No Expectations For SAG-AMPTP Meeting

COMMENTS (37)

• … if they won’t sign a fair deal, we’ll shut this town down. Don’t think a strike authorization won’t pass. It’ll have support of the regularly working actors (probably less than 15% of the people voting) and the other 85% will want more than a couple of hundreds bucks the next time they work. Since they rarely work – they won’t be hurt by a strike.

  There’s no future for working actors or those aspiring to be working actors without fair new media payments, so we have NOTHING to lose. And why should we forfeit force majeure payments AMPTP already agreed to – especially without a substantial deal on the table?

  Guess what continues to make piles of money in a depression. Entertainment and alcoholic beverages. All we want is our fair share of that enormous pie.

  Comment by And believe me.... — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 12:54pm PST  Reply to this post

• If the AMPTP can break them by doing nothing, they will do nothing. SAG is too divided, with two little money, and no parent companies to tide them through a strike.

  I don’t think the “A-List Stars” probably won’t do much to help SAG, they won’t rock the boat for fear of the studios taking a hard look at their salaries in relation to their box office earning power.

  They will probably have to eat dirt for this contract and bide their time, and gather their resources for the next contract.

  Comment by Furious D — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 1:26pm PST  Reply to this post

• “… if they won’t sign a fair deal, we’ll shut this town down. Don’t think a strike authorization won’t pass.”

  Sad that it will come to this, but too true. Batten down the hatches – storm’s a-comin’…

  …but it can be avoided. (You listenin’ AMPTP?) Forgive force majeure payments? Are you insane? Maybe if you guys ponied up the millions you ALREADY OWE, SAG might be a little more “flexible”.

  And if a strike does occur, SAG will still take the blame for putting the industry out of work. What a crock.

  Or they could settle this on Thursday. Stranger things have happened.

  Comment by Ace — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 1:47pm PST  Reply to this post

• “Fair deal?” Why is a “fair deal” for you better than what the other Guilds got? And are you even a working actor, or are you a waiter whose life won’t be affected either way.

  For the actors (85% of whom you said don’t work) to quote unquote SHUT THIS TOWN DOWN is incredibly unfair to the tens of thousands who will be out of work because of this, especially in a business that still hasn’t recovered from the WGA strike, and during the fiercest economic climate in 75 years.

  SAG needs to swallow it’s pride and sign an interim deal like it’s counterparts, so that for the next few years while the country is attempting to recover from 8 years of being shit on by our own president, there are jobs in our business. Then once new media is a current issue and not a future issue, we can go back to the table when the numbers are more solidified as far as what kind of money there really is in new media.

  Comment by Sleemans — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 2:02pm PST  Reply to this post

• If SAG could get a strike authorization vote anytime why haven’t they done it yet? There’s certainly no strategic gain by waiting this long. Quite the opposite.

  Look, it ain’t complicated. For better or for worse we know we can’t get the vote. Or perhaps better put, it’s not likely. And as bad a situation as we’re in at the moment, if we send out the ballot for authorization and don’t get it we will REALLY be dead.

  Comment by still confused — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 2:04pm PST  Reply to this post

• With my husband working in the entertainment industry, these negotiations are hurting more than the actors. Many of his colleagues are now in risk of losing their homes, due to movies not being made at this time. With the holidays coming up, I only hope that they come to some type of agreement so that the people behind the scenes do not lose everything that they work so hard for. Plus if it is hard now, with a strike it will only be worse for the entire economy!

  Comment by Anonymous — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 3:13pm PST  Reply to this post

• As Kris Kristofferson and then later Janis Joplin sang: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”

  90% of SAG actors are not making any money right now. A strike is not going to change things for them in the short run. A strike in the long run will hurt the AMPTP and that’s ok if it wakes them up as to who they serve….the talent. Without them you got nothing. Nothing.

  It’s not a question but to strike. Say goodbye Golden Globes and Oscars. Of the movie stars that are put in the position of crossing the picket line and do, it would be in my eyes equal to those who “Named names” to McCarthy. Complete and absolute treason to their fellow artists and the weakening of the very union that has tried to improve the lives of all performers.

  I would until my last days on Earth know them as scabs and never again watch or spend a penny to view or buy their work.

  Think about that big Media!

  Comment by Agent Provocateuer — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 3:37pm PST  Reply to this post

• A strike would hurt even the actors who don’t work regularly (which is the majority) simply because if production shuts its going to affect the jobs they’re already working to pay the bills. Restaurants and catering companies would go under pretty fast. Many already have from the production slowdown as it is and thats where many actors happen to be right now. The damage would extend to other service industries and retailers as well.

