SAGWill differences at last be put aside?
The Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers said today that the Screen Actors Guild has requested a Wednesday meeting.
While, according to the alliance, SAG didn't divulge its express purpose for tomorrow's powwow, we're going to go out on a limb and assume it concerns the ongoing battle over the new three-year contract the union's leaders have yet to sign off on.
The AMPTP, which has already indicated it's not willing to stray from the supposedly generous terms currently on the table, said that it's prepared to listen to whatever SAG's leaders have to say "out of respect for the SAG membership."
The two sides are scheduled to come together at 1 p.m. at AMPTP headquarters, their first sit-down since Thursday, when a five-hour meeting resulted in...nothing much.
"It is important to note that SAG has declined to specify the purpose of the meeting, and that AMPTP continues to call on SAG's Hollywood leaders to accept AMPTP's final offer," which matches the terms arrived at with the Writers Guild and Directors Guild of America and the American Federation of Radio & TV Artists, the alliance stated Tuesday.
SAG's West Coast reps have so far dismissed the major studios' request to let the union's 120,000 members review the new terms.
But if SAG's national board, which is expected to meet by July 26, OKs the prospect, the actors could have a contract in place by Aug. 15—the deadline the AMPTP has given the thesps if they want to to cash in retroactively on the new deal's proferred wage increases.