SAGThe American Federation of TV and Radio Artists said Wednesday it would put off studio contract negotiations, scheduled to begin April 28, until May 5 to give the Screen Actors Guild more time to hammer out a new deal.
"We believe we can best serve our members' interests by briefly postponing our negotiations," the union said in a statement—a logical conclusion considering it was the AMPTP, which represents the purse string-wielding major studios and networks, that requested the postponement.
With all involved looking to avert another industry-crippling strike, the 70,000-strong AFTRA, which mainly represents broadcast performers, announced last month that it would conduct talks separately from SAG, although at least half of everyone on AFTRA's roster are also card-carrying SAG members.