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Post by rambabe on Dec 9, 2008 19:46:32 GMT -5
SAG meeting supports strikeThanks to cocoa at svufans.net www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=46434SAG meeting supports strike vote Members of US actors' union the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) indicated they were prepared to vote yes in the Guild's upcoming strike authorisation ballot at a town hall meeting held in Hollywood last night. The 450-seat Harmony Gold Theatre was full with SAG members who turned up to hear the union's president, Alan Rosenberg, and national executive director, Doug Allen, tell them why they should vote to give the national board the ability to call a strike. Presentations focused on SAG's core areas of contention in its stalled contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), particularly new media. SAG is demanding jurisdiction over all made-for-new-media productions, rather than the US$15,000-per-minute budget threshold in the AMPTP's final contract offer, as well as residual fees for made-for-internet productions used on other platforms, such as mobile - a demand flatly refused by the Alliance. In recent weeks, SAG has received support from the Writers Guild of America (WGA), a union that managed to negotiate its own new primetime contract only after an industry-crippling 100-day strike early this year. In a press release issued days before a recent round of moderated meetings between the actors and producers' bodies, the WGA claimed that the AMPTP was reneging on their hard-won contract conditions by failing to pay new media residuals. The AMPTP hit back, accusing the WGA of "poisoning" its meetings with SAG, claiming that "new systems were being put in place" to deal with the rapidly changing multi-platform industry. Since then, SAG has renewed its focus on new media, and in recent days has posted a new ad on its website. The ad reads: "The big media conglomerates have said they don't know where new media is going. That the unions need to be patient while they experiment. Yet, according to the industry leaders who run these conglomerates, the future is now." These lines are followed by quotes from industry heavyweights including Fox Entertainment Group head Peter Chernin and CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, in which they praise their companies' multi-platform initiatives. "We view the internet perhaps as our cable play," Moonves is quoted as saying, while Chernin's quote reads: "We look at (Hulu) as a replacement for re-runs." The SAG ad finishes with the line: "Sometimes you can trust what they say." At yesterday's meeting, SAG members suggested they had been enlivened by these campaigns, with almost every member present indicating that they would vote yes in the upcoming ballot in an informal show of hands called by Rosenberg. The meeting did have its detractors, however, notably former board member Mike Farrell and current board member Amy Brenneman, the leader of more moderate SAG leadership faction Unite For Strength. Despite Guild leadership's denunciation of the AMPTP's contract offer, SAG constituents attending the meeting were provided with material that asked them to study the contract on the table for themselves and make their decision based on the facts. SAG also continued to claim that it wants a yes vote only to gain leverage at the bargaining table and would prefer not to have to call a strike. "We want you to study our entire offer at AMPTP.org because we believe that the more people understand our offer, the less likely there will be a strike," the pamphlet read. "Vote with all the facts. And ask yourself whether it makes sense to schedule the vote over the holidays, making it difficult for working actors to vote and ensuring a low voter turnout. We believe all SAG members are entitled to an open, vigorous debate with everyone participating in the vote." SAG has yet to set a date for sending out or receiving voting papers, but has scheduled two further town hall meetings: one in New York on Monday and a second Hollywood meeting the following Wednesday. Emily Brookes 9 Dec 2008 © C21 Media 2008
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Post by Finaddict on Dec 10, 2008 21:42:44 GMT -5
Oh brother. I can't believe these guys are still pushing a strike. And then people wonder why Unions are losing members and power.
