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Today, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers took out an ad (to the left) in both Variety and Hollywood Reporter stating their concerns over another strike.
"The industry is shutting down because SAG's Hollywood leadership insisted on 11th-hour negotiations and dragging these talks into July so they can continue attacking AFTRA," a statement released to the Associated Press by AMPTP .
Earlier this month, a SAG "Solidarity" Rally turned into an anti-AFTRA rally, which angered satellite SAG chapters. Even after some kissing and making up, some believe this has turned more into actors vs. actors rather than what should be happening: actors vs. producers. AFTRA, a smaller union, quickly made a deal with the AMPTP, which members voted on. SAG and AFTRA share about 44,000 members.
SAG's contract with studios expires tonight at 12:01 a.m. That doesn't mean a strike, as the union's president said yesterday. SAG has worked past the deadline in the past and plans to this time if talks are progressing, albeit slowly.
The next pivotal date is July 8, when AFTRA will announce its vote results. If a majority voted yes, their contract is ratified. But if no, they get back into the SAG boat and go back to the negotiating table. If that happens, "AFTRA will still find a way to suck up to the AMPTP and redeliver only a slightly less lousy contract to its members. It's simply in the smaller union's nature to do that given its inferiority complex," quipped Nikki Finke at Deadline Daily Hollywood.
