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Saturday, April 05, 2008
AFTRA and SAG Begin an Ugly Divorce
Backstage: "Screen Actors Guild leaders and board members thought they had achieved peace for the first time in many months with their counterparts at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The unions' National Wages and Working Conditions Committee had emerged from a two-day plenary March 26 with a unanimous proposal that would kick-start negotiations on the key TV and film contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. SAG's and AFTRA's national boards were set to jointly review and most likely ratify the plan March 30 in Los Angeles -- a move that could've opened the long-awaited talks as early as this week."
Perhaps it is better that they both go their different ways. It is obviously difficult to have two different groups of such size work cohesively together all the time. Maybe if they negotiate seperatly, the results might be tailored more directly to each group, rather than to both.
ReplyDeleteYea, this isn't a good sign no matter how you look at it. With the state of our economy right now, a strike in any industry would probably be somewhat detrimental to the rest of the country. Hopefully, even with the separation, both groups can come to an agreement with the AMPTP (who may be in the running to be the most hated people of the 07-08 season). I'll stay positive, but who knows. Forget tax day, April 15 has a whole new meaning now.
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