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Now that filming is underway, Ugly Betty fans are holding their breath.  Will it suddenly come to an end due to labor strife, as it did when the writers went on strike last year?

I haven’t spoken much about it because I don’t want to jinx it, but the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is now effectively working without a contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), and negotiations have been…somewhat less than cordial.

Here’s the latest news, as reported by Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily.  Last week, the AMPTP made a “last best final” offer (something they also did with the writers several times).  The evaluation and negotiation about that offer has stopped, until the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) votes on their deal, hammered out with the studios on May 28 (boy, they’re in no hurry to ratify, are they?).  The votes should be counted by tonight, with an announcement shortly thereafter.

So, we wait.

In the meantime, what’s your feel on all of this?  Will there be an actors strike? Or would the cost to both sides be so high, they’ll find a way to hammer out a deal?  I haven’t done a poll in a while, so I’ll make that this week’s poll question.

Post from: Ugly Betty News

The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels.  The entire value of the New Economic Partnershipwill deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year.  In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals.  While we strongly preferred to continue discussions, we respect and understand the WGA’s desire to review the proposals.  We look forward resuming talks on Tuesday, December 4.

We continue to believe that there is common ground to be found between the two sides, and that our proposal for a New Economic Partnership offers the best chance to find it.

Now, the idea that the WGA asked to suspend the talks until December 4th is interesting, and Nikki at Deadline Hollywood Daily has this to say about it:

My sources say this came as something of a surprise to the moguls’ side because their negotiating team was “ready to keep bargaining through the weekend”. On the other hand, the AMPTP side finally presented the terms with so much fanfare that it really surprised the WGA negotiators who’d been increasingly doubful there’d ever even be such a moment.

Now, this could all just be so much labor strife puffery from both sides.  But, I remember the 1988 strike, and this is much more movement, much earlier, than we had then.  Let’s hope everyone comes to their senses soon.  Ugly Betty News commentor Jessica said best what is at stake here:

…how about some sympathy for all the people this strike is hitting in harder places than what to watch on Thursday nights? Everyone knows the writers plight and most support them, but this thing is industry-wide. Actors and production crews, not stars that can go without but extras and day-players barely making rent, are out of work.

So true.  The moguls are just doing what moguls do, and many of the writers are treating the strike like a big party. But real people are being hurt right in the middle of the holiday season. Hopefully, this news can be a harbinger of the end of all of this.

Post from: Ugly Betty News