SAG waits for mediator's next move

Guild met with Gonzalez over stalled talks

By DAVE MCNARY

The Screen Actors Guild has met with federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez about its stalled contract negotiations and will now wait for Gonzlez to take the next step.

SAG had no official comment about Wednesday's session with Gonzalez and the 17 members of SAG's negotiating committee.

People close to the situation said the meeting was fairly brief and may have served largely for Gonzalez to meet individuals on the 17-member committee.

No date's been set for restarting talks between SAG and the majors. SAG's feature-primetime contract expired June 30, and the guild last met officially with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television producers on July 16.

Wednesday's session was the guild's second meeting with Gonzalez. The guild requested mediation on Oct. 19 and its first meeting with Gonzalez came five days later with president Alan Rosenberg, national exec director Doug Allen and contracts chief Ray Rodriguez attending.

The AMPTP met with Gonzalez on Oct. 30.

SAG's leaders have been adamant over the past four months that the AMPTP's final offer is unacceptable, particularly in its new-media provisions. For its part, the AMPTP's reiterated that it won't change the general terms of its final offer, noting that its terms are similar to those reached in deals earlier this year with WGA, DGA and AFTRA.

The guild's negotiating committee can ask SAG members for a strike authorization should mediation fail and the authorization would have to draw more than 75% approval from members voting for a strike to occur.

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