SAG/AMPTP negotiations off to shaky start

Two months after the conclusion of the Writer's Guild of America contract strike, television is finally back to normal and film production is steamrolling forward. Already, though, the next big set of Hollywood negotiations are underway, as the Screen Actors Guild began its own series of contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers this past Tuesday.

Variety reports that though both parties began from a more amicable start than the WGA situation, the talks have already been a little bit rocky. Oddly, this came not from the AMTP but instead the SAG's sister organization, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists. The AFTRA refused to join the SAG at the bargaining table because it says it no longer trusts the SAG leaders due to a dispute about The Bold and the Beautiful. Yes, the soap opera you may have had no idea was still around is the crux of the disagreement, despite the thousands of jobs on the line.

"Just so everyone understands, the idea of exploring the possibility of a new 'collective bargaining agent' began with me," said Susan Sarandon in a letter to the SAG board. "There have been over the past 21 years at 'B&B' a growing dissatisfaction with AFTRA regarding health plans, residuals, pensions, meal penalties, turnarounds, etc. In the final analysis, the contracts negotiated on our behalf over the years, in our opinion, have fallen very short of our expectations!"

In any case, the SAG is not looking to strike, but these odd new developments have made their position a bit more tenuous. The SAG-AFTRA deal ends on June 30, and if the SAG fails to conclude its deal by then, the AFTRA may sign its own deal first and use this to expand its jurisdiction.

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