Screen Actors Guild Calls for Federal Mediation

The battle between the Screen Actors Guild and Hollywood studios is intensifying. The L.A. Times reports that SAG wants to bring in a federal mediator to get the negotiations moving again. At the heart of the matter is a disagreement over how actors should be compensated for media distributed on the Internet. SAG wants all shows to use union labor, and the studios want to use union labor only when budgets pass a set mark.

The major studios seem somewhat indifferent to the move, hinting that a new contract will not be much different than other deals struck recently, and may even be less lucrative. A representative of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said, "There is simply no justification for SAG to expect a deal that is in excess of what the other guilds negotiated in better times."

The union agreement between SAG and Hollywood studios ended on June 30, and some insiders are speculating that actors are moving toward halting TV and film production by walking out.

With recession upon us, the options left for SAG are rapidly dwindling. The counterpart unions for directors, writers, and the smaller actors guild have all settled on new contracts. At a recent board meeting, SAG leaders agreed to put the possibility of a strike into play if the negotiations don't pan out. A strike requires a 75 percent majority of all members of the guild, with final approval by the board.

It is not known whether studios will bite on mediation, or if it will help at all. If they decline, it could provide extra compassion for SAG and accusations that the studios are not acting in good faith to resolve the dispute.