LOS ANGELES, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have approved a proposed labor contract with Hollywood producers, potentially lessening the possibility of strike by a major actors union, industry observers said Wednesday.
According to AFTRA officials, over 62 percent of the union's 70,000 members voted for the new three-year, prime-time TV contract Tuesday night. The result could weaken the major Screen Actors Guild (SAG)'s leverage in its negotiations with the Hollywood studios.
The contract covering programming among shows represented by the smaller of the two unions has been opposed by SAG leader, who had urged members to reject it. More than half of AFTRA members also belong to the 120,000-member SAG.
The contract reached between AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios and TV networks was modeled after similar pacts negotiated by directors and writers.
Although the accord includes pay hikes for actors and establishes payments for programs streamed on the Internet, SAG leaders contended it didn't meet such key bargaining goals as increasing residuals from DVD sales and ensuring that all Internet programs were covered.
Negotiations between SAG and AMPTP have failed to reach agreement on a new contract in last two months before the current contract expired June 30. Talks will resume this week.
SAG leaders could seek a strike authorization vote from members, but the option is considered risky given the deteriorating economy and strike fatigue after the damaging 100-day writers strike earlier this year, a veteran actor said.
The strike by the Writers Guild of America ending in February had put more than 37,000 people out of work and resulted in 2.3 billion U.S. dollars in lost wages by shutting down production for almost all new TV episodes and many feature film projects.
"The town has been fairly terrorized this year and actors don't have more guts than the average person," said former SAG President Ed Asner. "They realize the tremendous cost. Probably, if push came to shove, most would vote against it."
The protracted labor negotiations are causing uncertainty throughout Hollywood, holding up feature film productions and casting a pall over the upcoming fall TV season, according to The Los Angeles Times.
