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I just got back in my office to find this announcement. My sources say the tentative pact is merely a carbon copy of the AFTRA-AMPTP agreement with a few feature bones thrown in. Nothing that was unexpected. Nothing that was hard fought beyond the 2-year/3-year change-up. Because that’s what the SAG National Majority did in this negotiation: nothing. And that’s what SAG got as a result: nothing. And now the economy is picking up.
LOS ANGELES (April 17, 2008) – The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and Screen Actors Guild today announced that the parties have reached tentative agreement on successor agreements to the Producer-Screen Actors Guild Codified Basic Agreement.
Details of the agreement covering television programs and motion pictures will not be disclosed prior to review by the SAG national board of directors this Sunday, April 19, at a previously scheduled board meeting via videoconference in Los Angeles and New York.
Screen Actors Guild will present the tentative agreement to the Screen Actors Guild board of directors for approval and referral to the membership for ratification.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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The sell out is complete.
Is it over?
And by odd coincidence it’s the same day YouTube starts rolling out brand new shows from CBS and Crackle online. How much am I getting paid for that again?
This just proves that actors are stupid. If they were as vocal about their contract negations and the studios as they about their politics they could have gotten a better contract. Actors think they know whats best for us, yet they can’t even take care of their own union contracts—MOROONS
I hope this is true. If an agreement is presented at this plenary, there will be a chance for the membership to vote. There will be a 25% no vote on the National Board so there will be a Con Statement included with the ballot. Finally, we will find out if the membership is as stupid as New York, the Regional Branch Division and the AMPTP think they are.
For those of us who make our living from one day player job to the next, a contract without residuals will not fly.
Well it’ been wait-and-see for some time now. A few more days won’t hurt anything. I had heard about this tentative board meeting, now I know the agenda. I won’t say whether or not I’ll approve of this contract offer until I see it, but I’m not exactly optimistic about what it will contain, either.
The National Majority fired Doug Allen because (they said) he couldn’t get a fair contract offer from the AMPTP. And what is this? Essentially the same offer. Is David White gonna fire himself or John McGuire for the same reason(s)? Not. I was open-minded when the new group took over and I had hoped for something good to come of it. Obviously, the smoke has dissipated and the mirrors are all now cracked. The new board, NED and task force have done nothing to improve our position.
Interesting to hear that the contract offer is at least what the AFTRA contract is/was. Still on that note, the AFTRA contract ain’t gonna get ratified by the SAG membership. We’ve all had far too much time to learn what this contract will do to SAG in the future, and to learn what the moguls are planning to use the internet for.
(Side note: SONY just announced a deal to show SONY TV and Movies on YouTube. You think they’ll make tons of money doing that? Yep. Any residual structure (profit participation in place for actors (or writers) on those productions delivered via new media? Nope.)
The cat’s pretty much out of the bag. We know the truth about management’s goals (to kill residuals, among other things). Let’s use that knowledge to our advantage for a change. All SAG membership has to do now is stand firm on what we know to be true, and not falter because of pressure from outside sources (sister unions, management, producer/actors, our own friggin’ board, etc) to “play ball”. Screw that! I’m in this to make a living doing what I love and there’s no reason I should have to do it for free when there’s so much money lining management’s deep pockets.
Any of you fellow SAG members who are unclear as to what this contract means to our future, please, please, please take some time and do some simple research – from all sides. Your future as a wage-earning actor depends on it. But remember, the SAG website is no longer your friend. Any “information” you get from there is suspect, just as the National Majority and their ulterior motives are. Search Nikki’s website for other pertinent contract conversations and look at all sides. Search the web. The information, the truth is there for you.
We members are every bit as powerful as we believe we can be – but the inverse is also true. Every member gets a vote. The recent Presidential election showed how powerful a single vote can be. Keep that in mind when that SAG ballot comes in the mail. Make the small effort to vote, and spend the damn 42 cents on a postage stamp. Show that you care about where your career is headed, and let your voice be heard!
In solidarity,
Nikki wrote: Nothing that was hard fought beyond the 2-year/3-year change-up.
Do we know the result of that fight yet? Will the deal expire in June 2011 or June 2012, or did they split the difference?
