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Yes, SAG and the AMPTP are scheduled to meet on Thursday thanks to federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s shuttle diplomacy. No one knows if it’s with the AMPTP full committee, but I know that SAG is making arrangements for its entire negotiating committee to be available. Expectations are less than zero that the AMPTP will even consider budging from its New Media positions under the guise that the guild is lucky a last best offer was made before the economic climate worsened. Meanwhile, SAG intends to keep pushing for its $60 million in overdue force majeure payments from the majors, since it’s one of the few bargaining chips which the guild has to play with the AMPTP short of a strike authorization. The Hollywood CEOs want those debts forgiven and the whole force majeure payment issue removed from future SAG contracts. Meanwhile, there’s still plenty of time for SAG to sink both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards broadcasts.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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This is sounding more and more like “I’m going to set myself on fire hoping to burn that guy over there.”
“the talent. Without them you got nothing. Nothing.”
Comment by Agent Provocateuer.
Yeah, the “writers” said the same thing, and I will remind you, ass hat, that NO one group is the guiding force of this industry. We, the people who do the work behind the scenes are JUST as important as “actors”, just as important as “writers”. Without us, nothing works….without actors, nothing works. We ALL do our part, so stfu and get a dose of reality.
Actually none of us posting here will have any effect whatsoever on what happens Thurday in Sherman Oaks. A deal may already be in the works or SAG may call for the strike authorization vote – who knows? Our fighting only increases the stress levels and divides us all further. I guess I am just so tired of coming here and getting my blood boiled by DHD that I think I will just let the shit storm happen here without me for a while. Good night and good luck!
To all the loser extras and pathetic has beens that post here:
Stop blaming the AMPTP and the JPC for all your problems. Get on a bus and go back to wherever you came from and LEAVE MY UNION ALONE!
“…if you can’t make money as an actor, you`re either incredibly stupid or tragically unlucky.”
John Malkovich
Open letter to all SAG “undecideds” and/or those who under no circumstances would vote yes and even authorize the strike (since authorizing the strike does not necessarily mean a strike):
IF producers continue to refuse to negotiate and IF a strike authorization vote goes out, you might want to consider the (to you) distasteful position you’re going to be put in, and be careful how to cast your vote.
Consider that if producers were dismissing the possibility of strike completely, film production would be at full steam. It isn’t. But on the other hand, reports are that film production will be increasing back to normal levels in 2009 — suggesting that producers have the choice of either risking strike, or having the 2009-2010 film release schedule further decimated.
If you vote “yes” or at least abstain, studio heads will no longer be able to ignore the possibility that the 2009-2010 film schedule will be fully shot to hell — and -their- profits and jobs will be at risk.
If, on the other hand, you vote “no” and a 75% margin is not achieved, we will be giving producers a big huge “go ahead” sign to stick it to us harder. Whatever inadequate offer is on the table will be withdrawn and replaced with something that even you find acceptable.
With 87.5% of SAG who returned their advisory cards having deemed the current offer as unacceptable, that ship has sailed. No way in hell will that offer go out to membership. And, if a strike authorization vote is sought and it fails to get 75% “yes,” that offer will go “poof” anyway. Whether you like it or not, you won’t be able to accept an offer that’s no longer there.
SAG cannot “continue to negotiate” as per your preference when the other side steadfastedly refuses to negotiate. Sadly, the federal mediator is the last attempt to bring producers to the table.
I know of NO SAG member who’s “gung ho” for a strike, least of all you.
But a “yes” vote means that we’re serious about our stance that producers have to return to the negotiation table to work something out.
A “no” vote virtually guarantees that producers will feel that they can stick it to us harder, and replace the current offer with something that even -you- will find unacceptable.
Despite the landslide indication of how unacceptable the current offer is, you might find yourself wishing that we’d just accept the current offer (despite the fact that probably a simple majority of us believe it’s a move down the road to eliminating residuals forever, and totally unacceptable).
But if and when that strike authorization vote goes out, whether you “like” the current offer or not will have no impact on the world that is.
If the strike vote goes out, voting “yes” equals the -possibility- of producers coming back to the table knowing that we don’t and won’t rule out using the one tool we have left against a group that -refuses- to negotiate at all, let alone in good faith.
A “no” vote means that producers will feel confident there’s -nothing- were going to “do about it,” so they can screw us even harder than the current offer.
But consider your vote carefully, because a “no” vote doesn’t mean you’ll get to consider the appalling package currently offered, even if you like it.
Once that vote goes out, we’re moving forward, or backward — depending on the vote. The only thing a “no” vote will do is pull the current offer off the table and replace it with something worse.
