It seems that a longstanding and prominent issue in Hollywood has been forgotten by many. The rift between the producers and the Screen Actor Guild has been long and drawn out and you would think that it would continue to be splashed all over the headlines. Perhaps the Oscars is just too attractive to resist? Or maybe channeling all the attention to the event is one way of dealing with the unpleasant situation?
Whatever the reason may be, I have not been hearing a lot about the developments in that area. Still, from what I read in the report published by the Associated Press, it seems that even the goodwill that the Oscar promotes is not enough to pacify the situation. As a matter of fact, the producers supposedly gave their “last, best, and final offer.” That’s a lot of superlatives right there! Still, they were not enough to sway the staunch Screen Actors Guild.
The report goes:
The contract was rejected by 73 percent of SAG’s board members, spokeswoman Pamela Greenwalt said in a statement.
SAG called the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ demand for the contract to run for three years instead of two, “regressive and damaging.”
Producers insist the three-year contract would start when it is ratified, instead of when the last one expired, which would mean SAG would not be able to join with the writers’ and directors’ guilds to increase their bargaining power when their contracts expire in 2011.
According to the AMPTP, the economic situation simply does not allow them to offer better terms. So far, nothing else has been said. What would happen if the SAG calls in these days right after the Oscars?
Originally posted on February 24, 2009 @ 1:28 pm