Click in the Eyewitness News Story Window above to watch Amy Powell's report from the Mid-Wilshire District.
SAG has rejected what producers say is their final offer, but there are no plans right now for an actors strike. The two sides met for more than five hours Thursday but an agreement was not reached.
Screen Actors Guild members have been working under a contract that expired at the end of June. The union says the terms of the producers' latest offer are inadequate. The terms are similar to a contract approved earlier this week by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the smaller performers union.
SAG is seeking greater compensation for DVDs, something AFTRA and other Hollywood unions were not able to get in their contracts. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers says SAG is unreasonably seeking more than the other unions.
"We are basically calling on SAG's leadership to allow the members to vote on the final offer," said Jesse Hiestand from the AMPTP. "We think it's a really good offer with significant increases in compensation worth more than $250 million over the next three years."
"We took some important things off the table, and I think much closer to their position but still maintaining the principles that are important to us to make sure that actors are protected, particularly in the new media space," said Doug Allen from the Screen Actors Guild.
SAG leaders put a counterproposal on the table and say they want to keep talking. The producers say they are not interested in counteroffers and they are giving SAG until Aug. 15 to accept their final contract offer.
SAG leaders plan to get together Friday to discuss their next move.
