May 27, 2008 1:02 pm US/Pacific
AFTRA, SAG, Studios Still Negotiating New Deals
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
Negotiations between Hollywood studios and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists were going down to the wire Tuesday after sessions through the Memorial Day weekend failed to seal a deal.
After meeting late into the night Monday, the two sides were working to reach an agreement before the larger Screen Actors Guild returned to the bargaining table.
SAG previously said it planned to resume its talks by Wednesday. The union did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The feverish weekend talks suggested a tentative deal might be close.
The three-year contracts of both unions, representing a mix of prime-time TV and film actors, are set to expire on June 30.
The unions had previously negotiated together, but bickering led to the separate, leapfrog schedule of talks.
SAG, with 120,000 members, began its talks April 15. The negotiations were temporarily suspended so AFTRA, with 70,000 members, could start its talks on May 7.
The AFTRA talks entered their 17th day on Tuesday.
The uncertainty over the negotiations has effectively halted the start of many major studio productions that couldn't be completed by the end of June.
Studios have banked some projects, but executives have warned that further delays could mean fewer movies make it to the big screen in late 2009.
AFTRA and the producers have maintained a formal press blackout on the state of talks. However, AFTRA's e-mail updates to its members have highlighted content on the Internet as a key sticking point.
"In addition to seeking improvements in compensation, coverage, and health and retirement benefits, we are also confronting a number of tough challenges involving new media," AFTRA president Roberta Reardon said in an e-mail Sunday.
Both unions have said they would fight to maintain the control that actors now have over use of their voices and images in clips sold online.
The producers, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, have called the consent process antiquated and said it impedes their ability to create a "lawful clips market" in which it would share revenue with actors in lieu of obtaining their consent for every clip.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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