SAG updates

- Online Petition Urges SAG to Make a Deal
They've gotten over 12,000 signatures so far on their online petition

-Variety: An online No SAG Strike petition that launched over the weekend had attracted more than 5,700 signatures as of Monday evening 11/24.
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Hollywood Reporter, 11.26.08
The seven-page message was the first of many expected from the actors union in the coming weeks, leading up to a strike-authorization vote slated for December.

"We need to show management that we are willing to fight to preserve our ability to earn a living as union performers; otherwise, management will take that away from us," SAG said. "Nearly half of our earnings as union performers come from residuals, but management wants us to allow them to make programs for the Internet and other new media nonunion (productions) and with no residuals."
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LATimes, 11.26.08
SAG strike may not deal networks crippling blow
-excerpted-SAG still covers the big filmed shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." But even there, the networks might not suffer as much as they did during the writers strike. Many shows began production earlier than usual this past summer, so they have finished shooting a large number of episodes. One network source said some series have already completed photography on 15 to 17 episodes and would probably be close to having finished a full season order by the time any strike started.

None of this means the TV business would escape injury if an actors strike really does come to pass. On the contrary, production schedules for many filmed shows would be thrown into chaos once again and the industry would suffer further ill-timed disruptions at a moment of heightened economic vulnerability.

Thanks Saghy for the links!
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Deadline Hollywood, 11.27.08

SAG Issues Q-&-A Regarding Negotiations

Why should we vote to authorize a strike?
We need to show management that we are willing to fight to preserve our ability to earn a living as union performers; otherwise, management will take that away from us. Nearly half of our earnings as union performers come from residuals, but management wants us to allow them to make programs for the Internet and other new media non-union and with no residuals.