The Screen Actors Guild will mail strike authorization ballots to paid-up members on Jan. 2, and tabulate the returned votes on Jan. 23.
SAG needs a 75% “yes” vote from returned ballots in order to authorize the national board of directors to call a work stoppage should further negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fail.
“SAG members understand that their futures as professional actors are at stake, and I believe that SAG members will evaluate the AMPTP’s June 30 offer, and vote to send us back to the table with the threat of a strike,” said Alan Rosenberg, SAG national president, in a statement. “A ‘yes’ vote sends a strong message that we are serious about fending off rollbacks and getting what is fair for actors in new media.”
“We want SAG members to have time to focus on this critical referendum, so we have decided to mail ballots the day after New Year’s,” said Doug Allen, SAG national executive director and chief negotiator. “We will continue our comprehensive education campaign and urge our members to vote yes on the strike authorization. … Our objective remains to get a deal that SAG members will ratify—not to go on strike.”
AMPTP responded to SAG’s calendar: “SAG members are going to be asked to bail out a failed negotiating strategy by going on strike during one of the worst economic crises in history. We hope that working actors will study our contract offer carefully and come to the conclusion that no strike can solve the problems that have been created by SAG’s own failed negotiation strategy.”
Everett, Wash.-based Integrity Voting Systems will tabulate the votes.