  So whether you’re for or against the strike don’t pretdend it won’t hurt you any less than the guys at the studio. It would hurt a lot more

  Comment by drewlicious — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 4:07pm PST  Reply to this post

• Does anyone care anymore? This is beyond boring.

  Comment by joe — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 4:38pm PST  Reply to this post

• I don’t think the AMPTP are going to back down, and the SAG are not going to get the vote to strike.

  I don’t see how this will end any time soon, as it stands right now the AMPTP arnt loosing anything, movies & TV shows are in production they are quite happy for that to be the case, it helps draw back viewers lost to the WGA strike. The SAG case grows weaker every day they continue to a) work & b) be divided.

  I guess my posts suggests that I think they should unite & strike, but I dont see it happening.

  Comment by wamdue — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 4:46pm PST  Reply to this post

• A face-to-face meeting between the parties is a good re-start. Better to be talking than watch the world move on without either of them. Entertainment did well in past slowdowns, but there was nothing else around. People have cable, internet, etc. now. No need to crave, but to paraphrase a great line from a good movie, “sometimes you gotta bend so you don’t break”.

  Comment by Splinter — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 5:10pm PST  Reply to this post

• If SAG sags this time, then there won’t be anymore SAG! Might as well hang the “Union For Rent” sign out. I used to have faith in my union…not so much anymore…

  Comment by Anonymous — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 6:26pm PST  Reply to this post

• Hey “Believe me” – Thanks for the tough talk from someone who is probably one of those not working 3 voucher background “actors” who won’t be affected by a strike. Shutting this town down for new media would
  be a death knell for SAG. Don’t even believe for a moment that there would be support from any of the rest of the Unions and guilds for such reckless actions – we want you to settle NOW and go back in three years with a REAL plan. Get off your fuckin’ high hobby horse!

  I think that the mediator must have something to go on or he wouldn’t have them meet at all.

  Comment by Transpo — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 8:07pm PST  Reply to this post

• Oh and Nikki, Snking the golden globes and oscars as a threat tactic again? Does not even count at all and would only be a sad mirror of WGA’s disaster.

  Comment by Transpo — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 8:12pm PST  Reply to this post

• this is more directed to “And believe me…”
  and what about the rest of us who work in the business who are being affected on a daily basis by all of this purgatory-like waiting period that has been going on for months? there are very few shows in production at all and with the rest of the nation’s economy on the shit end of things, you would think that the actors might think better on striking after all this and wait to come back when they are unified and strong?

  Comment by under-the-line-advocator — Monday November 17, 2008 @ 10:28pm PST  Reply to this post

• Are the so called “actors” that are so Gun Ho to strike really paid working “actors”? Prob not. And do they really understand what is at stake in the bigger picture? Def not. And you def don’t have families to support being so cavalier as to “shut this town down”?! You probably don’t even have representation. This is about real business and this town getting itself back on its feet after the WGA strike. Its not just SAG & the AMPTP that are affected by a strike. Its the entire community. The restaurants that most of you clamoring for a strike ACTUALLY wait tables…who do you think are your customers? The producers, agents, working-actors, below the line crew, make-up artists, movie-goers, and let’s not forget the Dry Cleaners that starch and press your uniform. NOT out-of-work actors. So try paying your rent w/o tips. Sign an interim contract and come back in 3 yrs when we know what market value New Media really has and when SAG has an actual plan! The arrogance is unmatched.

  Comment by and so it goes — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 10:08am PST  Reply to this post

• The actors have to strike or there is no union. SAG has enjoyed good contracts because all work is union work. This deal would end the union. Grow some balls or sacrifice our industry to europe and austrailia.

  As for the woman with a house/ BLAME THE STUDIOS and stop attempting to destroy this town by hitting the victim.

  Comment by Taste — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 11:15am PST  Reply to this post

• A SAG strike now will bring about a repeat of what happened with the Commercials strike in 2000: Large chunks of union work will disappear forever. The Golden Globes and the Oscars are a passing trifle. It’s the permanent harm to the entertainment business, and its current business model, that will be the problem.

  Comment by LA VO — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 11:21am PST  Reply to this post

• To all you folks drinking the AMPTP kool-aid…

  Some of you have assumed I must be waiting on tables to say the things I say. Nope – I’m a working actor with SAG Health Insurance and I’m willing to strike to protect my future. I’m not in this for the next month or next year, I’m in this for the next 40 years. If the other Guilds got crappy deals, that’s not our fault – talk to your own union about not caving in next time. Now it’s our turn to talk turkey and as far as support from other Guilds, we’re sure our brothers and sisters at WGA will be right there beside us.

