Screen strike threats stir bad vibes

It's Harper vs. Gilbert in SAG race
LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Rhoda" star Valerie Harper will challenge "Little House on the Prairie" actress Melissa Gilbert for the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild. Current President William Daniels said Friday he won't run for a second term and endorsed Harper for the job. Harper, 61, said she hopes to unite militant members of the union with the more conservative factions. "We need to get off our positions and bury the hatchet," Harper said. "I think that my being a centrist can be a real plus." Gilbert, 37, a member of the union's national board, announced her candidacy Wednesday, saying the organization was suffering from internal divisions. Ballots go out to SAG members in mid-October, and election results will be announced in early November

Actor unions submit tentative deal
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The heads of the West Coast chapter of the Hollywood performer unions have submitted a tentative contract settlement for a vote by the guilds' nearly 135,000 members. The East Coast chapter of the guilds, based in New York City, is expected to do the same later this week. After that, a ratification vote conducted through mail-in ballots will take about five weeks to complete. The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists require a simple majority of votes to certify the pact, which negotiators recommended July 3, three days after the previous contract expired. Throughout last year, many within the entertainment industry had feared an actors strike, which could have crippled TV and movie production and cost the area economy billions of dollars in lost revenue. SAG president William Daniels has said he believes there is little chance the guild members would reject the deal.
 

Actors' unions accept tentative deal
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two things helped Hollywood actors avert a debilitating strike against the TV and movie industries: A painful rehearsal and being upstaged. Last year's devastating commercial actors walkout and a deal struck a month ago by screenwriters motivated the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to forge a tentative contract Tuesday without a work stoppage. Many of the gains made in the actors' settlement, which must be approved by a majority of the guilds' 135,000 members, mirror those in the contract for the Writers Guild of America, which was ratified June 4. The writers secured a 3.5% raise in minimum pay for movies and TV shows, and SAG spokesman Greg Krizman said the actors' deal "was in that ballpark," although specifics were not released.
 

Hollywood labor talks enter 3rd day
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Another round of negotiations between representatives of movie and television actors and producers have wrapped up after more than 16 hours of talks. Negotiators for the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists planned to return to the table Tuesday afternoon. On their third day without a contract, Hollywood actors remained optimistic that they could reach a deal without a strike that could shut down TV and movie production. The old contract expired Sunday at 12:01 a.m. AFTRA spokeswoman Pamm Fair said the marathon bargaining signaled that progress was being made. "The fact that we're still here indicates there's a reason to still be here," she said.
 

Update: Actors, producers talks to resume
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Their old contract expired, Hollywood actors and producers made progress toward a new pact that would avoid an industry-crippling strike. Negotiators for the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ended 14 hours of talks about midnight Sunday amid signs that the lengthy negotiations would lead to a new deal. They were expected to resume talks Monday. The actors' contract expired Sunday at 12:01 a.m. and most of the 100 negotiators appeared in good spirits later in the morning when they returned to the headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for bargaining. AFTRA spokeswoman Pamm Fair said late Sunday that the marathon bargaining signaled that progress was being made.
 

Actor contract talks intensify
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hours after their old contract expired, Hollywood actors went back at the bargaining table with producers Sunday in hopes of averting an industry-crippling strike. "We're all working," said Screen Actors Guild spokesman Greg Krizman, who would not comment on whether an agreement was close. The actors' contract had expired at 12:01 a.m. Most of the negotiators appeared in good spirits as they returned to the headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers later Sunday morning. Even if talks broke down between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, no strike was imminent, Krizman said. Before beginning a walkout, the guild would require a strike authorization vote from members. A vote would take four or five weeks. The expired contract will remain in effect as long as the talks progress. Neither side has commented in detail about the status of negotiations.
 

Actor talks near contract deadline
LOS ANGELES (AP) - As the contract deadline nears for Hollywood actors, negotiators for performers and studios are trying to resolve key issues that include residuals and pay for middle-class actors, the majority of guild membership. Both sides maintain a news blackout as the 12:01 a.m. Sunday deadline approaches. While the state of the talks isn't publicly known, a breakdown could devastate the Los Angeles-area economy, costing billions in lost revenue. The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have not called for a strike authorization vote, but a breakdown in talks could trigger one. Among the guilds' top concerns is increasing residual payments for shows rebroadcast on cable and in foreign markets. They also want higher initial pay for screen work and assurances that studios will limit the number of productions filmed outside the United States.

Signs are positive for early SAG deal
LOS ANGELES (Variety) - As negotiations opened last week between actors and studios, confidence overtook the industry as hopes emerged that a deal would be done long before the June 30 contract expiration. Studio execs turned their attention to casting film projects with fall start dates. The Screen Actors Guild even pulled the plug on an "external" contract campaign, saying it only plans to focus on communicating with members. Labor analyst Daniel Mitchell, a UCLA professor of management and public policy, said optimism about an early deal may be justified because of the similarities between the Writers Guild of America and SAG contracts in areas like residuals. Still, not everyone expects a completed deal soon. SAG chief negotiator Brian Walton declared last week that he expects talks to go up to June 30 and other insiders contend that the notion of an early deal is wishful thinking for two reasons: The need for union negotiators to show members that they held out as long as possible, and the sheer complexity of the process.

