SAG, AMPTP Talks Scheduled

LOS ANGELES: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is set to resume talks with the Hollywood producers on February 17 and 18, almost three months after contract negotiations broke down.

The union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have been haggling primarily over residuals from new-media platforms. Next week’s meeting will be the first since the union elected a more moderate board and ousted its former chief negotiator, Doug Allen. SAG’s president, Alan Rosenberg, and Allen had been lobbying for the organization’s members to vote on a strike action, but encountered stiff opposition due to the current state of the U.S. economy. Following Allen’s exit, SAG’s national board installed a new chief negotiator, John T. McGuire, and scheduled a date to meet with producers last week. Rosenberg scuttled those efforts by filing a legal action against the union, seeking to undo Allen’s firing. A judge last week rejected Rosenberg’s motion, paving the way for negotiations to resume. SAG members have been working without a contract since June 30.