LOS ANGELES, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The chief negotiator for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) on Friday accused the latest contract offer from Hollywood producers of falling short in the area of work appearing in new media.
In a message sent to SAG members and posted on the union's Web site, chief negotiator Doug Allen said the contract could not be accepted even though the offer largely follows the framework of deals accepted by directors, writers and a smaller actors' union.
The harsh response served as an indication that the on-again, off-again contract talks between SAG and producers were at a standstill. No new negotiations have been scheduled.
Allen said the new-media provisions of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers' (AMPTP's) latest offer are generally called the "template," because they are nearly the same as those already accepted by the Directors Guild of America (DGA),Writers Guild of America (WGA) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).
"The template doesn't protect actors, and while we may be the last union to come to the table ... we still have the obligation to address the issues that are most important to you," Allen wrote. "We have had the extra time to effectively assess the impact of rapid technological and marketplace changes, and after careful analysis, we don't believe the template works for SAG members."
"In the six months since the Directors Guild of America reached a deal with the AMPTP, the landscape in digital media has dramatically shifted," he said.
Responding to Allen's comments, the AMPTP released a statement calling his contention "factually untrue."
Allen's statement "ignores the truly seismic shifts we have all seen over the last six months in the rapidly deteriorating economy, the worsening credit crisis and the skyrocketing price of energy," according to the AMPTP.
"Even in the midst of these severe economic problems for our country and our industry, AMPTP has made SAG a good and fair offer, with more than 250 million dollars in increased compensation, groundbreaking new media rights and pension and health protections that most Americans would envy."
To sweeten its offer, the AMPTP said it would apply the terms of the contract retroactively to July 1, meaning the actors would not lose out on benefiting from new contract terms. However, for that to happen, the SAG membership would have to ratify the new contract by Aug. 15.
With SAG's failure to accept the offer, actors will continue to work under the old, now-expired contract, which AMPTP officials said allows non-union Internet production.
In his message, Allen said the DGA and WGA contracts allow producers and networks to make certain low-budget new-media productions non-union. He said that may be fine for directors and writers, but not for actors.
"Non-union principal and background actors already compete for your jobs, especially outside of New York and California," Allen wrote in the letter. "It makes no sense for SAG to agree to allow the studios and networks to exacerbate our problem by giving them a pass to produce entirely non-union under a SAG union contract."
The AMPTP insisted, however, that the contract offer would extend SAG jurisdiction to original new media production, "including low-budget programs that employ a single 'covered actor'."
"The AMPTP's final offer also guarantees residuals of 3.6 percent of distributor's gross when original new media productions are reused on consumer pay platforms, and terms to increase pay and residuals if the program is eventually exhibited theatrically or on television."
Allen said the offer does not include residual for programs made for new media and streamed again on ad-supported new media platforms.
"So a program originally made for ABC.com could be available for re-viewing on ABC.com, or any other ad-supported Internet outlet, as often as possible and forever with no residuals, no matter how much money is generated or how many times it is shown," Allen wrote.
SAG's current contract expired June 30. Despite the negotiations stalemate, the union has not scheduled a strike-authorization vote by its members.
