SAG talks go into overtime
Negotiators stay at the table past deadline
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Bargaining has continued early Wednesday morning at the Crowne Plaza in New York, several hours past the midnight expiration of the commercials contract.
Both sides have continued to observe a news blackout as negotiators opted to stay at the table past the deadline.
The joint SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee still has not asked members for a strike authorization. Taking such a step would take about three weeks and require 75% approval.
Bargaining began Feb. 23 and -- except for a break of a week in March -- has continued since then. The ad industry has been pushing for a revamp of compensation that would be tied to ratings that each network receives rather than current pay-per-play quarterly system on networks and a buyout payment for each quarter an ad runs on cable.
The negotiations have included discussion of a pilot study to test pay models. As part of the expired deal, the two sides agreed to commission a study from Booz Allen Hamilton on new compensation models to reflect the shifting economics of the ad biz.
Actors currently receive about $900 million annually in compensation under the contract. The ad industry is also seeking $20 million annual in reductions on its contributions to SAG and AFTRA's pension and health plans, including caps for work by individual performers.
