ACTORS' TALKS SET TO BEGIN.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists (both royalty announced Tuesday that they will begin negotiations with producers for a new three-year contract next week. The acting unions, which came close to a strike before finally reaching an agreement in 2001, will sit down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers at the AMPTP AMPTP Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers AMPTP Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers headquarters in Encino starting Monday. SAG President Melissa Gilbert will head the SAG delegation along with SAG's chief negotiator Bob Pisano. AFTRA AFTRA American Federation of Television & Radio Artists President John Connolly will head his union's delegation with lead negotiator Greg Hessinger. The AMPTP will be led by its president, Nicholas Counter. A news blackout will be in effect during the talks. Sister unions the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is a term often referring to the joint efforts of the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, west. Jointly, the two guilds act as the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and have already negotiated three-year contract proposals with the AMPTP this fall, which have since been ratified by their respective memberships. The common issues among the three unions include revenue formulas for DVDs, jurisdiction in reality television, and health care benefits. While the DGA DGA Directors Guild of America (movie directors union) DGA Délégation Générale pour l'Armement (France) DGA Directeur-Grootaandeelhouder (Dutch: Managing Director and Major Shareholder) and WGA both succeeded in securing gains in health care contributions, they did not succeed in getting an increase in highly-sought DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. revenue, which had been set as a major priority. SAG's Pisano recently survived an attempt by critics to oust him from his job as the union's executive director. The ongoing tussle stems from Pisano holding a seat on the board of directors of the DVD rental company Netflix. The union's anti-Pisano faction has charged that the CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. has a conflict of interest because part of the contract negotiations with the AMPTP includes trying to increase DVD residuals for actors. Pisano, the union's top executive for the last three years, has had the steadfast support of Gilbert and a majority of the union's national board. Greg Hernandez, (818) 713-3758 greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com |
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