January 6, 2009 by admin.

It could happen. Instead of sending out a Strike Authorization, Jonathan Handel suggests the National Board might decide at its upcoming meeting to send out the AMPTP’s ‘last, best and final” offer for a vote instead.

Andrew Salomon’s back from vacation, too - and his latest Strike Watch post sounds about right. Who shows up, he says, will make the difference.

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 7 Comments »

January 6, 2009 by Editor.

While everyone’s thinking TV-Theatrical, the Commercials Plenary is upon us. That’s when the ideas generated in the joint SAG/AFTRA W&W sessions will be taken to New York, refined and developed into prioritized bargaining proposals. The proposals will then be taken to a joint session of the National Boards for approval - the first such session since the unions split over TV-Theatrical/Exhibit A.

The Commercials contract doesn’t get the publicity and isn’t as high profile politically as TV-Theatrical, but is huge for both SAG and AFTRA members. Literally thousands of members make their living doing commercials, and if they’re up to speed on the issues, they’re worried.

If you think the TV-Theatrical talks have been tough, the Commercials negotiations may make them look like a picnic. Voiceguy has already contributed several important posts on the Booz Allen study that will undoubtedly prove important as a basis of discussion.

We’re looking forward to more from him - and others - as these negotiations draw closer. We’re also pleased to say that so far the non disparagement agreement between the unions seems to be holding. That agreement was critical to being able to hold the talks jointly…and joint talks was something the industry insisted upon, even when SAG and AFTRA were at their low point. 

Posted in Commercials Contract, SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical, SAG-AFTRA | Print | No Comments »

January 6, 2009 by admin.

Variety: Homevideo biz takes a hit in ‘08; Overall sales drop 3-4% despite Blu-ray’s rise.

LA Times: Auto sales in U.S. fall 18% in 2008. That plays into advertising being down overall.

Broadway getting darker, fast.

Bottom line: it doesn’t look like the entertainment business is immune this time around. We’re aware that some are calling this all pro-AMPTP propaganda… they remind me of the guy who insisted “the fundamentals of the U.S. economy are sound.”

Posted in SAG Politics, Media Business, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 24 Comments »

January 5, 2009 by Editor.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Allens will be visiting the RBD this week for Town Hall meetings on the delayed, but officially not dead, Strike Authorization referendum. The branches have been centers of opposition both to the referendum and to the hard line tactics the Allens and Membership First have taken in the TV-Theatrical negotiations, so we wouldn’t expect a really warm and fuzzy welcome.

As always, we welcome posts from those who attend these sessions, either via e-mail or our comment space.

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 5 Comments »

January 4, 2009 by WW.

Steve Diamond’s Vallywood, with a new post on Hulu’s profits that never were. It links to a financial analyst’s discussion of Hulu, and the bottom line seems to be somewhere between mass confusion and a general consensus that Hulu’s business model is “lousy.”

Well, duh. If you give it away and the advertising revenue is almost zero, what does that leave you?

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 19 Comments »

January 4, 2009 by Editor.

We don’t know, but someone e-mailed:

I’m fairly certain that his contract mandates that he will be chief negotiator on all contracts and that removing him as such on TV/Th would constitute a violation of that contract by SAG NBD. Therefore, if they remove him, in his humiliation, he’ll resign and make SAG pay the balance of the contract with impunity, I would think. THE NBD would be right to do so, and he would be right to insist on payment and that’s simply the price for getting out of this.  

As we said, we haven’t read his contract. Does anyone have the facts?

—

Update: Yes, apparently it does. Here’s what we heard from someone who knows:Allen is contracted to be SAG’s chief negotiator. The only reason he wouldn’t negotiate a contract is if he didn’t want to or he is no longer employed. The new board may be able to talk him into not wanting to but that’s unlikely. 

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 31 Comments »

January 3, 2009 by Editor.

We don’t know how seriously to take the talk, but you can’t miss it. While the Allens are pumping out pro-strike authorization messages, including videos featuring Membership First supporters in heavy rotation on the SAG website, the buzz is building that there may be a move to dismiss the controversial SAG NED at the upcoming special board meeting Jan. 12-13.

Variety’s otherwise un-new recounting of the latest from the Allens contains this as the third sentence:  ”The SAG topper made no mention of efforts to fire him as lead negotiator, a step that could be taken at the emergency national board meeting on Jan. 12-13.”

We don’t know if there are Las Vegas odds on Allen making it through the month, much less serving out his contract. But right now, this union’s working from at least two entirely different scripts, and that’s not good for anyone.