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Post by rambabe on Dec 13, 2008 12:37:59 GMT -5
SAG faces dissension from NY Board news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/ap_en_mo/hollywood_laborScreen Actors Guild faces dissension from NY board By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, Associated Press Writer Raquel Maria Dillon, Associated Press Writer Sat Dec 13, 12:47 am ET LOS ANGELES – A faction of the Screen Actors Guild on Friday called for the union to suspend an upcoming vote to authorize a strike amid stalled negotiations with Hollywood producers. The announcement represents a major split between the union's Hollywood leadership and a more moderate group based in New York. The group hopes its opposition will force the union to rethink the timing of its vote scheduled for January. "Our members and our industry are struggling through the worst economic crisis in memory," the New York board said in a statement. "While issuing a strike authorization may have been a sensible strategy in October, we believe it is irresponsible to do so now." The New York division's 14 board members also called for the 71-member national board to hold an emergency meeting to appoint new negotiators to work with the American Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the major studios. "With a fresh team, the AMPTP will return to the table, and we can get a fair deal," the New York board wrote. "A deal that will not cost careers, homes, lives. We want our members to understand that while strikes are sometimes unavoidable, we will do everything in our power to avoid this one." SAG President Alan Rosenberg said he was surprised by the announcement because the group did not approach him first. He said he agreed to call an emergency meeting to discuss "this extraordinarily destructive and subversive action." He would not say when the meeting would be held or what effect the board's opposition may have on the scheduled vote. SAG plans to send strike authorization ballots to more than 100,000 union members on Jan. 2, a date that puts Oscar night within reach of a potential boycott. Votes will be counted on Jan. 23, ahead of the Feb. 22 Academy Awards, the most important date on the Hollywood awards calendar. Approval by 75 percent of voting members is required to pass the measure. If it is approved, the SAG national board can call a strike. Studios and the actors union have been negotiating a new deal since before the previous contract expired June 30. SAG wants union coverage for all Internet-only productions regardless of budget and residual payments for Internet productions replayed online, as well as continued actor protections during work stoppages. Directors, writers, stagehands and another actors union settled for lesser terms and the studios said it was unreasonable for SAG to demand a better deal, especially now that the economy has worsened. AMPTP spokesman Jesse Hiestand declined to comment on the board's announcement. Meanwhile, the guild has been sending e-mails, fact sheets and Web video testimonials by famous actors urging members to vote for the strike authorization. It said Mel Gibson, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Martin Sheen and other actors were among the first signers of SAG's "Statement of Support." The actors union, however, appears to be in transition. In guild elections in September, an upstart group called Unite For Strength broke up the majority control of the national board that had been held by Rosenberg's supporters. But the Unite group has not clarified its position on the strike vote. The guild plans a town hall meeting Monday in New York and another one Wednesday in Hollywood.
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Post by Finaddict on Dec 13, 2008 23:45:32 GMT -5
Well finally some members of SAG have come to their senses. Hats off the the NY group. Thanks for posting the update.
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Post by oowsvu on Dec 13, 2008 23:52:12 GMT -5
this is great!
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Post by Finaddict on Dec 15, 2008 22:01:55 GMT -5
What we don't need is another strike. I hope the NY delegation can prevail in this.
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Post by rambabe on Dec 16, 2008 0:03:09 GMT -5
It's Tom Hanks vs. Mel Gibson as SAG Splits Into Strike Camps news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20081216/en_celeb_eo/73454It's Tom Hanks vs. Mel Gibson as SAG Splits Into Strike Camps Natalie Finn Natalie Finn Mon Dec 15, 8:16 pm ET Los Angeles (E! Online) – All work and no contract has made members of the Screen Actors Guild a surly bunch. While support for an actors' strike was already running thin thanks to the industry-wide burnout still being felt from the 100-day writers' strike in 2007-08, the current state of the nation's economy—not to mention the just-underway awards season—has Hollywood up in arms over what could be another potentially disastrous work stoppage. A select group of A-listers is in favor of authorizing a strike, should SAG leadership choose to go that route, but nearly 150 big-deal actors have now gone ahead and publicized their avowed opposition to such a move. George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Cameron Diaz, Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Charlize Theron, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman and Eva Longoria Parker are among the boldfaced names found on a petition that was sent to SAG national president Alan Rosenberg asking the board to cancel a strike-authorization vote scheduled for Jan. 2. "We feel very strongly that SAG members should not vote to authorize a strike at this time," the petition read. "We don't think that an authorization can be looked at as merely a bargaining tool. It must be looked at as what it is—an agreement to strike if negotiations fail. "We support our union and we support the issues we're fighting for, but we do not believe in all good conscience that now is the time to be putting people out of work." David Boreanaz, Ewan McGregor, Sally Field, Michael C. Hall, Felicity Huffman, Rob Lowe, Kevin Spacey, Josh Brolin, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Donald Sutherland, Billy Crystal, Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Edward Norton, Tobey Maguire, Bradley Whitford and Helen Hunt also lent their signatures to the document. Then again, plenty of A- and B-listers are in favor of authorizing a strike, having signed a "Statement of Support" for Rosenberg & Co.'s studio-fighting tactics. Among the 30 prominent thesps who will stand by SAG if it chooses to play even harder ball are Mel Gibson, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Martin Sheen, Sandra Oh, Jerry O'Connell and Rob Morrow. SAG's contract with the studio-representing Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers expired June 30 and actors have been working under the terms of their own deal ever since. As was the case with the Writers Guild of America, SAG continues to quibble over new-media residuals and other compensation-related issues. The AMPTP's response to SAG's upcoming vote was as follows: "SAG members are going to be asked to bail out a failed negotiating strategy by going on strike during one of the worst economic crises in history. We hope that working actors will study our contract offer carefully and come to the conclusion that no strike can solve the problems that have been created by SAG's own failed negotiation strategy."
