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SAG Approves Joint Bargaining with AFTRA

By Jonathan Handel, Esq.

The Screen Actors Guild national board this morning approved an agreement to hold joint negotiations with AFTRA with the studio alliance (AMPTP) later this year, for 45 days starting on October 1. That was the date for SAG and the AMPTP to begin early negotiations. Now it will be SAG and AFTRA jointly meeting with the AMPTP. The vote was expected, and was by a strong margin: 78% to 22%, according to a SAG spokeswoman.

This is good news for the industry, and dramatically reduces the possibility of further labor disturbance in the upcoming negotiating cycle. AFTRA?s national board approved joint bargaining three weeks ago, on February 27, so all that remains is presumably finalizing the text of the joint bargaining agreement and then signing on the dotted line.

A call to AFTRA for reaction was not immediately returned; the AMPTP had no comment.

A Membership First crowd of demonstrators outside the SAG meeting was minimal ? about 20 to 25 people by reports from non-MF sources. Emails to MF were not immediately returned.

Full post as published by Digital Media Law on March 13, 2010 (boomark / email).