Screen Actors Guild plans to take strike consent vote
The Screen Actors Guild completed its 30-hour meeting yesterday without ever voting on the proposal to remove national executive Doug Allen. The slight moderate majority had called for Allen?s removal, but Allen and strike supporters were able to delay the vote long enough to finally end the meeting. With Allen secure, and little changed at the union, the long-awaited strike authorization vote has been given the go-ahead. The Guild actors have been working without a contract since June, and negotiations collapsed in November, with issues arising over base pay, and pay scales for work transmitted over the internet. Many believe that a strike authorization is necessary to bring the producers back to the bargaining table. In order to authorize a strike, the measure must be approved by 75% of all those voting. Several film studios have begun to slow production, in fear of an actors strike.
See "Screen Actors Guild plans to take strike consent vote", Edward Wyatt, The New York Times, January 13, 2009