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Post by rambabe on Dec 23, 2008 13:06:24 GMT -5
SAG Delays Strike Votehollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/12/sag-delays-stri.htmlSAG delays strike vote Dec 23, 2008, 11:03 AM | by Lynette Rice Categories: TV Biz Fierce opposition from hundreds of high-profile celebrities has prompted the SAG brass to postpone a controversial strike authorization vote in January. Voting was originally set to begin on Jan. 2nd, but now it won't begin until Jan. 14th. Executive Director Doug Allen—together with SAG President Alan Rosenberg—hopes to use the delay to further educate the membership about the negotiations and to unify the now divided organization. "While almost 100 high profile members and 2,524 total members have endorsed the strike authorization vote mandated by the National Board, more than 100 high profile actors and 1,373 actors have lent their names to the opposition campaign," said Allen in a statement posted on the SAG website late Monday. "This division does not help our effort to get an agreement from the AMPTP that our members will ratify." Allen and Rosenberg scheduled a special National Board meeting on Jan. 12 to address the divide. In the last few weeks, two factions have emerged in favor and against next month's strike vote, with A-listers like George Clooney signing a Vote No petition while celebs like Mel Gibson signed another one urging a yes vote. Seventy-five percent of "dues current" members must authorize a strike before the National Board can actually call for one. SAG has been working without a contract since June. The massive actors' union and the conglomerates remain far apart over issues involving production for new media, including TV webisodes.
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Post by Finaddict on Dec 23, 2008 19:51:40 GMT -5
that is certainly good new. I continue to hope that common sense prevails in this.
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Post by rambabe on Jan 15, 2009 12:42:52 GMT -5
www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sag1...0,4904599.story From The Los Angeles Times LABOR Drama dims chances of SAG strike Moderates fail to oust hard-line negotiator Doug Allen but they do manage to undercut his authority over the actors union. By Richard Verrier January 14, 2009 Only a few weeks ago Hollywood's biggest actors union appeared dangerously close to sliding into a strike that would shut down movie and TV production and further depress the region's economy. But a boardroom drama this week has drastically dimmed that prospect. On Tuesday, a majority of the board of the Screen Actors Guild failed in an attempt to oust the union's hard-line chief negotiator, Doug Allen, as supporters closed ranks around him during a nearly 30-hour meeting that was supposed to decide his fate. On the face of it, that was a victory for Allen's supporters. But the self-described moderates on the board achieved a broader goal: to neutralize Allen and his principal supporter, SAG President Alan Rosenberg, and effectively undercut the pair's authority over the 120,000-member union. The moderates' resolve in the face of parliamentary maneuvering by SAG's leaders, observers say, will embolden them to veto any strike that the leadership seeks. "I can't imagine him weathering this political storm to wield any significant influence in the future," said David Smith, a labor economist at Pepperdine University. "Even though they weren't able to remove him, they essentially took away a chunk of his power." A combination of infighting at the Screen Actors Guild, miscalculations by the union's leadership and an unforeseen deterioration of the nation's economy turned what might have been a facile resolution on a new contract with the major studios into a no-win situation that has left SAG grasping for a face-saving measure. Allen and Rosenberg, like union firebrands of yore, have been defiant in their stand against the big studios, contending that they were colluding to rob actors of valuable earnings in the digital age. For weeks the union leaders have tried to convince the deeply divided membership that its only recourse was to show a willingness to strike. The leaders argued that obtaining a strike authorization vote was crucial to gain leverage in negotiations, which