Can’t wait to see how well we perform with our tails now firmly planted between our legs. Congrats are due to all the AMPTP. Very shrewdly done. Time to start producing, I guess.
I see a parade down Fifth avenue. Ticker tape, the whole thing: White, McGuire, Vaughn, Masur , Freed, Brenneman, Arkin, Farrell, Cromwell.
Hail the conquering heroes.
O.K. I guess the fair haired high profile friendly first National Majority members in favor of going along to get along will just be so happy when the companies start inserting products like Viagra and Depends in their hands during their next film, and reminding them to play nice and go along, after all they agreed to it. I cannot wait to read about the first high profile dispute. Nikke, you can count the days until you can write a big TOLDJA!
And I guess the rest of us poor slacker actors in the biz can forget about giving up the second job.
VOTE NO ON ANY CONTRACT THAT DOES NOT KEEP THE SAME RESIDUALS, THE SAME PRODUCT PLACEMENT TERMS, THE SAME FORCE MAJEURE PROTECTIONS, ETC, ETC.
If I am gonna be stuck at my second job by voting either way, I might as well let them know how much I appreciate their effort. VOTE NO.
Well that’s not quite true. I believe it still has to be ratified by the membership. The question is what will the membership do? I have no idea because the current leadership came into power in a coup and therefore don’t represent the membership at large. I’m sure they will tell us this is the best deal ever and we should sign it so we can all work, etc, etc. And the Membership First guys will come out with the “We’re all gonna die if we ratify this thing” crap that they do. Tell me, do moderates exist in America anymore? How does one make an informed decision when all sides are so extreme? I for one have given up hope. Doesn’t matter to me if we ratify it or we strike. It really doesn’t. Because I have finally accepted the fact that I will have to get a real job. And this has been coming for a long time. It won’t be the first negotiation we’ve dropped the ball on.
…wouldn’t exactly categorize the economy as “picking up.” At best Wall Street (not the “real economy”) is leveling out at a bottom…
Bend over and kiss your residuals goodbye.
We already know from news reports from various sources over the past few months that the tentative agreement is not substantively different from the LBF SAG voters overwhelmingly rejected in the postcard poll just a few months ago.
IOW, the tentative agreement – barring some HUGE surprises – has the same onerous new media, residuals, product placement, and image licensing provisions as the LBF.
This is not about one SAG faction versus another, or what A-list actors – many of whom are producer multi-hyphenates – want, or even the state of the economy. The question is, does this proposed agreement meet the needs of actors, particularly in new media.
Clearly, the answer to that question is a resounding no. And that’s how SAG members should vote on this.
DH, nobody wants to hear it.
Our town is suffering and this issue is a huge part of it. Put it to rest, lets get some movies and TV shows filming again!
In a couple years when all the unions deals are about to expire, it can be re-addressed. But I for one know too many good people who are great at their jobs who are unemployed, and it needs to stop.
Good job new SAG leaders! Our town needs some action again!
SAG is not a union… it’s a cadaver…
But short lived. I won’t be voting for this thing. I will continue to fight for something better.
Today, every SAG actor auditioned for the role of Prison Bitch.
Isn’t that interesting? They will not disclose the details of the deal. I guess they are not proud of it and need time to spin their spin. Can’t see voting for the AFTRA deal no matter how they try and dress it up.
Nobody to blame but our own guild. DGA spent over million $ for their own study on profits from new media and went to the table with facts in hand. SAG wanted the world but had nothing to back up their claims. Why is anyone surprised?
The sell out is only complete if the members ratify this crappy deal. VOTE NO!
If the deal is the same as AFTRA, then I will simply vote no.
Please explain why we just shelled out a fortune to White and McGuire to do nothing.
I look to the next union elections to minimize any further damage Unite for Strength and AFTRA (especially Reardon) can inflict on all actors.
And to all the sellout celebrities who forgot where you came from, I hope the paparazzi make a fortune off your arrogance and stupidity.
New media is here! Get your foot out of your mouth and in the door! Once it closes, you’ll see why most of us wanted to fight for it.
What a bunch of chuckleheads.
What leads’ you to believe the economy is picking up?
Where’s my Vaseline?