SAG Contract Negotiations

15Apr08

“To the bargaining table, Robin!  We haven’t one moment to lose!”  Can you see Adam West saying that?  It’s what SAG is saying to the AMPTP and vice versa - the sooner they get started on talks, the less likely we’ll see a strike like that of the WGA.

Coming from the “outside,” this is all new to me - Hollywood, that is, not unions.  But it appears even actors feel like they’re getting the shaft in this slow-economic pace we currently have.

Here’s what SAG members want: better pay, better benefits and compensation for new media - like internet downloads and product placement.

But there’s some controversy behind all this: first, 1400 SAG members signed a petition (Ben Affleck, Kevin Bacon, Glen Close to name a few) asking the board to NOT allow members who haven’t worked for at least one day a year to vote - they think non-working members might be too quick to strike.  Second, AFTRA is not taking part in the negotiating.  Before, the two used to do it together - AFTRA is going it alone this time around.

Meanwhile, AMPTP says it’ll try to use some of the negotiating it used with the WGA to help come to a quick agreement with the unions. 

While we were out live this morning reporting in Encino from the AMPTP HQ, I noticed something I wanted to share with you.  Outside the building are these nice murals of movie scenes.  One of them is from Gone with the Wind starring Clark Gable.  Any guess where Clark Gable was born?  No Googling this one - see if you can guess.  Here’s a hint: my name.

Do some research.  I’ll post the answer soon.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  
Tags: AFTRA, AMPTP, Clark Gable, contract, Gone with the Wind, SAG, WGA