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 36 Comments »

January 3, 2009 by admin.

Maybe he doesn’t get it. Maybe he doesn’t want to admit it. Or maybe this is some strange attempt at running out the clock. But yet another midnight missive from the Allens arrived while we were recovering from college football overload - and they’re still pushing the strike authorization vote.

–

From: Screen Actors Guild
Sent: Jan 2, 2009 11:43 PM
To: SAG Members
Subject: Know the Facts Regarding a Strike Authorization

The following message is the second in a series of responses to members questions at recent Town Hall meetings and sent to us via email. Please watch for additional messages over the coming weeks.

Know the Facts!

How can we be asked to authorize the National board to call a TV/Theatrical strike in this time of economic crisis?

There is no good time to consider a strike. Strikes are called only when management’s bargaining positions are intolerable and then only by a vote of the elected actors on the National Board, if authorized by a membership referendum. But, tough economic times are when it is most necessary to be unified to resist the studios and networks effort to obliterate contract provisions in our future work. The AMPTP’s contract proposal in new media creates a business model with no minimums, no residuals and the right to produce non-union whenever they want.

Our employers are publicly held companies with currently unhappy shareholders whose investments in studios and networks have been severely reduced in value as a result of the Wall Street crash. Our employers will respond by cutting expenses wherever possible. Our only protection from the cost-cutting hatchet is a strong contract - - with minimums, pension/health contributions and safe working conditions, including in all new media formats where our work is clearly headed fast. Just watch and see how many times network dotcom logos appear on your television screen.

This union was founded in 1933 during the Great Depression. We achieved our first contract with the studios in 1937. Despite general unemployment then at 25%, working actors formed Screen Actors Guild to resist the studios demand that all actors take a 50% pay cut because of the economic hard times for the entertainment industry in the 1930’s. Actors then, at great risk to their careers, stood together and refused management’s rollbacks.

The economic crisis puts pressure on both sides of the table in the TV/Theatrical contracts negotiation. The studios and networks are much more vulnerable today than they were a year ago facing the WGA. Certainly, actors face an uncertain future as unemployment rises. But the AMPTP’s proposal will make it impossible for actors to earn a living for work in new media. If Internet productions become the new TV pilots and network dotcoms showcase original productions and you can watch all new media product on a Sony Bravia flat screen TV hooked directly to the Internet - - how will the working actor survive without minimums, residuals and pension and health benefits? Both sides in this dispute should compromise on an agreement, not just the members of SAG.

Send that message to the AMPTP companies by voting yes on the strike authorization referendum.

Please visit the SAG website at www.sag.org for up to the minute information and email your questions or comments to Contract2008@sag.org (this is an email address and not a live web link.)

In unity,

Doug Allen

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 29 Comments »

January 1, 2009 by admin.

Well, some people seem to want to have a debate, though it isn’t clear exactly what they’d debate, or who would decide who gets to debate, or how anyone could figure out a winner.

Anyway, Jonathan Handel is out with his own written debate with the Allens. It’s worth a read. And it will come as little surprise that it’s a debate that the Allens seem to lose. Handel calls it “SAG: No Good Reason to Strike.”

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 41 Comments »

January 1, 2009 by Editor.

McNary has a few new quotes to go with a rehash of the TV-Theatrical mess. Here’s the essence:

“… the moderates have grown increasingly frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of response from SAG toppers and are poised to begin moving to make SAG more pragmatic — three months after gaining control of the 71-member board over the more aggressive Membership First faction, which still dominates the negotiating committee.

Ned Vaughn, spokesman for the moderate Unite for Strength faction, said he could not comment on specifics of steps to be taken at the meeting. “The board has a choice to make — either go ahead with the strike authorization vote or move in a new direction,” he told Daily Variety.

New York board member Paul Christie said Allen may be on thin ice if he doesn’t change his approach.

“His idea of re-establishing consensus to date has been ‘getting you all to agree with me,’ ” Christie added. “He will go down in flames if that is his game plan for this meeting.”

There’s also a Christie quote on the Doug Allen “a strike won’t shut the town down” e-mail.

That declaration, made Tuesday in a message to members, was met with incredulity by Christie.

“If you are constantly telling the members no way will I shoot the gun I am asking for, then why are you begging for bullets?” Christie added. “These emails are astounding in their similarity as if they will wear down the membership by their sheer volume. Honest fact is, if Doug ‘no way’ Allen really wanted a strike authorization, he should have, according to any knowledgeable labor negotiator, asked for it July 1st.”

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 5 Comments »