The Screen Actors Guild and the Studio reps are really under the gun now, with the SAG union contract set to expire in a matter of hours.
After a weekend of bargaining, both sides reportedly returned to the negotiating table for another round this morning at AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks. This is the 42nd day of negotiations, which started back in mid-April.
On the SAG website today instructions were given to the rank and file. “All members should continue to report to work and to audition for new work past the expiration date until further notice from the Guild. Such work will be covered under the terms of the expired television and theatrical agreements.”
In an update yesterday, SAG President Alan Rosenberg issued a statement to try to squash rumors of a walkout . “We have taken no steps to initiate a strike authorization vote by the members of Screen Actors Guild. Any talk about a strike or a management lockout at this point is simply a distraction. The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee is coming to the bargaining table every day in good faith to negotiate a fair contract for actors.”
So while the talks go on, the rest of us have to just, ah, wait to see what happens.
