With writers set, actors union talks loom

LOS ANGELES — The Screen Actors Guild will not begin negotiating with studios until April, despite pressure to avoid a replay of the turmoil caused by the writers’ 100-day strike.

Leaders of the actors union announced the timetable in a letter sent to members Wednesday, saying they must finish gathering input about wages and working conditions from the guild’s 120,000 members.

The study is set to last until March 31, with negotiations then beginning as soon as possible, according to the letter from union President Alan Rosenberg and national executive director Doug Allen.

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The guild said it would set a specific date for the start of talks after consulting with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, a union representing 70,000 other performers and journalists.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, had no comment.

The actors guild is the last major union still without a new contract. Its current agreement expires on June 30.

The strike by the Writers Guild of America halted most TV production and took an estimated $2.5 billion toll on the Los Angeles-area economy.

Earlier this week, the writers union said its members had overwhelmingly approved a new contract that included increased payments for content offered over the Internet. Directors previously ratified a similar deal after quick negotiations.

Actors, however, said they have some different issues than writers and directors, such as how to handle forced endorsements by actors of products placed in films.

Already, differences exist within the union about how to proceed.

Citing unnecessary delays, the board of the guild’s New York chapter has adopted a resolution demanding that talks begin no later than March 31.

In addition, A-list actors Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro took out ads in trade publications urging the actors union to start talks immediately.

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