  Comment by ...and believe me — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 11:35am PST  Reply to this post

• Here’s another thread that’s breaking down as usual.

  According to crew and entertainment-related business posters, when actors cannot get enough work at their chosen profession, it’s not only it’s actors’ fault, but they’re then disparaged for having to get outside work to make ends meet.

  On the other hand, when crew or those in business related professions cannot get enough work, it’s -actors’- fault(?!?), not theirs, and they’re somehow -entitled- not to have to make means through whatever means possible.

  We don’t work? It’s our fault. They don’t work? It’s our fault.

  In essence, these threads boil down over and over to this.

  “Actors need to accept a massive rollback forcing them to make money outside their given trade, because if they don’t, Those ‘out of work waiters’ are ignoring that unlike them, we’re entitled to not have to get other jobs ourselves.”

  “Actors need to accept what will prove in time to be a massive rollback, because we’re entitled to make a living in our given trade whereas they need to go wait tables at Denny’s so that we can call them names for doing so.”

  “We don’t give a fuck about your mortgage, actors, therefore you should care about ours.”

  Is any SAG member persuaded by the “give up your ability to pay your bills so we can pay ours, because you’re not entitled to make a living doing what you like in this business but we are” argument?

  Transpo, for instance, we need your or other guilds “support?” Really? Why is that, exactly? We need people too afraid to post using their real names to “support” or “like” us — which given your obviously great disdain for actors is -never- going to happen regardless? Would there be some $75 million dollar films shooting with ALL non-union actors during any potential strike where we need your “support” in not supplying it? Where exactly are those studio films on the production charts which would keep on rolling during any potential SAG strike?

  Seems to me the only “support” SAG needs in this fight for a fair share of profits during economic times where film is doing -better- than last year at this time is from SAG members standing united, as long as it takes.

  I could choose to care what anonymous crew members think of me, or I could care instead about my share of profits as demonstrated by my residual checks — and my refusal -ever- to go down any road that over time will cut my effective earnings in half for the rest of my life. I choose the latter.

  Writer’s guild leadership actually took producers’ at their word that if they took DVD residuals off the table, producers would make equal concessions, and the WGA got fucked as a result.

  Similarly, we tried that “regrouping” tactic a long time ago with DVD’s and we got fucked in a way that hurts us terribly to this day. We got totally suckered with producers’ outright lie that DVD’s would be “negotiated later.”

  Trying to “regroup” after opening the door to decimating our income stream through the only pipeline that will matter ten years from now would be as impossible as unringing a bell.

  This is the ONE shot we will ever get on taking a stand on new media. Ever.

  The only people’s whose opinions will impact any resolution are the opinions of those with an active vote of either side of the bargaining table.

  “Regroup” my ass.

  Won’t get fooled again.

  Comment by Sterling Wolfe — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 11:46am PST  Reply to this post

• You people calling for a strike are idiots. Self-centered idiots at that.

  “and so it goes” is right. A strike will hurt YOU as well.

  Although if a strike actually cancels the Globes and Oscars then it might be worth it.

  It would be fun to see who would cross the picket line to attend those shows though. Anyone that did would gain a huge amount of respect from me.

  I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again:

  Unions breed mediocrity. They are worthless. The sooner they go away the better.

  Comment by Joe Cool — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 12:04pm PST  Reply to this post

• In regard to the issue of the Emmy and Oscar Ceremonies:

  I’m sure there are some, but I’m hard pressed to think of a single film or television star who could have had the opportunity to earn their way to very high pay checks but for the help of the Screen Actors Guild.

  But for SAG and its negotiated wages, they’d never have been able to have any chance of making a meager living which afforded them enough support to “hang in there” and make a run for the big time. Profit sharing/deferred pay (a.k.a., residuals) are perhaps the key to not having to “give up” during hard times, and that’s what we’re fighting for now.

  Sure. Any star could sell us out in a heart-beat, if they so chose. I personally believe that star’s “need” for SAG rank and file support is currently zero, when you throw out history and what gave them a chance to do as well as they did.

  Any star willing to cross through a big line of SAG rank-and-file picketers (and perhaps a star or two as well) in order to pick up their statue in a live telecast instead of later, has infinitely less gratitude for their personal history and opportunity than I give them credit for.

  This is true despite that without the stars, nobody would give a flying royal fuck about the Screen Actors Guild. Instead of begrudging a single cent of the salaries they make, I’m happy for them. And I’m grateful as hell for those who stand-up for the SAG “team” long after they “need” to, especially when it might take a noteworthy sacrifice such as forgoing a hard earned honor like picking up the Oscar later privately instead of during a telecast with a billion people watching.

