June 30 Approaches

June 30 is the end of the current labor contract that the actors have with the studios. With increasing acrimony between the two acting unions (SAG and AFTRA -- which has already made a deal with the studios that needs only the stamp of approval from membership) it looks like the 'negotiations' will be a long and drawn out process. I don't know all of the details regarding the AFTRA deal and there are many, many points in the SAG deal, ranging from increases in backgroud pay, to residuals, to new media compensation, to mileage (which hasn't increased since the '70's) It sounds, however, as though the AMPTP (the studio conglomerate) refuses to engage in good-faith negotiations and just want to wait the actors out. An excellent resource for exactly what is going on, and what that might mean for the industry and the casual film watcher/TV viewer, check out Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily. She has just posted some really insightful stuff about what's going on (permalink found HERE) as part of a series she is doing that breaks the entire situation down. Very helpful. And scary...