SAG is set to commemorate it's 75th anniversary soon but the way things are going, there won't be much of a celebration after all. The guild's members (over 100,000 of them) have been without a contract since the end of June and negotiations have been in a deadlock since then.
This may leave them with their last resort, a strike. But would they actually go through with this while the American economy is on such a major down slope?
The negotiating committee is set to meet today and it is rumored they'll be voting on whether or not they should be voting on a strike. A vote for a vote basically. So this is just one small step in the direction but it doesn't look like it will let up any time soon.
Membership First seems to be carrying most of the blame for the continued struggle. They are a large group of actors who "expect their Guild to put the membership first when setting policy and policing contracts" and according to THR, they currently control 9 of the 13 votes on the negotiating committee.
"The only people that seem to be oblivious to the condition of the United States of America right now and the financial situation that we're in are Doug Allen, Alan Rosenberg, and MembershipFirst," said one source. "The idea that we would be going on strike now is absurd in Fellini proportions."
If today's vote passes and members have to vote on a strike, 75% of the members have to approve before they can call for a work stoppage. Then a small majority of the board would have to approve the strike.
At this point it's not clear whether or not enough of the guild members would even vote for the strike. Especially since most of them are still recovering from last years writer's strike. However, film production has slowed recently due to the lack of a new contract.
SAG did poll their members last month and 87% who took the poll said they wanted negotiations to continue, however, only 10% of the members actually responded.
This may leave them with their last resort, a strike. But would they actually go through with this while the American economy is on such a major down slope?
The negotiating committee is set to meet today and it is rumored they'll be voting on whether or not they should be voting on a strike. A vote for a vote basically. So this is just one small step in the direction but it doesn't look like it will let up any time soon.
Membership First seems to be carrying most of the blame for the continued struggle. They are a large group of actors who "expect their Guild to put the membership first when setting policy and policing contracts" and according to THR, they currently control 9 of the 13 votes on the negotiating committee.
"The only people that seem to be oblivious to the condition of the United States of America right now and the financial situation that we're in are Doug Allen, Alan Rosenberg, and MembershipFirst," said one source. "The idea that we would be going on strike now is absurd in Fellini proportions."
If today's vote passes and members have to vote on a strike, 75% of the members have to approve before they can call for a work stoppage. Then a small majority of the board would have to approve the strike.
At this point it's not clear whether or not enough of the guild members would even vote for the strike. Especially since most of them are still recovering from last years writer's strike. However, film production has slowed recently due to the lack of a new contract.
SAG did poll their members last month and 87% who took the poll said they wanted negotiations to continue, however, only 10% of the members actually responded.
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