AFTRA TAKES STEP TOWARD BARGAINING TV-THEATRICAL AND EXHIBIT A
A key AFTRA committee voted today to recommend to the AFTRA National Board that a small group of elected officers meet with SAG electeds to explore the possibility of bargaining AFTRA’s Exhibit A contract concurrent with SAG’s TV/Theatrical deal. The small group is expected to present its report and recommendations to the AFTRA National Board, which meets in late February.
One of the issues that will have to be dealt with is that SAG is committed to early negotiations on TV/Theatrical, while AFTRA is not. Another is that Exhibit A currently carries higher rates than TV/Theatrical.
The SAG National Board meets this coming week, and is expected to deal with the same issues. But even before that meeting SAG and AFTRA leaders have met informally several times.
The Hollywood Reporter called it a “delay” but says joint bargaining is still on the table. The Wrap saw it our way…adding that the unions aren’t merged “yet.”
The Hollywood Reporter got it right. Why would AFTRA refuse to negotiate jointly with a Ken Howard/UFS led Screen Actors Guild? Roberta Reardon is too smart to make that kind of mistake.
Howard and the moderates have made it clear where they stand. They have consistently called for joint negotiations and loudly condemned MF’s AFTRA-bashing approach. Oh, and let’s not forget that they methodically kicked MF out of power and fired Doug Allen in the bargain.
If AFTRA refuses to work jointly with the current leadership at SAG, how will they explain it? Howard and the national majority were elected because they ran on the obviously correct message that the unions need to work as partners. If AFTRA won’t play ball with them, members are going to suspect that AFTRA is the problem… and nothing would help Membership First more than that.
Bottom line, Howard and UFS are the good guys. Unless they take some bizarre 180-degree turn, it would be a huge mistake for AFTRA not to negotiate jointly. What would AFTRA gain? They certainly won’t improve their contract by bargaining separately. And all those SAG members who elected Howard and the moderates so the unions could work together will be rightly incensed if AFTRA doesn’t agree to joint talks. (And I bet most are AFTRA members as well.)
I agree with The Hollywood Reporter: rapprochement is on the way. Anything else is nuts.
Following up my last, I just read The Wrap’s coverage (I hadn’t earlier) and I guess you meant to say that THR had a more *negative* take than you (Editor) and The Wrap. I wasn’t struck that way before reading The Wrap.
Either way, my bigger point stands: I can’t imagine AFTRA rejecting a joint negotiation with the current SAG leadership. It makes no sense.
I agree, a return to Phase 1 is best, or, if not an official return, then, a one-off, until an official return can be decided upon. Clearly the break has been hurtful. In all honestly, I think the continued insistence that SAG caused the break is counter-productive, and will continue to alienate the MF people, who still hold considerable sway. AFTRA broke from SAG. You can argue about the reasons why, but AFTRA left and the simple fact is, they didn’t have to. Whether doing so was wise is also open to debate, which is healthy, and will come up in further discussions and board meetings.
Will the togetherness, should it happen, be fruitful? The new media mess is still slowly coming into focus, and it seems to be headed to subscription, but, I still don’t see massive profit. Yet. So, I’m interested in the priorities of Ken Howard. He says he wants a piece of the total pie and indicates the system is currently so cluttered as to be incomprehensible. Will that be a firm negotiating point? Because that is a big change, for actors and for producers. Any gross participation requires transparency of books. It’s hard to imagine Hollywood would conceded this point since they’ve always had difficulty with honesty.
That would be such a leap forward though, for actors. So, is it a firm stance? I wonder. It will need to be, or the producers will run roughshod over the proposal.
Merger is still, it seems to me, far off. Ken Howard indicates he is pressed to achieve other priorities first, and I’d imagine he means the 2011 contract, among other things. Merger will take the usual vetting and discussion, then the slow boil to a vote. It’s such a huge deal. Perhaps Phase 1 and a push for a piece of the pie first. That’s plenty to bite off for now.
