The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) have jointly negotiated the unions television-theatrical contract over the past 27 years.

Saturday however, AFTRA announced it had suspended Phase One of the joint bargaining process it conducted with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) along with SAG "so we could sit across the table from the industry with total and unequivocal unity."

Meanwhile, they have apparently already got in touch with the AMPTP on their own. "Informal discussions are happening and we expect to set a timeline soon," AFTRA president Roberta Reardon said. SAG has made similar statements.

The only one happy with the situation is probably the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which can apply a divide et impera strategy. The two unions had more bargaining muscle together than each on their own, and a deal reached by either one of them will put considerable pressure on the other.

"We can't trust SAG," AFTRA president Roberta Reardon told Variety. "Their leaders have engaged in a concerted effort to tarnish AFTRA's reputation and diminish our standing."

The contract the unions’ members currently have expires on June 30 and discussions between the unions and the studios are just around the corner. Now that AFTRA and SAG could each negotiate its contract independently, it may come to a situation of who is first to the negotiations table. AFTRA’s contract covers 70,000 members, while SAG represents 120,000 members. Some 40,000 actors are members of both unions.

Apparently, the unions' requests include demands related to compensation for DVDs, as well as other demands.