deadlocked when SAG demanded better concessions than those clinched by other Hollywood unions. But Allen's handling of the negotiations and his aggressive pursuit of strike authorization -- support for which was never universal and only weakened as the economy soured -- put him sharply at odds with moderate board members and high-profile actors who felt the timing was ill-advised. SAG's leaders called a meeting Monday to discuss the divisions over the strike referendum, which was originally set to occur Jan. 2. Instead, the meeting turned into a tug-of-war over Allen's future. Moderates introduced a resolution calling for Allen to be fired and the negotiating committee to be disbanded. But that failed after Allen's supporters filibustered the vote. The negotiating committee is dominated by a faction that has resolutely backed SAG's leadership. Moderates later accused Allen and his supporters of trying to thwart the majority of the board. "It's important that members know there is great concern among the majority of the SAG board about the way things have been run and the proposed strike authorization," said Morgan Fairchild, the former star of "Falcon Crest" who is now a SAG board member. Allen was unavailable for comment. Rosenberg, who led the meeting, said the motion to fire Allen was ill-conceived and accused his critics of attempting to sabotage the union's negotiations. "For them to blame Doug Allen is beyond my comprehension," Rosenberg said. "He's done a phenomenal job." Rosenberg said the strike referendum would proceed. Nonetheless, it appears unlikely to muster the 75% approval from voters needed to pass. Acting is itinerant work, and many actors fear that employment opportunities will become scarcer with a recession that looks to be long, deep and painful. This week's events were set in motion last month, when SAG's New York members staged a revolt against their leaders and called on them to scrap the planned referendum. They received a powerful endorsement from more than 130 well-known actors, including George Clooney and Tom Hanks. Others, such as Martin Sheen and Mel Gibson, supported the strike authorization. The controversy over Allen's future marks the latest turmoil at SAG, which has had three executive directors in five years. Allen replaced Greg Hessinger, who was fired after just a few months on the job by Rosenberg's supporters, who considered him too moderate. A former official at the NFL Players Assn., Allen was hired to re-energize the union and bring new toughness to negotiations. But from the beginning Allen struggled to adapt to Hollywood's culture. Although supporters praise him as a breath of fresh air, critics see him as a brusque outsider who doesn't understand the nuances of the industry and reflexively sides with the Hollywood-based Membership First faction that swept Rosenberg into office in September 2005. In contrast to leaders at the Writers Guild of America, who worked hard to unify the union before the 100-day writers strike, Allen's tenure has been marked by a series of clashes inside and outside the union. The former linebacker for the Buffalo Bills worked hard to muster support among rank-and-file members but has had trouble winning over many of the big-name actors whose backing would be vital to any strike. Allen has often collided with the guild's New York members, who were especially incensed over his conflict with the smaller actors union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Relations between the actors unions soured after Allen wrote a scathing article in the Screen Actors Guild magazine accusing AFTRA of selling actors short on its contract for work on cable TV shows. Later, Allen and Rosenberg launched an unsuccessful campaign to defeat a prime-time TV contract negotiated by AFTRA, an effort that further divided SAG. The two actors unions share about 44,000 members. The war with AFTRA eventually spawned a moderate group in Hollywood known as Unite for Strength that won key seats on the board, changing the balance of power. richard.verrier@latimes.com
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Post by Finaddict on Jan 15, 2009 19:22:39 GMT -5
Thanks for a most informative update, Rambabe. I am glad that cooloer heads worked behind the scenes to listen the grip of a couple of hardliner. May this all soon end.