Performer guilds begin talks
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The two Hollywood performer guilds have begun negotiations for a new contract aimed at improving pay for middle-income actors. Negotiators for the guilds downplayed the likelihood of a strike but conceded it's possible if there's no deal by the June 30 contract deadline. The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists began the afternoon bargaining session Tuesday at the Encino, Calif.-based headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Leaders of the guilds said their priority will be improving conditions for character actors and supporting players who earn less than $70,000 annually rather than multimillion-dollar stars. Of the nearly 135,000 total performers represented by the two guilds, only about 2% earn more than $100,000 a year. The guilds have not detailed specific new contract proposals, but officials indicated they want an increase in residual payments for shows rebroadcast on cable and in foreign markets.

Performers guilds talk contract
LOS ANGELES (AP) - In a business ruled by celebrity, two performer guilds said Monday they plan to seek better pay and working conditions for little-known actors. Representatives of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are expected to begin negotiations Tuesday for a new three-year contract. "We believe there is a deal to be made," said SAG President William Daniels. Guild leaders did not specify how much of an increase they will seek. But they said talks will focus on helping thousands of middle-income actors earning less as production costs rise. "These negotiators are all about working people who have families, mortgages, car payments," said John Connolly, an AFTRA negotiator. "We think you should be able to make a living and that's what these negotiations are about." The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents most studios and networks in the talks, had no immediate response.

Update: SAG gets turn at table May 15
LOS ANGELES (Variety) - The Screen Actors Guild's much-anticipated contract talks with producers are set to begin May 15, sources say. The negotiations will start with caucuses followed by an exchange of proposals. SAG has not confirmed the date, but spokesman Greg Krizman indicated that the talks would not begin this week because the negotiating team had to rearrange schedules following the May 4 conclusion of the Writers Guild of America talks. He said the extra time was needed due to logistical concerns, "particularly for people who have to travel to Los Angeles from other parts of the country." SAG and AFTRA reps had proposed a May 10 start a month ago, but had also told the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that they would not launch their talks until the end of WGA negotiations. The SAG/AFTRA contract covering film and primetime TV expires June 30.

SAG, AFTRA will seek salary hike
LOS ANGELES (Variety) - Setting aside their recent feud, leaders of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have unanimously approved a film and TV contract proposal containing significant hikes in salary minimums. The pact received an 86-0 approval at last week's Western section of the SAG/AFTRA joint national board, followed by a similarly strong endorsement by the Eastern section. The tentative start date for negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is May 10, assuming Writers Guild of America talks have concluded at that point. The show of solidarity comes following a period of soured relations between SAG and AFTRA, which have a combined membership of about 130,000.

Earlier this year, a schism appeared after AFTRA's board turned down a SAG request to cut the number of AFTRA negotiating team reps to reflect the far smaller contribution of AFTRA performers under the film and TV contract. The approval also comes with Hollywood fearful that the actors will strike when their contract expires on June 30. Leaders of both unions have tried to squelch such speculation, insisting they do not want to stage another work stoppage after striking advertisers for six months last year.

Hollywood techs consider porn work
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mainstream movie technicians and actors are looking to the pornography industry to line up work in case of a strike by actors and writers. At Sin City Entertainment, a number of people have called inquiring about jobs, including a few mainstream film editors, grips, one director of photography and "several B-movie actors and actresses looking for non-sexual roles," said spokesman Jeff Wozniak. Jimmy Flynt II, director of marketing and public relations for Hustler, founded by his uncle Larry, said he's logged at least three dozen calls in recent months from Hollywood technicians inquiring about temporary work. Hustler produces about six videos a month requiring 120 film free-lancers, including cinematographers, production managers and line producers. "People of very high caliber are interested in finding work," said Flynt.

Flynt said the pay generally is less than Hollywood union scale, noting that a line producer will make $2,500 for a three-day adult shoot versus $50,000 to $75,000 for a regular movie. Contracts covering TV and movie writers expire May 1. A strike by the Screen Actors Guild, whose contract expires June 30, is also looming. Union leaders told the Los Angeles Times that they hadn't heard whether members had been contacting the porn shops. Prolonged strikes by Hollywood writers and actors would cost the local economy nearly $6.9 billion and cause an economic slowdown, according to a study commissioned by Mayor Richard Riordan.

SAG says strike unlikely
LOS ANGELES (Variety) - The chief negotiator for the Screen Actors Guild, acknowledging the pervasive fear of a crippling industry shutdown, has declared a SAG/AFTRA strike is unlikely but has not been discarded as an option. "While I think a strike is unlikely, it is not out of the question if an intransigent employers' group forces one on the industry," said Brian Walton in a message to the 98,000 SAG members. "And if a well-informed SAG - having tried and then exhausted all reasonable options - were required to strike by foolish and myopic behavior of studio and network negotiators who had failed to address what has to be addressed in these negotiations, that strike would close this industry down," Walton said. "We need not mention this again because a strike, however, is not the goal. Reaching a reasonable and achievable agreement is the goal." Talks have been tentatively set to start May 10, seven weeks before the June 30 contract expiration, if the upcoming Writers Guild of America negotiations have concluded.

Screen strike  bad vibes
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Screen Actors Guild president William Daniels said debate within the acting community over a potential for a strike later this year has forged hard feelings that could hurt contract negotiations. "It troubles me to hear so much talk of another strike," Daniels said. "There is no good that can come from talk of a strike before the unions and producers have even had a chance to begin formal talks." He said media coverage has exaggerated a feeling of unrest within the acting community. "I would ask the media to give these negotiations time and space to play out," he said. "Both sides deserve the chance to talk and work this out at the table." The most recent Hollywood walkout occurred last year when actors struck against producers of commercials. The strike lasted six months before a deal was reached in October.