2 actors unions to play nice
Two unions representing Hollywood's actors moved closer toward ending a fight that threatened to overshadow upcoming contract negotiations with the studios. Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild agreed Tuesday to hold a joint board meeting with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on March 29 to draft proposals for negotiations that could begin in early April. The actors' contract expires June 30, and SAG leaders are being pressed by some prominent members to begin talks immediately to avoid another debilitating work stoppage on the heels of the Hollywood writers strike. AFTRA President Roberta Reardon warned last week that the union would begin negotiations as early as this month -- without the Screen Actors Guild -- unless SAG dropped demands to change the terms of their 27-year partnership.
See "2 actors unions to play nice", Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2008