A SAG CONFLICT MEANS IT IS BETWEEN THE ACTORS AND THE PEOPLE WHO PAY THEM
The conflict is between the **ACTORS** and the **PRODUCERS/MOVIE STUDIOS**
Actors union: is called **SAG** (or the Screen Actors Guild)
Producers union is: known as **AMPTP** (Yes, the movie studio bosses and producers have a union, also).
It’s called the “Actors Strike” and “SAG Negotiations” because it is about a “contract” renegotiation between the actors and the producers/studios. It is an, overall, “general contract”, which contains all agreed upon working conditions, as negotiated and agreed upon, between the two unions. All actors, in SAG, are covered by the terms.
The AMPTP, in real terms, are the bosses. They are the bosses of the industry, the bosses of Hollywood.
(**AMPTP** stands for Alliance-of-Motion-Picture-and-Television-Producers)
The“Workers” , in this case, are the Actors.
It’s still the same as any other worker-boss struggle…big guys vs little guys…
Why do actors need a union?
Basically, a union’s job is to make sure the worker gets a fair and just payment for the work that the union member does, and that the work conditions are safe and decent.
Almost everything in entertainment, in Hollywood; and on location, even; is most likely “union”. Nearly all the workers, from the crew, the camerapeople, the sound, the directors, writers, and actors, have a union.
When any actor is hired, no matter what, if they are in the union, and it is a union job…then they will be paid. And they will be paid, at least, what the “current contract” scale base pay deems.
“What about those actors that get those high salaries?” Well, if an actor has an agent that believes the actor can earn more, and that the actors work has a value of a higher amount, that agent can negotiate for a higher pay for that day. Or the amount of time the actor is working for. Even though those salaries are the ones that make the news, the overwhelming majority of professional actors never, ever earn anything like that. Far, far, from it…
Why Is SAG Suddenly In The News Again?
“Haven’t they been without a contract for months?”
- SAG has been working “without a contract”, lately, because there has not been any agreement made. SAG kept trying, anyway, to get the AMPTP to meet their demands some. The negotiations continued on, (long past the original strike deadline) –and even a moderator came and attempted to forge an agreement; but on November 22, 2008 all talks stopped.
- When the Writers Strike was going on, the Writers were striking against the same bosses, and the “deal-breaker” was over one of SAG’s same issues: the one concerning payment in “New Media”. It was this particular contractual item, and the lack of agreement, that, broke down all talks, just recently; between SAG and the AMPTP.
Part of what recently ”broke the camel’s back”, and stirred this whole new chapter up– was the current realization and announcement from the Writers Guild:
According to the Writers Guild, the AMPTP is not upholding the terms that they agreed to, the ones that settled the Writers Strike! They aren’t paying, what they promised, for work in New Media.
…So, when you read or hear some Actor-bashing hogwash, like SAG is just trying to take away everyone’s Academy Awards…by doing all this now…please let them know about the Writers Guild’s current discovery, and announcement.
“THE CONTRACT” = Working Conditions That Productions Must Provide On Every Set
There are general rules that govern all movie sets. All television shows.
They are often referred to as “Union Rules” or “SAG Rules”, on a set.
You can see these rules in action, always, on union sets. Anything of quality, whether film or TV, is shot on a union set. Most likely.
Once in place in “the contract”, the rules aren’t variable. They are written, with the understanding, by both sides, that they will be rigidly followed.
Why are these rules always followed?
- Both unions know that at one point they had discussed and agreed upon them
- The rules were written into a contract, and signed by both sides
- They are, generally, based on a logic of what is considered humane; they are agreed-upon, decent, and fair, working conditions
- There are penalties for NOT adhering to the rules, and they usually involve paying money. However, with too many violations, the penalties get harsher.
- No one wants to jeopardize their union status.
Examples of these SAG rules, in the “general” contract, are:
Allowing an actor to go home and go to sleep after a very long shooting day, instead of continuing to do more scenes.
There’s always a nurse on set, in case someone gets injured.
Lunch is always a certain number of hours from the “call time”, or start of a work/shooting day.
All kinds of things are in the ” union actors’ contract”; like dressing rooms, kids and their hours allowed and tutors on the set if they are missing schooling, little babies can only work a little bit of time and are allowed their mother nearby, per diem pay for those on location and not having their own kitchen and food, transportation to the set when working on location..and so on.
Are The Actors Creating All This Now? Or, Are They Reacting??
The news media, in calling this an “actor’s issue” makes it appear as if actors are the only ones involved.
