SAG officials hope to get the needed 75% vote in favor of a strike and use it as leverage during negotiation talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP.
At the heart of the contract negotiations is a heated dispute about paying actors residuals for “new media” used over the Internet. The SAG’s contract expired June 30.
“It’s critical to their careers, their future and to their ability to earn a living,” Greenwalt said.
According to the SAG’s website, a writer or director receives about $600 for a TV show rerun on the Internet, while an actor is paid $22.77.
The announcement of a possible strike comes less than a year after the 100-day writers strike halted Hollywood productions. Neither the actors nor the producers want a strike.
In a statement released Wednesday, AMPTP officials said, “SAG members are going to be asked to bail out a failed negotiating strategy by going on strike during one of the worst economic crises in history. We hope that working actors will study our contract offer carefully and come to the conclusion that no strike can solve the problems that have been created by SAG’s own failed negotiation strategy.”
Regardless of the faltering economy, the SAG implored its members to stand their ground, saying in educational literature disseminated online, “Hard times do not mean that we stop demanding fair treatment from management.”
Strike authorization ballots are expected to be tabulated by Jan 23. The SAG has not finalized a time and date to formally meet with the AMPTP.
In the meantime, the SAG is posting literature online to educate its members.
“I encourage every SAG member to talk and look at the website and look at the issues and understand what’s at stake,” Greenwalt said.
