With the writers strike ended and Hollywood finally returning to work, pressure is mounting on the Screen Actors Guild from prominent members, and indirectly from the studios, to begin early negotiations for a new contract to avert another costly walkout.
At the same time, a group of actors has been lobbying the union to adopt eligibility requirements that would disqualify the majority of SAG members from voting on major contracts -- a long-shot move aimed at preventing the union from being pushed into a strike by largely nonworking actors who have the least at stake.
The moves follow swiftly after directors and writers successively reached new contracts with the studios. That turns up the heat on actors to craft their own deal even though their contract does not expire until June 30. SAG leaders have yet to react publicly to the writers accord, but they criticized several aspects of the new directors contract.
The studios also have incentive to quickly secure a new agreement with SAG, which as Hollywood's most powerful union could shut down all movie and TV production immediately if it were to strike. Keenly aware of the looming contract deadline, studios have rushed a number of movies into production to ensure that they were completed in time.
But before the studios make any overtures to SAG to open early talks, they want the guild to resolve its feud with its sister union the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, whose 70,000 members also include broadcasters and recording artists. More than half belong to both unions.
SAG and AFTRA are embroiled in a heated dispute over a long-standing pact under which they have jointly negotiated their contracts. SAG is unhappy that it must split the votes with AFTRA when its members account for the lion's share of earnings. This last weekend SAG's board dropped a referendum to members asking them to reject the voting parity. SAG feared the studios would negotiate separately with AFTRA, thereby undermining SAG's leverage.
The issue is far from resolved. The two unions are currently meeting to discuss potential proposals they want to present to the studios for a new contract. Those talks are expected to continue until next month.
"We want to finish hearing from our members as to what proposals are important to them," said Alan Rosenberg, president of SAG. "Then we rely on our chief negotiator and expert to advise us what we should do with regards to starting negotiations."
