Due to the recent rift between members of Hollywood's largest union, the Screen Actors Guild said it will delay voting on a potential strike until at least January 14 in order to address the "unfortunate division and restore consensus." The initial mailing of ballots to its 120,000 members was supposed to be sent January 2, 2009 with the results tabulated by January 23.
In a message posted on the guild's website, the union's national executive editor and chief negotiator, Doug Allen, said members of the board were concerned about the organized opposition to SAG's vote "yes" campaign to encourage members to authorize a strike following the failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
"This division does not help our effort to get an agreement from the AMPTP that our members will ratify," Allen's message wrote, adding that 2,524 members endorse the vote and 1,373 members are opposed. Allen said he and SAG President Alan Rosenberg would call a board meeting in Los Angeles for Jan. 12 and try to resolve the issue.
According to the union's leadership, a strike authorization vote is necessary to give them leverage in future contract negotiations with the studios. A "yes" vote by 75% of voting members is required to pass the measure, which would allow the national board to call a walkout.
Citing the slumping U.S. economy, more than 100 of Hollywood's heaviest including Tom Hanks and George Clooney signed a letter last week urging the union's members to vote against the strike claiming that the guild needs to unite with other Hollywood unions to negotiate from a stronger position three years from now when most of their contracts with the AMPTP expire.
The letter, which was organized last Monday by the actress Rhea Perlman and actor Richard Masur, a former president of the guild, was also signed by Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Charlize Theron, Matt Damon,Morgan Freeman, Steve Carell and Alec Baldwin. Robert Redford and Oscar-winner Russell Crowe were the latest celebrties to join the growing ranks of stars opposing the potential strike.
A smaller contingent of actors, including Mel Gibson and Martin Sheen, signed a petition of their own earlier this month in an attempt to show solidarity to their union and the strike authorization vote.
SAG is the only Hollywood union left that has not inked a new contract with the conglomerates after negotiations between SAG and the studios stalled earlier this year. The actors have been working without a contract since the previous one expired June 30.
A federal mediator intervened last month, but broke off talks after two days, triggering SAG's recent move to call for a strike-authorization vote. The two parties struggled to hammer out compensation terms for Web content, as well as residuals for new media and DVD sales, among other details.
AMPTP said Monday it hopes to reach a new agreement with the Screen Actors Guild in early 2009.
"The last year has surely been a challenging one, but after long sessions of hard bargaining, all of the guilds and unions in our industry, except one, have reached new labor agreements," AMPTP said in a statement. "These agreements contain meaningful economic increases and first-ever new media rights and residuals."