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Post by rambabe on Jan 26, 2009 19:51:09 GMT -5
INTERNAL STRIFE DEEPENS FOR HOLLYWOOD ACTORS UNION news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090126/film_nm/us_actors_hollywoodInternal strife deepens for Hollywood actors union By Steve Gorman Steve Gorman 1 hr 5 mins ago LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Union moderates fighting for control of the deeply splintered Screen Actors Guild moved again on Monday to oust hard-line contract negotiators they blame for stalled labor talks with Hollywood's major studios. The move, likely to ratchet up tension within Hollywood's biggest union, took the form of a "written assent," a seldom-used procedure that enables a majority of SAG's national directors to take action outside the boardroom. It came two weeks after SAG's moderate faction, known as Unite For Strength, was thwarted by the union's more militant leaders in a bid to remove executive director Doug Allen and the rest of his contract bargaining team during a contentious two-day board meeting. There was no immediate comment from SAG leaders on whether they would accept the latest move or challenge it, but the Hollywood trade publication Daily Variety reported later in the day that Allen was stepping down. It said he notified staff of his departure in an email that thanked them for their work. Union moderates have accused Allen's allies on SAG's national governing board and SAG President Alan Rosenberg of resorting to "endless parliamentary games" to prevent an up-or-down vote during the January 12-13 session on a motion to oust him and the entire negotiating committee. "This unprecedented level of obstruction has paralyzed the guild," the moderates said in a letter to SAG members. The written assent called for firing Allen and replacing him as executive director with former SAG general counsel David White. Guild senior advisor John McGuire would be named to take Allen's place as chief negotiator. The rest of the negotiating panel would be dissolved and replaced by a "leaner" task force that would presumably be chosen by the board and would seek to complete contract talks. SAG's 120,000 members have been without a film and prime-time TV contract since their old labor pact expired June 30, after negotiations collapsed and studio presented their "final" offer for a new deal. The two sides were most firmly at odds on how actors should be paid for work on the Internet, seen widely as the main distribution pipeline for visual entertainment in the future. (Editing by Anthony Boadle)
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Post by rambabe on Feb 22, 2009 13:11:53 GMT -5
SAG gives thumbs-down to 'last, best, and final offer' from studiosFeb 21, 2009, 11:58 PM | by Lynette Rice hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/02/sag-gives-thumb.htmlIt's not over, everybody. Hours before Hollywood was preparing to reward a lucky few of its members with an Academy Award, the Screen Actors Guild on Saturday announced that it voted 73% to 27% to reject the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers' latest and "last" offer dated Feb. 19. The board took issue with the conglomerates' "last-minute, surprise demand" to extend the proposed deal to March 2012 -- meaning the new SAG contract, if approved, would expire several months after those achieved by the other Hollywood unions. "The last-minute...demand for a new term of agreement extending to 2012 is regressive and damaging and clearly signals the employers' unwillingness to agree to the deal they established with other entertainment unions," according to a SAG statement. "The demand for a new term of agreement was not part of their final offer of June 20, 2008." That was before talks between the two sides dragged on...and on. According to an AMPTP source, SAG wants its new deal to expire around spring of 2011 -- roughly the time when the three-year agreements are set to end for the WGA, DGA, and AFTRA (the other actor's union). Since it's taken many months to achieve a pact with SAG, however, the congloms don't appear eager to reward the actors with a shorter deal that expires at the same time as everybody else -- thus the extension. But the AMPTP offered a compromise: should SAG and AFTRA kiss, make up, and bargain together in 2011, the new contract will go into effect for both unions and the remaining months on SAG's previous deal would disappear. But SAG wasn't buying it. "The AMPTP intends to de-leverage our bargaining position from this point forward," the SAG statement said. "The AMPTP has clearly stated their need and desire for financial certainty and industry peace. This new proposal does the exact opposite, and will only result in constant negotiating cycles and continued labor unrest." The AMPTP responded with this statement: "The Producers' offer is strong and fair -- and has been judged to be strong and fair by all of Hollywood's other major guilds and unions. We have kept our offer on the table -- and even enhanced it -- despite the historically unprecedented economic crisis that has clobbered our nation and our industry. "The producers have always sought a full three-year deal with SAG, just as we negotiated with all the other unions and guilds, and have offered SAG a way to achieve an earlier expiration date without contributing to further labor uncertainty. We simply cannot offer SAG a better deal than the rest of the industy achieved under far better economic conditions than those now confronting our industry."
