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It is the Ol ‘Dogs opinion that there is a relationship going on between AFTRA and The AMPTP that amounts to a Tag Team match up to put the squeeze on SAG to negotiate early with the AMPTP.

A negotiation that would only allow SAG’s Leadership a 13 day window to get a deal with the AMPTP before AFTRA steps in with yet another of their window deals. As we have seen windows seem to be AFTRA’s means of poaching SAG’s contracts with free “window” deals that giveaway actors residuals while putting more money in AFTRA’s coffers.

Yep, there is a new Tag Team in Hollywood and if they have their way AFTRA will eventually have all the shows, and actors will see the end to the Lifeblood of all actorsRESIDUALS.

This from the Hollywood Reporter

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AFTRA sets date with AMPTP

By Leslie Simmons
April 2, 2008

RELATED: SAG, AMPTP to begin talks April 15

UPDATED 6:53 p.m. PT April 2, 2008

SAG will have less than two weeks to negotiate its film and TV contract before its sister performers union AFTRA sits down to negotiate its own pact.

AFTRA said Wednesday that it will start negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on April 28. On Saturday, AFTRA said that it was severing its joint bargaining arrangement with SAG, which Tuesday said it will begin contract talks with the AMPTP on April 15.

Hmmm, it seems AFTRA has severed its, “oh, we’re only suspending, not terminating Phase On pretext.

Since the split, SAG and AFTRA reps have been talking with the AMPTP about a timeline to begin separate talks on their similar contracts, which are set to expire June 30. SAG had been working to get into collective bargaining before AFTRA for fear that if AFTRA started negotiations first it would agree to new terms that would be forced upon SAG.

SAG has a list of demands for its talks that include certain concessions the WGA failed to secure after its 100-day strike. Those include boosted DVD residuals and streaming residuals from the first day a TV show hits the Internet, sidestepping the 17-day “free window” the WGA was forced to accept in its recently secured AMPTP contract.

AFTRA president Roberta Reardon said the union “decided to let SAG go first” in the negotiations.

Well, ain’t that nice of AFTRA’s Deigning Diva!

“In our view, our proposed schedule should allow SAG sufficient time to work out a good deal with the studios,” Reardon said.

13 Days to work out a good deal? Right! A good deal for employers, but a deal that would screw actors. Of course, considering the “deals” AFTRA has been giving producers on basic cable dramatic shows, I’m sure she considers whatever deal SAG signs with the AMPTP, a good deal. Hell, what does she care, according to IMDb, she has never worked one of these contracts.

“At the same time, we cannot abdicate our responsibility to our own members to engage with the employers in a strong, deliberate and timely manner so we can negotiate the best possible agreement for primetime performers.”

And what members would that be that would not benefit from the better deal SAG would get if not being tag teamed by AFTRA and the AMPTP? According to AFTRA’s 2007 LM2 filed with the DOL AFTRA currently has 57,000. There are 40,000 dual- card holders, leaving only 17 thousand non-actor AFTRA members made up of singers, broadcasters, and commercial voice over performers. And Ms. Reardon would like all to know that AFTRA with only THREE PRIMTIME SHOWS has a responsibility to its members, by what, coming in and lowballing actors contracts.

For 27 years, SAG and AFTRA have jointly hashed out contract terms on primetime dramatic television. Despite AFTRA’s opting out of that relationship, the unions still will be using essentially the same proposal package, developed jointly by members of each unions wages and working conditions committees last month. Reardon said Monday there will be some tweaking to the package, as AFTRA does not cover film.

So, AFTRA pretends to be bargaining jointly with SAG to get all the details of SAG’s negotiation plans, the better to undercut them, then terminates Phase One, pressuring SAG to accede to the AMPTP’s early negotiations requestsand Ms. Reardon, and AFTRA, puts the knife all the way in, and twists, by allowing SAG, a whole 13 days to negotiate a good contract, before her and her low-balling band, come in and negotiate for members. But, but, but, AFTRA ain’t in cahoots with the AMPTP.

AFTRA appears to have little to lose with SAG talking first, especially if the actor union cuts a deal. If SAG can’t get quick traction in its talks, AFTRA has time to come in and negotiate its own terms.

Look, all SAG has to do is make it plain to Nick and the Gang that if they go to AFTRA then SAG will assert its jurisdiction by enforcing Total Rule One, and the AMPTP will not have access to SAG actors. Of course, they would still have access to all those singers, broadcasters, and commercial voice over performers.

“AFTRA has made the deal once (with the networks), they can make it a second time,” said Alan Brunswick, of Manatt Phelps & Phillips. “Obviously, there’s some different issues but there’s plenty of time to work out issues unique to the primetime agreement.”

Brunswick said the staggered start dates for the AFTRA and SAG talks represents is highly unusual.

“I kind of like that idea, because then it puts the pressure on SAG to get the deal done and get it done as soon as it can,” the labor attorney said.

So, AFTRA likes the idea, Alan Brunswick likes the idea, but then Mr. Brunswick is a former member of the AMPTP staff counsel. Hmmmm.

SAG has held a series of informal meetings in recent weeks with Disney topper Robert Iger and New Corp. COO Peter Chernin to prepare as a prelude to formal talks. The approach is similar to a negotiating arrangement used to hammer out previous pacts with the DGA and the WGA.

That deal was hammered out using the Ol’ Good Cop, bad cops scenerio.

Michelle Belaskie contributed to this report.

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A.L. Miller SW Editor & Chief

In what some might see as means of intimidating the cast of any AFTRA shows like the “Bold and The Beautiful” that might want to decertify and go with SAG, Ms. Reardon warned in her recent message to AFTRA’s members that if the cast was successful “it would leave the performers on “The Bold and the Beautiful” stripped of any union representation and uncovered by any union contract.”

Well, since, most of what comes out of AFTRA is basically BS, the Ol’ Dog decided to do a little checking.

According to the NLRB information officer about the only restriction is that after an NLRB election there is a 12-month period before another election can be held.

So, I did a little research on the Internet and came across the following.

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My recommendations for current AFTRA election rerun are the following “AFTRA Artist” Candidates:

For the Actor AFTRA “Los Angeles” Board of Directors: Vote for only 3 candidates Steven Barr, Carole Elliott and Russell McConnell. All others are part of the current leadership that is responsible for AFTRA undercutting its own contracts with under par contracts with residual giveaways.

For the Actor AFTRA National Board of Directors: Vote for Bonnie Bartlett, Sumi Haru, and Carole Elliott!

For Stunt person: Jane Austin

For the “At-Large” category: Renee Aubry, Steven Barr, Anthony DeSantis, Frances Fisher, Peggy Miley, Jeff Austin, Paul Napier, David Sobolov, Russell McConnell. (REMEMBER, You can only vote for EIGHT!)

Now that AFTRA’s current leadership has terminated Phase One, it is more important than ever that there are AFTRA board members that will look out for actors interests.

YOUR VOTE COULD SAVE YOUR RESIDUALS

*Ballots must be received by April 15, 2008)