By Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES — The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said Tuesday it would begin contract talks through producers — a move that could hurt the effort by a rival union to reach a better deal than writers and directors.
AFTRA was expected to reach an agreement quickly after negotiations started Wednesday.
That could leave the Screen Actors Guild alone in its push to surpass writers and directors on residual payments for DVD sales and content offered over the Internet.
Studios aren’t likely to budge, even though both sides have said they want to avoid a renew of the 100-day writers strike that shut down production on dozens of TV shows and cost the Los Angeles area economy an estimated $2.5 billion.
Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger reported for the period of a conference call with analysts that the producers had made their position clear for SAG.
“The fact that we did deals with the writers and the directors should certainly signal our position on the critical issues,” Iger said. “I think SAG is well aware of that.”
No agreement was announced Tuesday as the SAG talks dragged from individual side their 18th day.
SAG and the studios have declined to discuss the outlook for the talks that began on April 15.
SAG said late in the day that two sides were still negotiating and it had no further comment. The producers alliance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
AFTRA said it will impose a press blackout on details of its upcoming discussions, which involve actors on primetime TV shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm,Rules of Engagement,Cashmere Mafia and Til Death.
AFTRA’s current primetime television contract with the alliance expires June 30.
A week past, it aforesaid 93% of members who voted backed a separate deal with producers covering shows such as Oprah and “American Idol.
Writers and directors both reached new contract deals earlier this year. SAG’s contract also expires June 30.
SAG and AFTRA had negotiated together upon the theatrical movie and primetime TV contract with studios for the past 27 years but split in March when AFTRA accused SAG of trying to entice actors in the soap drama “The Bold and The Beautiful” to abandon the federation.
In its earlier deal, AFTRA accepted terms on new media that amounted to a small, fixed payment for TV programs streamed online for one year, and a weak percentage share of the distributors’ gross revenue thereafter.
The studio alliance hailed the share as “the latest to consolidated the groundbreaking new media framework” that writers won during their strike.
The alliance blasted SAG, however, for initially demanding an increase in DVD residual payments that it uttered would double the $500 million actors are now set to contain over the nearest three years.
SAG responded by scaling back its demands to what amounts to a 15% boost in the form of studio payments for health care and pensions.
A continuing stalemate could leave SAG through a uphill choice between pushing for a strike that has little support in the midst of its members or attempting to wring concessions from producers in other areas.
Norman Samnick, an entertainment lawyer who has represented Warner Bros. in previous contract talks with actors and remained close to negotiations, believes a apportion will be cut before the current contract expires.
“I think the industry has suffered enough,” he said.
Actor Michael Kirkland, 34, who has appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and earns about $30,000 a year, said he had to miss health security against loss payments during the writers strike, including some involving coverage for his 13-year-old son.
“It all caught up with me now,” he said. “I’m fortunate enough to be working, but if this strike does happen, I would be screwed.”
The Screen Actors Guild has 120,000 members, as long as AFTRA represents about 70,000 people. The sum of two units unions share 44,000 dual members.
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