Broadcasting & Cable reports that:
The Screen Actors Guild is indeed going ahead with its plan to at least ask members to authorize a strike.
The guild said Wednesday it will mail out ballots on Friday, January 2, with votes tabulated on Friday, January 23. That is roughly one month before the February 22 Academy Awards are scheduled to take place.
The guild needs a yes vote by 75% of members who vote to have the ability to then call for a work stoppage.
I’ll go on record and guess that because of several factors that the strike never happens, whether or not the union gets the strike authorization. First of all, compared to December, 2007 when the writers struck the US economy is a complete wreck, lots of people are losing their jobs, including people in the TV business. I don’t think people want to go on strike perhaps costing themselves and other people jobs at this time. Also, this week’s announcement that NBC is eliminating 5 hours of scripted (and acted!) prime-time programming for the The Jay Leno Show every weeknight at 10pm has got to be a giant warning sign for the creatives in the TV industry. That move removes 5 hours of highly paid actors and writers from the television economy in a single step. That would certainly cause me to pause before voting to strike.
Even if the SAG does get authorization *and* follows through with a strike, it’s likely to be much less damaging to the TV industry than the writer’s strike was last season (the movie industry effect, I couldn’t compare). The writers struck in December, before most shows had more than half their episodes produced, effectively cutting the season in half. The SAG actors wouldn’t strike until at least January 23, and probably later. By then a far larger share of the episodes for scripted shows would already be completed, meaning far less schedule disruption. And unlike with the writer’s strike, many actors belong to the competing AFTRA union, which already has struck a deal with the producers, so shows that are entirely AFTRA (and I’ve seen lists that I’ll try and grab and include in this post) would be unaffected by a SAG strike.
I think the entertainment industry needs to look around them and count their blessings that their pay isn’t cut back or jobs are being eliminated…
Give us all a break – be thankful most of you have jobs including the ones that “pretend” they’re stars and get to dance on national TV in Circus outfits.
Hmmm, I hadn’t connected the NBC Jay Leno move to the SAG strike until now. True, that’s a very big warning for anyone in scripted entertainment.
TVbytheNumbers commenting axiom:
Every comment by R.G. must include some negative reference to the show “Dancing with the Stars”
Maybe Hollywood will ask The Messiah for a bailout once he takes office? Its too big to fail!
So what happens if one union strikes and the other one doesn’t? Half of production resumes for half the actors or it all stops?
Ben, my understanding is that if a production is all AFTRA they will likely go on, if it’s all SAG I figure it stops. I’m not sure if any shows are both, but perhaps someone in the industry can enlighten us.
A show is either an AFTRA or SAG. An actor can belong to both unions, but no show can sign contracts with both. You are correct that during a SAG strike, AFTRA productions would continue without interruption. SAG legally can not even picket the AFTRA shows, so there would be no isseues involving crossing the picket lines. If an actor on an AFTRA show is also is a SAG member, they would also continue to work during any SAG work stopage (because as stated before SAG cannot picket an AFTRA show. This is all a matter of labor law. This would also be another reason SAG would likely be reluctant to strike, SAG could very well make it self irrelevant in scripted television. Although current SAG shows could not easily convert to AFTRA (union labor laws), almost any new projects would certainly go AFTRA.
How would LOST be affected by this? Do they only have to get the remaining episode written? They’re filming episode 10 and 11(out of 17)… so, is that enough time? The first episode doesn’t air till January 21st.
Let me just say that LOST is honestly the only show I watch now, so that’s why I’m asking.
If the actors strike say on Jan 31, I believe Lost would still be 5 episodes short. They will have finished only 12 or 13. NOT GOOD!!! We gotta have our LOST.
Sag strike would mean Youtube is about to explode with new acting talents that will work for cut rate prices. The regular people get a better chance at breaking through the Hollywierd’s walls without union snobbery cutting their throats.
I think they will vote to strike. Most actors are not “Actors”. They are waiters and waitress’. Most do NOT make the majority of their income from the entertainment industry. The ones that do ie. Brad Pitt, don’t even need the union (club) they can negotiate far beyond what SAG could do for them. We are talking about protecting jobs that earn far less than $20,000 per year. Sounds like poverty to me. What are you guys fighting for??? Just go to work and earn your $10 bucks an hour!!!!!
I’m not sure if that is how it would work for the dual cardholders. Because even if a production is AFTRA, it may still be for a struck company.
If the other unions have ‘no strike’ clauses that will certainly make it more complicated.(or less I guess)