LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The bad blood between Hollywood's two major actors' unions reached Hatfield and McCoy levels during the weekend just as they prepare to negotiate new labor contracts for their members.þþSaturday's stunning decision by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to negotiate its own deal with the studios rather than in partnership with the bigger and more-confrontational Screen Actors Guild (SAG) raises the question of which union will sit down first for formal talks.þþThe unions' TV-theatrical contract, which they have jointly negotiated for 27 years, expires on June 30. The studios, slowly recovering from the 100-day writers' strike, are fearful of another walkout and are delaying work on projects that could be interrupted in the summer.þþThe union that does not negotiate a new contract first with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) could find itself facing a bigger battle, depending on whether its proposals are greatly different than what was agreed upon by the other union.þþAFTRA, whose contract covers 44,000 members of both unions, has been pushing for early talks all along, so it would come as no surprise if it were first to the table.þþBoth unions said Sunday that they would be getting in touch with the AMPTP within the next few days.þþÿInformal discussions are happening and we expect to set a timeline soon,ÿ AFTRA president Roberta Reardon said.þþSAG executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen said the union plans to call the AMPTP Monday.þþÿWe've discussed it informally with them,ÿ Allen said. ÿThis is what we were waiting for to get started on bargaining: To get this process finished and for the input of the members who were all participating.ÿþþThe AMPTP issued a statement Saturday saying it was pleased that AFTRA is ready to start formal talks and is determined to ÿwork hard and bargain reasonablyÿ to avoid another harmful strike in the industry. The statement made no mention of SAG. (Hollywood writers walked out for 100 days last year.)þþBoth unions, however, probably will wait until after the April 7 start of talks between AMPTP and the Intl. Assn. of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents blue-collar studio workers.þþAFTRA's eleventh-hour decision to suspend its joint bargaining agreement with SAG, known as Phase One, came as both actors unions were set to vote on a proposal package their members had been working on since February. Terms of the package have not been disclosed.þþJust last Tuesday and Wednesday, members of both unions' ÿwages and working conditionsÿ committees met to put finishing touches on the package. Word out of those meetings was that both worked amicably side by side.þþBut even that characterization had Allen and Reardon disagreeing. SAG's Allen described the meetings as ÿenergeticÿ and ÿexciting.ÿ AFTRA's Reardon said there had been ÿtensionsÿ and ÿdisagreements.ÿþþThe straw that broke the camel's back Saturday, Reardon said, was the anticipated decision by the cast of the daytime soap opera ÿThe Bold and the Beautifulÿ to circulate a petition seeking to annul AFTRA's representation of the show's actors.þþSeveral weeks ago, members of the cast approached SAG about issues they had regarding AFTRA's representation.þþÿThey're fed up that AFTRA has not taken care of their needs and concerns and that AFTRA has not assisted them in getting money owed to them,ÿ said SAG national board member Anne-Marie Johnson, also an AFTRA member. ÿThey're fed up with their health and retirement package, and they know SAG will assist if they could.ÿþþJohnson said the actors were told to bring it up with AFTRA because SAG taking jurisdiction over the ÿBoldÿ actors would be considered ÿraiding.ÿþþAllen said the guild assured AFTRA it would not assist the soap opera's cast in their efforts to organize with SAG.þþÿThe timing of this was transparently obvious,ÿ Allen said. ÿIt was incredibly cynical and calculated. It was a flimsy excuse. SAG was never intent on raiding or representing the soap opera.ÿþþBut Reardon said for AFTRA it was clear SAG planned a raid. She cautioned that the decision to stop jointly bargaining was not just because of ÿBold.ÿþþÿWe had learned about 'The Bold and the Beautiful' situation but found out quite later in the game that the situation was much more dire than we first knew,ÿ Reardon explained.þþOver the last year, there have been ÿgrowing attacks from the guildÿ that pushed AFTRA to its boiling point, including ÿletters in the screen actors magazine, petitions, elected leaders of SAG on the sets of our cable shows.ÿþþÿIt's been a very planned campaign to discredit AFTRA and the decertification petition is the outcome of that,ÿ she said. ÿYou cannot engage in bargaining with employers when you're sitting at a table with a partner you don't trust. We would spend more time negotiating with each other than the industry.ÿþþDespite the contentious history, Allen denied Reardon's allegations of a SAG campaign against AFTRA and said it tried to work with its sister union.þþÿHow is it better for the acting members of the unions to negotiate separately?ÿ Allen asked. ÿHow is the leverage of the average working actor increased by negotiating separately as opposed to together?ÿþþBut not every SAG member believes the union's leadership was that blindsided by AFTRA's decision or will mourn the loss of the union as a bargaining partner.þþÿIt was only recently that the Hollywood leadership of SAG was actively working to end our relationship with AFTRA over the strenuous objections of those of us who knew what the outcome would be for both unions,ÿ said Sam Freed a New York member who is SAG's second national vp. ÿNow, after a year of provocation that has gotten them what they always wanted, they are placing the blame on everyone but themselves for the outcome. The current Hollywood leadership of SAG has today failed all actors.ÿþþ
Source: NY Times
