* AMPTP To SAG: “Our way Or The Highway!” Watchdog Commentary, and perhaps a few things you haven't heard about Nick's Demands !!

If there was one thing that AMPTP/SAG negotiations, suspended by Nick Counter and his gang, proved, it is that they are feeling pretty cocky.

And why not, didn’t stars like Clooney, Hanks, DeNiro, and Streep, announce to the world that SAG members did not have the resolve to face another strike. Along with our friends at AFTRA, who have indicated that they are more than willing to give the AMPTP anything they want, in order to get more AMPTP contracts, no matter how much it screws actors.

Nick Counter made it abundantly clear that he thought that he and his group were in the drivers seat! When referring to the SAG Proposals, at the beginning of the negotiations, he declared “These proposals are unreasonable. Well, I guess you’d better prepare to strike.”

But, even without that declaration, the AMPTP has proven by its actions, during the last few weeks, that unless something changes within the SAG membership, they are going to squeeze out of us, ever concession they can.

They have summarily rejected every one of our proposals, even as our negotiators have made concessions.

And, forget the idea that they just want us to basically take the same deal as the directors and writers. In fact they want a hell of lot more.

Currently, SAG members have the right to negotiate on whether their clips are used in another venue. They can protect their image, and say NO, if they don't get their price, or if they don’t want their clip used in a manner they feel is inappropriate.

Of course, as they always do, when they want a concession, the AMPTP complains that the current method is, ah, outmoded. You know, like they recently complained that residuals are outmoded, In fact, anything that doesn’t put more money in their pockets is outmoded.

The funniest quote of the day, comes from AFTRA President Roberta Reardon, who stated in today’s LA Times article that,

“Like SAG, AFTRA wants better pay for working actors, whose incomes have been squeezed in recent years, Reardon said, and will push for actors' consent for the use of Web clips, among other things.”

“AFTRA agreed to REMOVE CONSENT for CLIP use in the Network Code Contract they recently negotiated.”

Look, the Ol Dog ain’t saying the AMPTP/AFTRA negotiations have already been scripted, but at the beginning of the talks today, Nick handed out to Roberta and her actor negotiators their sides.

One can only wonder what it will take for high profile members like Sally Field to get their wakeup call. Maybe, if she goes on line, and there’s a couple of porno stars doing their thing, and the TV’s on in the background—with a clip of “Norma Rae” on a table, cheering them on in their labor.

Hey, and there’s more. In the current SAG contract there's a Force Majeure clause that allows SAG Members to get half pay during a strike. Well, guess what, kiddies, Nick and the gang wants SAG to get rid of that clause.

But,but,but… wait there’s more. SAG currently has over 80 arbitration cases against the AMPTP filed by series regulars that where not paid during the WGA strike. And Nick and the boys want SAG to make those cases go away. Yeah, he wants SAG to screw its own members so he and the boys won’t have to pay out that hefty bunch of change. In fairness to nick, his eyes teared when he had to do it.

No, NED Allen, President Rosenberg, and our negotiators didn’t cave in, but that don’t mean Nick won’t keep pressing.

Look, if you want to make all the concessions Nick Counter wants, and if, in addition, you want to have your clips sold wholesale to whoever comes up with the bucks, go on, and continue to whine about how President Rosenberg wants a strike. Yeah, you see the reason that he wants a strike is so that his wife will be out of work!

If our membership really is so stressed out by the WGA strike, and they just want to keep working, then they should keep their Frikking mouths closed when that network show that they did, goes directly to the Internet, and they get that first residual check for between $23 and $98 bucks!

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