  Comment by Sterling Wolfe — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 12:10pm PST  Reply to this post

• “and so it goes”, you’re wrong on almost every account.

  You blathered:
  Are the so called “actors” that are so Gun Ho [sic] to strike really paid working “actors”?

  That’s “gung ho”, pal, and we’re not. Nobody wants a strike – least of all SAG. How can you possibly think that SAG wants to strike? Seriously. How can anybody even say that?

  “…do they really understand what is at stake in the bigger picture?”

  We completely understand the bigger picture. Haven’t you been paying attention? How could any of us possibly miss the potential impact of a labor action?

  “And you def don’t have families to support being so cavalier as to “shut this town down”?! You probably don’t even have representation.”

  Lots of us have families to support, and you’re a jerk for suggesting that we don’t care that our families would be hurt by a strike as well. That’s how important this is to us.

  This is about real business and this town getting itself back on its feet after the WGA strike.

  You actually got this part correct (though I don’t know how). But you’re suggesting that SAG isn’t part of the “real business” in this industry, huh? These are business contract negotiations. It would be a business decision to ask for strike authorization. And it would be a business decision to strike, should that occur.

  The restaurants that most of you clamoring for a strike ACTUALLY wait tables… I’ll just stop this quote right here. That’s your third derogatory shot at actors. You’re an asshole.

  Non-actors are continually bashing actors for having to take other jobs to make ends meet, as if that’s some kind of slap in our face(s). What the hell is your problem with that? It sounds like you’re just spouting ignorant, jealous, childish crap you’ve read somewhere else in an attempt to belittle actors. And every one of you bashers are embarrassing yourselves every time you do it. But it’s nice to know you care. We wish we were acting every day too.

  Sign an interim contract and come back in 3 yrs when we know what market value New Media really has and when SAG has an actual plan!

  Great idea! It’s amazing that nobody’s thought of that before!

  What, are you new? Has it even crossed your mind why SAG hasn’t done just that, Einstein? Oh yeah, you believe we want to strike. Yeah, that must be it.

  The arrogance is unmatched.

  And your ignorance is un… wait – strike that. Lots of people’s ignorance matches yours.

  Look, what people like you fail to realize (or refuse to admit) is that although SAG may hold the power to strike, the AMPTP has every bit of power to avoid that strike by simply agreeing to a fair contract and to stop asking for ridiculous things that they know SAG will not give up – nor should we. And if you still don’t know what “fair” means with regards to the current contract offer then you’re just not paying attention.

  To all of you crew and ancillary entertainment biz workers: we know how you feel, we know you’re frustrated; we know what a strike would mean to everyone involved, and it’s not without concern for you all that we make these difficult decisions. No matter how any of you feel about the negotiations in the past, we all have to look at today and what’s in store for tomorrow, for our union, and for bettering the health of our industry. Caving to management on this contract weakens every union for your own future negotiations.

  SAG doesn’t need your support, but it would be nice if you all could see what’s really going on here, and who/what is really causing the impasse. Then maybe you would know better where to direct your anger and frustration.

  So before you continue bashing SAG for being “arrogant”, “selfish”, etc, why not stop your disdain for SAG (and actors in general) for a few minutes, take a clear look at what the AMPTP is trying to do to SAG (and eventually all unions/guilds), and then you should be able to make clear, rational, informed comments.

  Comment by Anonymous — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 1:04pm PST  Reply to this post

• “Oh and Nikki, Snking the golden globes and oscars as a threat tactic again? Does not even count at all and would only be a sad mirror of WGA’s disaster.”

  Really, Transpo? The specter of the WGA sinking the Globes and Oscars is what got the writers a MUCH better deal than what was originally offered. Perfect deal? Hell no. Good deal. Yes. And it could do the same for SAG. You can be anti-strike, but don’t rewrite history to get your point across.

  Comment by Skull Leader — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 1:15pm PST  Reply to this post

• to “and so it goes”
  I don’t think it’s arrogant for a principled guild to fight for what they feel is a fair deal.

  What’s arrogant now is for us to keep complaining about this open stable door long long LONG after the horse is gone. Whatever principled stand SAG had has long been squandered in petty incompetance. So I think that then people can reasonably ask our Guild that, in lieu of being able to help ourselves, we at least help the industry. And move on.

  Comment by still confused — Tuesday November 18, 2008 @ 3:25pm PST  Reply to this post