I find that most people don’t even know what is being negotiated, even actors, have no clear idea of what this is all about.
Worse, the whole thing has been presented by the press (and the AMPTP) as either unnecessary, greedy, or worse, intentionally harmful to the rest of the industry.
”Actors out to harm the economy!!!” (Whaa?)
Other words have been freely slimed: “stupid”, “mad” (as in crazy), ”crazy” (as in, yes, kee-raa-zzy), and other free-flinging ugliness.
Just like bullies, in a schoolyard. Some of the press joined the charge.
(Whatever happened to the journalistic code of fair reporting? Presenting both sides?)
Some of that “PR” has been even been presented to the media, by the most outspoken members of the AMPTP. And published on the AMPTP site….(see fake-movie-review-poster, below…)
Just today, they took out a full page ad in the Los Angeles Times.
This isn’t a conflict that has been over-dramatized.
Neither histrionic, nor illogical; this conflict is similar to most conflicts that take place in a worker setting, between boss and employees… when a situation becomes untenable, and a strike becomes imperative.
The bosses, who are represented by the AMPTP, will not budge on a few very critical points, on the new contracts for the actors, and how they will treat the actors in their future employ. How, or how they won’t, pay the actors.
Actually, they say that they don’t want to pay the actors, or devise any pay strategy, until they see how the internet revenue will come.
…Anyone see any commercials or advertising yet, on the internet? Isn’t that the same way they get money on television?
There Is One Main Industry, In This Very Big City
This is a “one-factory” town. The bosses, are the big bosses. You don’t hear a lot of outspoken opinions from celebrities and famous actors, even. Not even low level activist types. Why? Because the Producers are the ones who pay. AND hire. It’s hard enough to work in this town, but no one wants to blacklist themselves, by simply asking for their rights. Or rather, for what is right.
Actors make art, businessmen plan, and make money.
All of the major studios, the heaviest players at the top, in this town, have made some very large investments on the future of the “New Media”. For their very powerful and business-like bosses, who didn’t come from the movie business. They came from well, business–worldwide, big business.
If you do keep up with business, then, you know that the internet is evolving, at the speed of lightning. Just a few weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times ran an article that stated that the economy is affecting people so, that they are cutting back their budgets, dramatically. They are even getting rid of cable. But not internet. That is correct, we are in a “new day”. (Link to LA Times article.)
The big businesspeople of this country don’t read business journals first, and then follow. They are the ones that are making the news in these papers.
All the film studios have invested in securing their futures, on the internet. Some ACTUALLY assured their stockholders that the economy won’t affect their business, and the future is securely theirs, because they have a solid stake on the internet.
You can look this up, easily, on Google.
How many millions of dollars, do you think they have invested? So far? Billions? Maybe a reporter could do some homework, and find out…
Unabashedly, these businessmen, who are making the plans, are set on not paying the actors. They strategized everything, except that?
Variety published an article today, presenting both sides. (Link to the Variety on SAG here.)
AMPTP: ”We are standing firm behind our offer because it represents a pattern of hard-fought agreements over the past year, and its construct is vital to the future of our industry,” the CEOs said. “No single guild or union should be allowed to undermine the hard-won consensus over how our industry can experiment and then prosper in the speedily changing new-media marketplace.”
Why Is This Setting A Precedent For All Actors…And For All Talent In The New Media?
SAG is especially concerned about setting the precedent, for how actors, and all talent will be paid, on the internet. They feel that if they don’t establish the right way, now, it will never be righted.
When they mention cable, and homevideo (video and DVD’s)…they are referring to the bad deal that was made with the same notion, way back when. No one expected VCR’s, DVD’s, or cable, to become what they did, eventually.
SAG didn’t either, and so did not negotiate a proper payment “schedule” for what was known as the new and future media, then. It was never recouped. Or corrected.
Once in place, it wasn’t able to be changed. And, the profits, from VHS, DVD, Cable reruns and even made-for-cable productions, didn’t provide actors with a decent pay. Certainly not compatible with network pay, or residuals payment. That also means that the studios got to keep all the profits, from those areas, mentioned above.
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In summary, I just find it hard to understand, that in this current time, when we just elected a President because we all voted that it be a time of “Change” and “Hope”… that, still, business is tromping on the little guy, the artist…Which in this case, are the actors.
There’s an elephant in the middle of this room. And… he’s not the caterer.
Ad On AMPTP Website
For more and better details: Please go to the website of the Screen Actors Guild.
I do welcome comments, and especially from those that have something to say, “from the other side”! I invite to enlighten, please…!!
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Best,
Dana
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