God knows what we’ll do if a strike -authorization- vote goes out and fails, but accepting the current offer, whether you like it or not, simply won’t be an option.
I want to start off by addressing Joe Cool’s comments about Unions.
First of all Joe Cool, your not “Cool” your a fool, without Unions we would not have the Wages we have now, we would not have the retirement plan and most importantly we would not have the medical benefits we have now. Just recently my wife had to have major surgery, which would cost my family $25K out of pocket if we didn’t have a medical plan, that I feel makes it worth the long, hard hours we work from our families we work to make your Guild members look good. With out us Technicians you folks would be in the dark, I might add, but I guess that doesn’t matter to you folks.
So, Joe Cool, you are the biggest fool!.
Now on to you other folks, that think your cause matters more than the rest of the Unions, it’s not our fault that the top 15% are so greedy that they keep the rest of the 85% working as Waiter and Waitresses, this industry is our livelihood, not a hobby that can be taken lightly like your 85% seems to take it as, again that’s your problem not ours.
The last thing I want to say is that the Strike by the Writer’s and your Guild’s attempt to shut this town down, has created a Monster and that Monster is Reality Televison, which is growing bigger each passing day,
this Monster has put in the limelight people that are not actor’s, people who have no talent, people who have no skills in the art of acting.
This one is on you folks, those people are in the limelight while you folks, fight over money you’ll never see, if this continues, and you’ll be waiting tables to these so-called Stars of Reality TV, and putting up with their arrogant ways, all because you let them take over the town.
The reality is that, we feel for you guys, but as a Union member who’s income along with others, has been reduced by over 50% this year, and the possibility of losing our Medical benefits, with these Labor disputes by you folks and the Writer’s guild, it’s difficult even to fathom weathering a strike, after not having any work for the last 3 to 4 months.
I just hope that everyone gets what they want, so we can all go back to work without anyone losing any more than they already have, it’s been a long, tough year.
hopefully the children around the world will have fun younger years before they become sag members……..
prestige competition….let me ask you a question….would any of you not take a role or make a movie at expense of another actor/director etc?….unions are for blue color assembly lines not this diverse business…..
your system has failed………as have republicans
Sterling Wolfe makes some good points except that they are at least a half a year too late. Strike authorization now? c’mon Sterling, isn’t this starting to feel a bit ridiculous?
This round of negotiations has been completely botched, completely mismanaged. And now, after all of that…after there already being a devastating strike in the business this year, after an embarassing war with AFTRA, after a serious downturn in the economy, now SAG wants us to hand them authorization for the ultimate weapon…?
Well…except that they don’t. Yet. Thank God. But please, you only give a weapon to leadership that knows how to use it.
come on SAG. if you see that the country does not care about bailing out the auto industry, do you really think that they care about the second rate Guild called SAG.
Now is NOT the time. I am sympathetic to the union in this, but now is not the time for another strike. Maybe they can make a really short term agreement for like a year to give the country time to get out of our economic problems before they tackle these contract issues on a long term basis. As Americans, we need to all suck it up and do whatever we can to help each other and our country face the financial problems we have. Going on strike, putting more people out of work when many Americans are facing the toughest economic times of their lives is a horrible idea.
IJS:
You say the -country- has a say in what deal SAG negotiates? I could have sworn it was just SAG leadership who would negotiate and recommend on a deal to membership if they felt it was satisfactory, and similar for producers.
But now the -country- is involved in the negotiation process? Damn, man. That’s a lot of peops! I guess we should go to Costco and start grabbing a few hundred million chairs for the sitdown. And if you wouldn’t mind, can you call Guiness book and keep ‘em posted on the head count, because that’s gotta be pretty big table to accommodate all the peops.
It saddens me that just our entire country gets a say in the SAG/AMPTP negotiations, as the outcome effects many more around the globe. I sure hope that three years from now we correct that and get the world citizenry involved in the SAG/AMPTP negotiations, and not just our country, cuz I hate to think that we’ve become a bunch of xeonophobic bastards.
Guess we better limit the snacks for the next round though, because I imagine that having had to provide a billion or so donuts for this round was tough enough.
Thanks for clarifying the logistics of how our “second rate guild” negotiates contracts. No wonder it’s so hard to reach agreements, huh?
If the actor’s strike no one will come join them or support them like during the WGA. They are fighting a loosing battle. Seriously, the writer’s got nothing in February except a lot of contempt from co-workers that will not settle for years. It takes a lot of people to make a movie and I’m tired of saving divas ( oh sorry, actors) careers. It’s because of people like us that you get work again.