SAG Rejects AMPTP's Last Minute Offer

Photo by Peggy Archer via Flickr

Day 42 into the negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and no result. The contract expires Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. and the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.

SAG has been saying along that they have no plans to strike but AMPTP has said in a statement that the "industry is now in a de facto strike, with film production virtually shut down and television production now seriously threatened." Some may speculate that this is in essence a lockout without saying it directly.

According to SAG, the AMPTP delivered a last-minute, 43-page offer today that the union says appears to be generally consistent with the AFTRA deal, particularly in its provisions relating to new media, upon an initial examination. But AMPTP says their "$250 million offer [in additional compensation] is consistent with the four other labor agreements already reached this year with DGA, WGA, AFTRA Network Code and AFTRA Prime-Time Exhibit A."

"This offer does not appear to address some key issues important to actors. For example, the impact of foregoing residuals for all made-for-new-media productions is incalculable and would mean the beginning of the end of residuals," said Screen Actors Guild National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Doug Allen in a statement.

The stalled agreement only affects union agreements between TV shows and movies. But SAG says "members should report to work and to audition for new work past the expiration date until further notice from the Guild." Agreements for commercials, basic cable shows, animation, interactive media, internet and industrial education are unaffected by this agreement and work will continue as normal.