Negotiators for actors and studios returned to the bargaining table Sunday, focusing their negotiations on payments for work appearing on cable TV as they worked on a new three-year deal.
Sources described the talks as in the "horse trading" stage, involving last-minute proposals. But they added that the sides were within reach of a deal, predicting that tying up loose ends and agreeing on contract language likely would extend well into the night.
The old TV and film contract expired at midnight Saturday, but both sides downplayed the event, saying they were committed to forging a deal.
Sources said they saw no obstacles that could cause the talks to implode.
"Neither side is going to take a strike over these issues," one source close to the talks said.
Negotiators resumed their work about 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the industry's Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers headquarters in Encino. After separate strategy sessions, studio negotiators met with representatives of the Screen Actors Guild and the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which together represent about 135,000 actors.
Increasing speculation that an announcement was imminent was the presence of SAG President William Daniels, who would undoubtedly be on hand for the announcement of a deal. Daniels left the talks Saturday afternoon to go to Santa Barbara to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, actress Bonnie Bartlett.
As reported earlier, one potential breakthrough plan the two sides were discussing involves putting more money into the pockets of actors when their work is shown on cable TV, while at the same time allowing studios to pay actors under the same formula they do now.
But studio negotiators believe the arrangement is a bit too pricey, and Sunday they were looking for actors to chip away at other parts of the package being offered to at least partly offset the increase.
The plan involves reducing part, or all, of the pension and health contributions that are taken out of the checks actors receive for cable TV work, which would put them under a system similar to one covering directors and writers. Sources said that such a move would give actors about $3 million overall.
What makes that arrangement appealing to studios is that they would still pay actors the current rate--6% of the license fees that cable networks pay when buying the rights to air TV shows. Actors originally wanted the rate raised to 7.5%. But studios are loath to increase it because they would come under pressure to grant a similar increase to directors and writers.