I agree, after being pissed at MF for years for AFTRA-Bashing, and watching AFTRA leadership take the moral high ground, crucified but suffering for the greater good, I was then even MORE pissed at them when they backed out of Phase One. Thought it was a colossally stupid and childish move. Still do.
Unless of course it results in real merger, eventually. Then they were brilliant. But at the time (and still), it seemed more a case of, “I’m taking my ball and going home.” At least the result left the egg squarely on MF’s faces… but I wouldn’t say their militancy is down for the count.
Should read:
“…crucified for the greater good, I was then even MORE pissed at (AFTRA Leadership) when they backed out of Phase One.”
I would encourage SAG and AFTRA at least to look at holding joint/concurrent W&W sessions timed to lead up to the Oct 1 SAG start date. As a prelude to the W&W sessions, both SAG and AFTRA have to get off their butts and look at the New Media information that was promised under the last contract, and figure out what, if any, issues concerning New Media need to be addressed at this coming round. To all appearances, there isn’t enough activity under that heading to make New Media a huge issue.
The joint W&W sessions should be timed so that both SAG and AFTRA would then have the opportunity to take official action to implement joint bargaining under Phase I, if they want to. As I’ve written elsewhere, I think the AMPTP has more to gain from this than the unions, and it should therefore be willing to sweeten the pot in some way as an incentive for joint bargaining. Accordingly, SAG and AFTRA may want to hold off on formalizing joint negotiations until they have gotten maximum mileage from that proposal out of the AMPTP.
VG
The leadership of both unions are going about doing the business of the union without alot of screaming and tantrums. That’s what’s smart. Let the media “create” the news if it wants to. My bet is that the leadership of SAG and AFTRA are already on the path to joint negotiations. I can’t imagine anything else going on.
I applaud both unions for getting the job done without alot of the embarrassing press and histrionics of the past.
Since I can’t imagine AFTRA willingly handing any anti-merger ammunition to M1st, this is utterly unsurprising to me.
If AFTRA doesn’t return to joint contract negotiations, it will lead to a jurisdictional war, between the two unions.
A war that one union will lose.
“Lead to”??? Give me a break.
“If AFTRA doesn’t return to joint contract negotiations, it will lead to a jurisdictional war, between the two unions.”
Where ya been, “Mike?”
It will go nuclear.
“Nuclear?”
What we’ve been trying to do world-wide is keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of cults and sects like Membership First.
You know how SAG members can avoid nuclear war?
Vote Membership First *out* of the majority on the Hollywood Board this summer.
As opposed to what?
If AFTRA doesn’t return it could very well lead to the return of M1st to power in SAG. Moving towards friendly relations and merger with AFTRA was a key campaign plank for Howard and U4S, and M1st was downright keystone cops incoherent in their positions on the issue. AFTRA taking it off the table would likely take 10 points or more out of U4S support. . . and I’d be amazed if they didn’t realize it, and wish to avoid it.
Mike, they WERE at joint negotiations until SAG made sure that AFTRA left.
So AFTRA has to return as long as SAG makes it a “partnership” instead of treating AFTRA like a cardboard placard.
Let’s be real here.
So far SAG has been doing it’s part. When the rest of the MF offenders (the Bash AFTRA campaign from last time) I think AFTRA will be more forthcoming with what they will do.
Amazing that you can flip the blame to AFTRA when it was SAG who started this nonsense.
mike, you think maybe possibly that perhaps down the road this will lead to a jurisdictional war??? What the hell do you think Membership First has been doing this past decade?
I blame AFTRA.
We’re shocked. {not.}
One of the funniest posts in recent memory, probably in response to one of your alter egos on another system “blaming” AFTRA, was put up this evening by H.V. Baxendale. I quote, completely without permission:
According to SAGwatch,
MeFirst caused the Haitan earthquake, but not the aftershocks, that was the Alan & Allen jumping in behind them.
MeFirst is directly responsible for the deaths of Michael Jackson, Jean Simmons and the vacant lot that is everybody’s careers.
I’m sure SAGwatch’s got a dozen more ready to reveal; the potato famine, the macarena, the New Jersey Nets, who knows the scope of MeFirst perfidy as well as SAGwatch? We just have to wait for SAGwatch to enlighten us.
