Union, studios talking disconnect to new heights
SAG and the studios, locked in a deadlock and having held just one sidebar meeting since the social club contract ran out most a month ago, ar taking their disconnect to new high.
Late Sunday, SAG's tribal chief negotiator Doug Allen sent members a missive stating talks have continued within "small chemical group meetings and exchanges with the employers, their AMPTP representatives and a congress of Racial Equality group of leaders in both organizations."
He essentially told members to ignore any suggestions they might scan that at that place is "dead silence between our sides," Allen said. "Progress doesn't have to occur directly across the table. Discussions through alternate channels are ongoing as we work toward a fair deal for actors as shortly as possible."
The AMPTP, however, denied any back-channel negotiation have taken place. The studios' bargaining arm Monday refuted SAG's claims that informal negotiation are organism held.
"No meetings, formal or loose, regarding these negotiations get taken berth since the sidebar SAG requested on July 16, and no meetings are pending," the group added.
Allen was traveling and could not be reached for comment on the AMPTP's response.
The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers did say that it would be open to overtures from SAG -- as retentive as the talks tortuous tweaks, instead than counterproposals, to the studios' "last offer."
"The AMPTP is always interested in exploring shipway to reach an agreement, and if SAG has an access that's consistent with the parameters of our June 30 net offer, then we are open to hearing that," the AMPTP said. "SAG's negotiators have not discussed with us any contrive to reach an
