Can Hollywood Survive Another Strike?
Posted by djocean on June 25, 2008
Four months ago, the Writer’s Guild of America and the movie and television industry managed to renegotiate their contracts and end one of the longest strikes in entertainment history. Literally bringing the industry to a stand still, more than 27,000 jobs were cut and over $2 billion was lost.
Although many thought the turbulent times in Tinsel Town were over, the entertainment industry isn’t out of the woods just yet. According to a recent Time Magazine article, movie studios are holding off on starting productions for any big film thanks to concerns of another strike.
Represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), actors are looking for similar concessions given to the ones writers received after lobbying for better “new-media” and DVD residuals.
One roadblock in negotiations lies in the fact that SAG and AFTRA have different ideas on the way things should work. Supposedly AFTRA is close to finalizing a deal similar to the ones received by writers and directors earlier this year. SAG on the other hand, sounds as though it is far from signing an agreement and they could be considering a strike for their 120,000 members when their contract expires June 30, 2008.
We will have to wait and see where this one goes. Another big strike could be disaterous for the entertainment industry.
