D-Day Has Arrived - SAG Contracts Have Expired
Tuesday July 1, 2008
The June 30 deadline has come and gone, nothing has been settled between the SAG and AMPTP and actors are now working without a contract -- is another strike imminent? Could the fall television season be delayed?
The Good News: SAG President Alan Rosenberg has not called for a strike authorization and issued the following statement: "We have taken no steps to initiate a strike authorization vote by the members of Screen Actors Guild. Any talk about a strike or a management lockout at this point is simply a distraction. The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee is coming to the bargaining table every day in good faith to negotiate a fair contract for actors."
The Bad News: Although the SAG has been offered a deal similar to the one that the WGA, DGA and AFTRA accepted, they feel that some of the key issues have not been addressed. This places the union in a difficult predicament because it makes it seem as though the deal was good enough for the others, but not for SAG members.
Actors asking for more money is always a major point of conjecture, so here's a little food for thought:
When we think about actors fighting to earn more money, most probably either laugh or express outrage at the very thought. Actors on major television series such as Desperate Housewives, CSI and Grey's Anatomy do indeed earn a tremendous amount of money each year. However, there are more than 120,000 SAG members and not all of them are earning that big paycheck. In fact, many SAG members earn less than the average middle-income household.
Hopefully SAG and AMPTP leaders will continue to keep the lines of communication open (as well as those studio doors!) and get a deal worked out before thousands of people are put out of work once again. There may be loads of money in Hollywood, but I don't know if they can sustain another $2-3 billion loss within the same year.
Do you think actors should demand a better deal than the other unions? Vote in our poll and post your comments below.
Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images
Comments
Here’s a great chance for SAG to put itself in the forefront as a responsible social entity, and not just a representative of grossly overpaid stars.
They should set up a management organization based on a sliding scale of income. Top billers like the “Desperate Housewives” headliners, contribute a share of their salaries (through their SAG dues) to a fund that supports the low-paid “bit players” during hard times and network blips (like the screenwriter-led season disruption that we just went through). SAG would then get to hold up their heads as purveyors of social justice, and the top stars would be able to boast about their support of their less-fortunate brethren.
The only danger might be that the networks and producers could feel they are justified in paying low wages for the lesser-known players, since they would be supported through the union – but then, negotiating things like that is what the unions exist for!