SAG, AMPTP to Resume Talks

LOS ANGELES: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are set to resume contract renewal talks early next week.

In a brief statement, the organizations said they would meet February 3 and 4 at the AMPTP offices in Sherman Oaks, but offered no further comment. The move follows the ousting of the actors union’s chief negotiator, Doug Allen, who was succeeded in that position by John T. McGuire. Allen and SAG’s president, Alan Rosenberg, had been lobbying to present a strike-authorization vote to members, an initiative that came up against strong resistance given the current economic conditions. SAG members have been working without a contract since June 30, unable to come to a resolution with the producers on key issues like new-media residuals.