Okay color me surprised again: SAG will negotiate with the AMPTP *first*...

[VDOVault]

...or at least so far the only definite announcement of negotiation dates for either actors union are for SAG AMPTP negotiations.

http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/?p=4289

IATSE is still going into talks with the AMPTP on April 7th

SAG's talks with the AMPTP are scheduled to start on April 15th.

There's a pun in here about SAG's scheduled date being doubly taxing for SAG actors [for non US readers federal income taxes in the USA are also due on April 15th], but I'll resist making it.

I gotta wonder if all those theories they taught me in my negotiating and alternative dispute resolutions classes back in my misguided law school days that say that 'the party to go first in the negotiations is usually the loser' applies here or if the conventional wisdom floating around the mainstream media that if AFTRA were to negotiate first it would devastate SAG's position via some kind of undercutting is correct.

Or maybe the real story here is that Hollywood's film business is hurting more than we know and the moguls behind the AMPTP are trying to find a way out of the "de facto strike lockout/shut down sooner rather than later, given that the story about their average TV ad spot revenues being lowered in Q1 of 2008 (while the WGA strike was on) is getting out. It could be that they've taken Alan Rosenberg's comments to the press about how SAG controls film jurisdiction (and AFTRA does not) seriously.

The thing about creative corporate accounting (the Hollywood subset included) is that you can only hide the creativity for so long...ask someone from Enron or Bear Stearns or a bunch of other real estate or banking conglomerates about how that practice isn't sustainable...

Will be curious to hear whether others think SAG working on a deal with the AMPTP before AFTRA does is better or worse for SAG...

[Gollysunshine]

Oh, I think given the circumstances, SAG going before AFTRA is a good thing. Maybe the moguls realize it isn't a good thing to piss off the actors they need for film and TV in the major union just to work out some sneaky deal with the minor union in this contract which could backfire on them. The DGA deal may have cut the legs out of the WGA negotiation but the DGA is a major guild to be reckoned with. Not saying that AFTRA isn't, in its own areas, but not in this one.

What concerns me more is the IATSE shenanigans, especially since there is no reason for them to be opening their mouths now... can't see any good coming out of it.

[Becca B]

Being a Hollywood outsider, IMHO, SAG going first is a good thing. I haven't read one positive thing about AFTRA and I doubt they could reach an agreement with the AMPTP that will be good for the artists. I have faith that Alan Rosenberg will work hard for SAG members, just like I had faith in Patric Verrone. I'm hoping and praying that SAG can work out a deal that they can live with. The thought of a SAG strike leaves me cold.

It was difficult to get the general public in the WGA corner when they though that all Hollywood writers make mega bucks. I can only imagine how much more difficult it will be to get them behind the actors, when they already think that all actors make Clooney kind of money.

Maybe the industry people don't think it's a big deal if the general public doesn't support them. But we buy the tickets, watch the TV shows, wage fan campaigns using our hard earned not so mega money, and slather you in admiration. I'm telling ya, if SAG has to resort to a strike, this will be one helluva battle to get the public on your side. I'm not hearing any positive comments from fanland right now in regard to a possible SAG strike.

Becca

[Gollysunshine]

Becca,

I know you are a caring person and support the writers and actors but statements like this only make the moguls smile with glee. If the actors go on strike, and I pray with every look at my checkbook that they don't have to, they aren't doing it for the hell of it. They will be doing it because they are backed into a corner. The writers didn't want to go on strike, they were backed into a corner because there was no alternative with what they were being offered. They didn't want to stay on strike for 100 days either or picket in the rain, but they had no choice because the AMPTP refused to negotiate fairly with them.

Same with actors. People who have been screaming for the actors to negotiate early seem to forget that that doesn't mean a fair contract -- if it did, they would have been there already because not a lot of people are back to work... some are, but for the most part, Hollywood is in a production lockdown, with studios and networks only doing the bare minimum they need to do or what they can do fast.

Talk of the public not supporting the actors just encourages the AMPTP to offer a crummy deal hoping that all this scare talk scares the actors into taking their crummy deal. They aren't going to give a fair deal if they figure they can keep even more of the profits. And it will probably ensure a strike.

Had the WGA deal and the DGA deal been better, I don't think we would have been looking at even a possibility of a strike. The best way to help prevent a strike is to stay strong on the side of the actors and then maybe the studios will have second thoughts of offering crumbs.

People in the industry do care about the public supporting us. Many of us spent a lot of time on blogs trying to counter the misinformation given out by the media because we do care about your support. If it seemed like people got dismissive of the public, it was usually after spending hours explaining only to have thrown back at you, I don't care, I want my Lost, my Heroes, my etc. etc. When you get slapped by arguments like that when your brothers and sisters are losing their homes over this fight, you do get tired of talking.

If it does come down to a strike, then the public will have to decide on whether or not they want their favorite actors to be able to make a living at it. And I don't mean the stars of TV shows any more than I mean the Clooneys and Pitts of the world. I mean all those actors who populate the worlds they are in. You can't have a show with just stars and star salaries in them. You can't have a show about the coach and the star football players if you don't have the rest of the teams. You can't have a show about a team of crack investigators without different people each week to investigate. You can't have a show about a elite team of fighters without soldiers to fight the war. And those are the people who need the decent contracts to work under.

Nothing comes free in this world, not even tv and films. But I do think that the AMPTP did underestimate the general public -- that the general public does understand a lot better than people think they do -- and I think the general public will be there again, if they are needed to be, which I truly have my fingers crossed won't be necessary.

[Becca B]

Golly Sunshine,

A friend of mine in the industry told me that when a union strikes, everyone gets hurt. I agree with that. Writing as a fan and viewer, I *certainly* don't want a strike. I know many people working in the industry and do not want any of them to suffer through another strike. Nobody wants a strike.

During the 100 AMPTP induced strike, I flew across the county to picket with my favorite show's writers. Why? To lend them my support. Please don't think that I am "strike happy".

I highly doubt that my comment about the public not supporting the SAG, IF it strikes, will scare them into a crummy deal. These people are tenacious, strong, and dedicated to getting the best deal they can. And yes, I will fly across the county and support them too.

I'll be honest with you. I want The Unit back. I want it back now. CBS hasn't issued any kind of status on this show yet. I am worried that CBS will announce it will return in the fall and a strike will be in effect, thus delaying it AGAIN. But the bottom line for me is: I will support the SAG and The Unit's production members who belong to the SAG.

You're preaching to the choir about wanting a better contract to make a living on. I've been working under a different kind of contract myself for a while. On a side note, I've was just engaged in a heated discussion on another forum about actors and writers wanting a better contract. Afterall, when your contract runs out, you negotiate for a better one.

Let me be clear. I do not want a strike. I *will* advocate and enlist the public's support for the SAG IF a strike is authorized. I've got your back.