Hollywood producers, actors in 'tentative' labor deal
AFP
LOS ANGELES- Hollywood producers and the entertainment industry's biggest actors union have reached a tentative deal in their nine-month contract dispute, a joint statement said Friday.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) did not disclose terms of the agreement, which was to be presented to the SAG's board of directors for approval on Sunday.
SAG members have been working without a formal contract after the two sides failed to agree a new deal which would have replaced a previous agreement that expired on June 30 last year.
Multiple attempts to broker a new deal -- including failed talks in February -- have foundered since then. SAG had been seeking greater royalties from sales and showings of work screened on the Internet.
The possibility of a potentially devastating actors' walkout was raised in December, when hardline union leaders announced that a ballot of members would be held to seek authorization for a strike.
However that announcement was met with anger by moderates within SAG, with Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Robert Redford and Russell Crowe amongst dozens of high-profile names to state their opposition to a possible strike.
The moderate backlash led to SAG's lead negotiator Doug Allen being forced out, raising hopes that the new bargaining team could seal a deal.
Any strike by actors could have plunged the entertainment industry into chaos and led to huge losses.
Last year a 100-day walkout by screenwriters created havoc and up to two billion dollars in losses according to some estimates.
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