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow? That, if his wife wasn’t making “fuck you” money for the both of them? (good for her, and, bonus, she’s a helluva actress), Alan Rosenberg KNOWS – HE might be Bob Smith. Good actor? Sure. Big, lucrative gigs? Could happen. But, what if it doesn’t? And what if Alan ISN’T lucky enough to be married to Marg Helgenberger? Alan becomes Bob Smith. THAT’S why I TRUST him to do the right thing. THAT’S why I VOTED for him. And THAT’s why I’m proud that he’s telling the AMPTP to go fuck themselves, and that when they wanna REALLY talk? Well, Doug Allen is a professional labor negotiator. And Alan is all ears. Because it’s the RIGHT THING TO DO.
Bravo! 35th Street. Tell it like it is…
A double Bravo! And Thank you!!!!