Actors Won't Strike—Yet

Pact bumps pay 3.5% but nixes bucks for online reruns

(NEWSER) - A two-year contract narrowly approved by the board of the Screen Actors Guild board would boost pay 3.5% a year, but dodges payment for most online reruns. The pact, which would cover film and TV actors, was passed by just 53% of the newly elected moderate board, and now faces a full membership vote, the Los Angeles Times reports. The issue over Internet residuals has split the membership, but the contract is expected to pass. More»

Union schedules meeting to iron out division

(NEWSER) - Facing dissent in the rank-and-file, the Screen Actors Guild is delaying a member vote to authorize a strike, the Los Angeles Times reports. The union’s board will push back balloting slated to begin January 2 to “address the unfortunate division and restore consensus” at a special meeting January 12, said SAG’s executive director. "This will provide us with more time to conduct member education and outreach on the referendum before the balloting,” Douglas Allen wrote to members. More»

Hollywood composers, lyricists form alliance with Local 399

(NEWSER) - A group of composers for movies and TV seeking a better deal now have the Teamsters in their corner. The musicians, who complain that their pay is shriveling as studios expect them to absorb more costs, were one of the few groups of Hollywood workers not covered by union contracts. The unlikely alliance was made at the suggestion of the Writer's Guild of America, which declined to handle the musicians' grievances. More»

(NEWSER) - The Screen Actors Guild overwhelmingly approved a new contract tonight with the big Hollywood studios, ending an impasse that raised the threat of another strike in the entertainment industry, reports the LA Times. The approval, pushed by a group of top-tier actors such as George Clooney and Tom Hanks, comes a year after the previous contract expired. More»

As star payouts dip, William Morris and Endeavor join forces

(NEWSER) - Two of Hollywood's top talent agencies agreed to merge today amid declining revenues in film and television, Variety reports. Pending government approval, the venerable William Morris Agency will share a new Beverly Hills office with 14-year-old Endeavor—and likely spark a flurry of clients and agents scurrying for new representation. More»