The Screen Actors Guild has approved a two-year contract with producers covering features and primetime TV shows, according to a SAG statement released to the media tonight. The vote concludes a bitter year-long power struggle between moderate and hardliners within the actor's union, and ends the threat of a walk out, at least for now. Former SAG president Melissa Gilbert endorsed the deal, along with high-profile members like Tom Hanks, George Clooney, and Sally Field, according to Variety. But current president and hardline leader Alan Rosenberg vowed in the SAG statement to fight on. "The membership has spoken and has decided to work under the terms of this contract that many of us… believe to be devastatingly unsatisfactory. Tomorrow morning I will be contacting the elected leadership of the other talent unions with the hope of beginning a series of pre-negotiation summit meetings in preparations for 2011." A statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was much more upbeat about the deal, which was approved by 77 percent of the SAG members casting votes. "The ratification vote by SAG members is good news for the entertainment industry," it reads.
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18 months to come to an agreement, now 24 months before SAG disrupts the lives of all of the hard-working below-the-line people in order to attempt to line their own pockets again! Work with other unions and stop being so damned selfish, SAG!!!
Jim, you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. SAG is not in the least selfish. They have proven their unselfishness, by approving a terrible deal with horrible drawbacks to the working actor/actress. It is not SAG that is affecting the crews and third party vendors. SAG is only attempting to achieve a fair deal. Have you even read the subpar deal that AMPTP offered to SAG? I have and it is extremely unfair to actors. SAG did not ask for more than the other unions. SAG only accepted this deal (as bad as it is) for the good of Hollywood production (and below the line people) like you. You should be pleased that they (SAG) not the AMPTP cares about their members AND all the other unions, plus the entire industry.
Next time, before making judgements and being critical of information you are unfamilar with, YOU need to make sure to have the facts and understand the needs of actors are NOT the same as yours (or even the other unions).
Alan Rosenberg is fully correct in this.
I wish people in Hollywood could remember that once AMPTP tears down and brings a union to it’s knees, all the other unions will soon follow. This is what the congloms want. This is not, however, what union members want … and I don’t care what union you’re in. As long as the rollbacks keep coming and the unions keep fighting within, all of us stand to lose money over and over to non-union talent and crew. It’s hit the tv industry hard and now it’s aiming harder at film. Quite honestly, the only way to make a suitable living anymore is for everyone to start becoming a producer. And I am not just talking about the actors here. IATSE is now forced to work 400 hours instead of 300 to qualify for health care. But they are the fools who signed away the deal. The Writers Guild signed away for compensation in New Media and aren’t getting their contract honored. Now the ship of fools at SAG signed away all residuals and have in their place $23 per person. Won’t be long before unions HISTORY