LUCIDMEDIA

Here We Go Again!

Written by Adam A. Donaldson Friday, 27 June 2008 06:04

There is, however, a bit of a twist this time around. You see not all actors on television are part of SAG, or at least not solely a part of SAG. Some are also members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), who typically negotiate in partnership with SAG, since they presumably not only share members, but goals. That may not be the case this time though, as AMPTP seem to be ready to make a separate deal with AFTRA, which will seriously affect SAG’s ability to bargain should AFTRA member’s accept the deal. By the numbers, AFTRA has 70,000 members and of that, roughly 44,000 are dual membership holders in both AFTRA and SAG. A tentative deal was announced between the AMPTP and AFTRA on May 28th and is currently in the process of ratifying that deal with the final vote tallied by July 8th. Basically, if SAG wants to use its leverage to have actors with dual membership to overturn the deal, they’ll have to convince as much as 80 per cent to vote ‘No’ on the deal, and that’s only if AFTRA’s 26,000 solo-members all voted to pass up the AMPTA’s offer. Only a simple majority is needed for the contract to be approved. SAG has expended a great deal of effort lately trying to convince AFTRA to abandon its deal in order to present a more united front against AMPTA. Naturally, they’ve enlisted their most important asset: the star-power of its membership. This week, Jack Nicholson, Ben Stiller and Martin Sheen are amongst a list of 67 actors to lend their voices as a persuasive tactic to get AFTRA members to vote ‘No.’ But the ‘Yes’ side is not without its support either though. Big names like Tom Hanks and Kevin Spacey have gone on the record to say that AFTRA should ratify their contract, adding their names to a list of about 100 others including Sally Field and James Cromwell.

“SAG's Hollywood leadership continues down its dysfunctional path, spending its members' dues in a misguided effort to attack another union and undermine a solid contract,” said a spokeswoman for AFTRA. “For our part, we remain focused on educating AFTRA members about the facts and the merits of their new agreement so they can make an informed decision. We are confident that they will see through this latest politically motivated effort and ultimately ratify the AFTRA contract and help keep our industry working.” SAG's national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen wrote an e-mail to members on Tuesday, the same day as SAG and AMPTA’s last bargaining session, that a rejection of the AFTRA deal “gives us more leverage, not less, at the negotiating table.” In other words, AFTRA having a shiny, new contract with conditions acceptable to its membership, many of whom are also in SAG, is going to be very difficult for them to push for concessions favourable to the union. In the increasing, seemingly unlikely event that AFTRA rejects the AMPTA’s contract offer, many experienced entertainment lawyers say that there’ll be little chance that the unions will join forces, adding that it’s more likely that it will create greater tension between the two. “Given the animosity that has developed because of this campaign, it's hard to see the two unions cooperate in terms of the future,” said attorney Scott Witlin of Akin Gump to the Hollywood Reporter. Many of Witlin’s clients are Hollywood producers. “I don't think AFTRA would have any confidence that SAG would engage in expeditious negotiations.”

But not all hope is lost. In an announcement Thursday, SAG’s national executive committee voted to engage in negotiations to extend the current contract well into the month of July, presumably after the announcement of the AFTRA vote. There’s no requirement for either side to ratify an extension, but it’s expected to be approved by both sides in good faith. Even without an extension, it means the union would just be working without a contract, although any time they could have a strike vote which would immediately take effect, shutting down productions. Well, not all productions, some independent producers have reached deals with SAG in order to keep working.

But in case you missed it in the last paragraph, let me say it again: SAG hasn’t taken a strike vote… yet. Again, it seems to be a wait and see proposition, but if a strike vote were to take place, a majority of three-quarters, or 75 per cent, would be needed to ratify. Such an event seems unlikely, according to the same article in the Hollywood Reporter, which said, “Dire economic forecasts and the fatigue lingering from the 100-day WGA walkout are the factors most cited as negatives that would weigh on the guild membership.”

But for all intents and purposes, Hollywood may just as well be on strike mode again. Production has slowed down or ceased in preparation for the strike. Big shows like the Transformers sequel Revenge of the Fallen have used special schedules where in big effects necessary sequences were being filmed before the deadline so that post-production could begin during the strike. Studios have also put projects in development on hold, waiting to see if there will be a strike before giving production the greenlight.

The situation is bizarre to say the least and whether or not there’ll be a SAG strike this summer is far from certain either way. The last SAG strike was in 1980 and lasted for four months, from July to October. It ended up with the union boycotting the Emmy Awards that year making Powers Boothe the only one of 52 nominees to show up saying, “This is either the most courageous moment of my career or the stupidest.” What kind of moment this is for the current SAG roster, remains to be seen.