Pressure Mounts on SAG Leaders

LOS ANGELES Screen Actors Guild leaders are coming under increasing pressure -- from an impatient membership and from the studios that are gingerly ramping up production -- to put the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers' "final contract offer" up for ratification.There is a growing sense that the stalemate between the sides will extend through September, when the guild's leadership comes up for reelection. While it's possible there are behind-the-scenes outreach efforts under way, there has been virtually no formal contact between SAG and the studios for nearly two weeks. The AMPTP has not received any phone calls, e-mails or other forms of communication from SAG. But as one Los Angeles SAG board member put it: "It's a two-way street. The AMPTP knows where to find us."Now, there will be no movement until SAG's national elections are held, according to a source close to the AMPTP."Everyone is working under the assumption that nothing will happen until there is an election and the results are known," the source said. "I think SAG thought, 'Let's drag this into July and August; let's force the studios to make a mistake. Maybe they'll lock us out, and that will galvanize the members and then we'll get a strike vote.' That didn't happen."Against that backdrop, the national election is likely to become a referendum on the bargaining committee's efforts and ability to obtain a contract. Actors have been working without a deal since June 30, when the previous pact expired and the studios delivered what they termed their "final offer.""The only hope the Hollywood board has is, they win their election by a comfortable margin, then they go to the studios and they say, 'This shows we have strong backing for what we're doing,'" the source said.That wouldn't necessarily bring the studios, which refused to consider a counteroffer from SAG after breaking off talks, back to the table. The studios, according to the source, would essentially say to SAG: "Go ahead. You won your election. Go take your strike vote and see what you get."SAG's leadership would likely not be able to muster the 75 percent vote necessary to authorize a strike barring any inflammatory actions -- such as a lockout -- by the studios.And despite last week's show of unity by SAG's board, which unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming the guild's determination to bring all new-media work under its jurisdiction, there are clear signs that many within the union would like to see the contract offer brought to a vote.Several Emmy nominees recently used that platform to urge a vote, and some New York board members have said their patience is wearing thin. The regional boards that opposed SAG's efforts to undercut the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' agreement will likely be in the forefront of those pushing for a vote."If we're not seeing any movement or signs of life, you can expect to hear considerable pressure coming from all parts of the country, including Hollywood and the Unite for Strength faction," one New York board member said.A SAG rep declined to comment on potential pressure to call for a vote on its leadership.Meanwhile, film production is beginning again. Columbia's 2012 began filming this week in Vancouver. The production, which will feature heavy special effects, comes with a contingency plan in case of an actors walkout or strike. On Wednesday, Disney CEO Robert Iger told investors, "We have decided to move forward with a number of our productions and address any issues later as they arise." Disney's Persia, which has begun filming, also has some wiggle room since the studio has shifted the film's planned release date from June 19 of next year to May 28 in 2010.A Universal exec agreed that film production would begin to kick in again soon. The studio has the Judd Apatow project Funny People and Lost for Words scheduled to shoot in September.Andrew Salomon of Back Stage East and Borys Kit contributed to this report.

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Pressure Mounts on SAG Leaders

Leslie Simmons

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Leslie Simmons