Studios Propose Negotiations Date

The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers asked SAG and AFTRA to start negotiations on a new feature-primetime contract on March 31 -- three months before expiration of the current pact.
AMPTP President Nick Counter made the request of SAG national exec director Doug Allen and AFTRA leader Kim Roberts Hedgpeth in a long-scheduled meeting on March 12 at SAG headquarters in Hollywood.

Allen, who's also serving as SAG's lead negotiator, took Counter's request under advisement and said in statement issued March 12, "We need to consult our board, AFTRA and the joint SAG/AFTRA board before we can respond to the AMPTP."

The move by Counter came a day after SAG took a major step toward jointly negotiating the contract with AFTRA by setting March 25 and 26 as dates for joint meetings of the wages and working conditions panels and March 29 as the date for a joint national board meeting to develop the proposal package for negotiations with the AMPTP.

Studio heads have already met informally on two occasions with Allen and SAG president Alan Rosenberg.

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