The contract vote between Hollywood's studios and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) draws near, and still the SAG leadership remains divided. Interim Executive Director David White hopes that the union will agree to the contract (as is predicted), which he believes is solid, and contains some good factors, despite the economic downturn. However, the union's top elected official, President Alan Rosenberg, still dislikes the contract, and still protest White's appointment. Rosenberg believes the contract will not help actors, and may even have a negative effect. The contract, which covers two years, grants an immediate 3% pay raise, and provides residual payments for actors in programs shown free on the internet. It does not give the union jurisdiction over low-budget made-for-the-web shows, as the union had hoped.
See "SAG contract vote nears as leadership remains divided", Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2009