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Post by Finaddict on Feb 23, 2009 6:28:13 GMT -5
I still think this is ridiculous. In this economy a Strike would be foolish. Thansk for the update.
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Post by rambabe on Feb 27, 2009 18:56:17 GMT -5
Daily Variety February 27, 2009 AMPTP's Nick Counter to retire Org's president will step down on March 31 By DAVE MCNARY AMPTP prexy Nick Counter, who's headed labor negotiations for the majors for nearly three decades, will retire on March 31. The move, which had been expected, comes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Screen Actors Guild in a stalemate over the guild's feature-primetime deal. The AMPTP made the announcement Friday and noted that Counter's retirement had been expected with his current five-year contract expiring March 31. It added that once he retires, he will serve as a consultant to the AMPTP on all labor matters including the SAG negotiations. The AMPTP said that a search is underway for a replacement and that Carol Lombardini, the No. 2 exec at the AMPTP as executive VP of business and legal affairs, will serve as acting president. Counter has been AMPTP president since 1982. He's been chief negotiator on 311 labor deals, including pacts last year with the DGA, WGA, AFTRA, casting directors and IATSE. The announcement could also open the door down the line for the companies to begin working on a revamp of the AMPTP in order to be less unwieldy -- possibly into several separate entities. The org negotiates 80 industry-wide collective bargaining agreements on behalf of over 350 member companies include the production entities of the studios, broadcast networks and some of the cable networks and independent producers. The low-key Counter was at the center of attention during the 100-day strike by the Writers Guild of America in 2007-08. Negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA were often contentious due to both sides taking hardline stances on the issues of new-media compensation. After negotiations cratered in December 2007, the CEOs for the companies joined with Counter in becoming directly involved in negotiations with the DGA and were able to hammer out a deal a month later with a new-media template. The WGA agreed in early February to similar general terms as did AFTRA in two deals in the spring. But the SAG negotiations, which launched last April, have been troubled throughout with SAG's contract now eight months past expiration. SAG's elected leaders replaced both national exec director Doug Allen and their negotiating committee earlier this year, leading to the expectation that a deal would emerge subsequently. But last week's round of negotiations broke down over the issue over when SAG's deal would expire. SAG's signaled it's willing to accept the AMPTP's "last, best, final" offer but it's also insisting that the deal must expire on June 30, 2011 -- three years after its current contract expired -- because it needs to remain aligned with the WGA, AFTRA and DGA expirations. The AMPTP is insisting the SAG deal has to last a full three years from ratification, taking the expiration to at least March 2012, because all of its contracts run three years and it needs the guarantee of as much labor peace as possible. Early indications that have emerged this week are that neither side is in any mood to compromise, such as splitting the difference and agreeing to expiration in late 2011. Instead, one likely scenario is that SAG leaders will leave the issue in abeyance until they complete most or all of their joint negotiation with AFTRA on a new commercials contract with the advertising industry. Those talks launched Monday in New York under a news blackout with the schedule calling for a full week of talks this week, a break next week and three more weeks of talks up to the March 31 expiration. SAG and AMPTP have not commented about the impasse since the weekend. SAG's board also decided Saturday on a split vote against sending out a strike authorization to members, which would have needed a steep 75% endorsement from those voting to pass. SAG's website, however, still endorses a strike authorization and blasts the AMPTP's offer. The AMPTP's website still contains a counter that calculates how much money SAG members have lost by failing to accept the congloms' three-year offer on June 30, including $250 million in pay gains. As of Thursday, the loss figure had topped $55.3 million. Read the full article at: www.variety.com/article/VR1118000654.html
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