MUMBAI: The stand off between the Screen Actors Guild (Sag) and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) cotinues in the US. 87.27 per cent of the 10,298 Sag members who responded to a mail-in poll said that the union should continue bargaining in an effort to achieve a fair contract.
12.73 per cent of those who responded said they would accept the terms presented in the AMPTP’s 30 June offer to SAG.
Postcards were mailed to 103,630 paid-up SAG members on 28 August 2008 with a return deadline of 15 September. There was only a 9.94 per cent return. Postcard return statistics matched almost exactly the geographic distribution of Sag members, with 56.07 per cent of the responses from Hollywood, 20.83 per cent from New Yotk and 23.10 per cent from regional branch members.
The results of the poll indicate that members agree with the actions passed by SAG’s national board in July and August.
Sag president Alan Rosenberg stated, “I am encouraged to see that members-at-large agree with the strategy of the national board and their national negotiating committee. This membership poll provides clear insight and direction concerning how actors feel about their futures. Clearly they expect Screen Actors Guild to protect them from exploitation in new media, and to preserve longstanding principles and contract provisions.”
Sag national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen commented, “Our objective was to take the pulse of our members and I am pleased that the response reflects the resolve we have seen from SAG members around the country throughout this negotiating process. The AMPTP suggested we send their June 30 offer to our members to ratify. These poll results indicate that was wishful thinking on their part. We will now urge the AMPTP to roll up their sleeves and to put in the hard work required to bargain a fair, equitable agreement as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile the AMPTP retorted in a statement saying that the mass postcard mailing by Sag negotiators was a farce. The AMPTP says that the questions were devised to give Sag negotiators only the answer they wanted to hear.
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