HAHAHAHA! Of course you do, mike.
Sigh.
nteresting article in todays HR, quoting a number of sources, including Ken Howard, Anne Marie Johnson and Jonathan Handel, regarding the current deal, emerging new media and the upcoming negotiations.
Handel, generally thought to be pro-UFS, says he hasn’t spoken to a single moderate who approves of the new media deal. He also says management is in for a rude awakening on new media, indicating he is hearing SAG is gearing up for a fight.
Anne Marie Johnson takes the position that “you can’t un-ring the bell” on the precedent in new media,” indicating she expects a contentious negotiation, regardless of a return to Phase 1 or not. Her position is you can’t get back what you gave away. Minus, one supposes, threat of strike.
Howard expresses the view that a less muscular approach and a joint negotiation with AFTRA will be helpful, but Howard also clearly expresses a view he intends to pursue a percentage deal in new media.
It will be interesting to observe the results. Will the moderate approach that accepted the 2009 contract yield a percentage deal this time, which is what MF was clamoring for from day one?
Will Howard, if re-buffed by the producers, dig in his heels? After all, how long will moderation in tone and approach hold if stonewalled on new media?
If Handel is saying he feels management thinks they accomplished a framework on new media in 2009 that protects them from a fight for a percentage deal in 2011, one expects he is hearing from multiple moderate sources, they are planning a line in the sand.
So, will 2011 be the tell-tale battle? Will it be “the mother of all strikes?” If the AMPTP says no to any percentage on new media, now or ever, what then?
Walt,
The problem with demanding a “percentage” remains the same today as it did in the last negotiation.
A percentage of what?
There are a half dozen ways I know to compensate a producer for new media exhibition that don’t generate a penny in what we’ve come to know and love as traditional residual/royalty generating revenue. Pin SAG and AFTRA’s future to one option and you pretty much guarantee it won’t ever be used.
The last time, no one knew what the future would bring, so setting new media compensation was held in abeyance. Here we are, a year later and nothing much has changed. Nobody’s figured out what key unlocks the vault yet.
You remember the prophecies of immediate doom from the provision that created the “non-union” space in ultra low-budget new media creations? Has anyone seen a production from an AMPTP member that falls into that category?
It’s been more like a debate until now. I think mike means someone may try to get an official ruling or something. Up until now it’s just been a lot of empty threats and Complaints.
It’s the difference between Bleeding Kansas and more than half a million dead a few years later.
Just tried to comment…hope this isn’t duplicated…I’ll try again…
Ann Marie Johnson? Who cares what she says or implies. She is irrelevant. Ann Marie Johnson is nothing. She’s a non entity. Her statements mean nothing and she means nothing. She’s old news.
This time the producers will be facing a full fledged team of adult, educated, experienced negotiators instead of Football Doug Allen who NEVER NEGOTIATED A DEAL IN HIS FRIGGIN LIFE. NOT ONE DEAL …NOT ONE CONTRACT.
The producers will have to face AFTRA and SAG UNITED. They will face a great negotiator who is a Rhodes Scholar (David White)not to mention John McGuire (one of the the most respected men in labor) and I don’t think the producers will want to do anything more than MAKE A DEAL.
When they were faced with unprofessional hacks like Rosenberg and Allen, they took advantage just like we would have if faced with the same scenario.
This time around, the producers will go to the table and make a deal, so they can get on with running a business.
Then AFTRA and SAG will merge. Never again to return to the debacle of 2008.
I would hardly call AMJ irrelevant. She’s still 1st VP, and the leader in Hollywood. Though Membership First may have lost the last two elections, the future is just that…
Admin, she’s a shadow. She may be 1st VP but she has become a joke. She’s now a characature of herself. Her vitriol has backfired and as 1st VP, Amy Aquino has it all over her and Amy’s mere utterance holds more value than the most melo dramatic press release AMJ can muster.
Well, that’s my view. She’s toast. No more power. No power nowhere. Can’t get herself arrested.
Ask around.