Hollywood labor talks hit a stumbling block

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In a possible harbinger of more Hollywood labor unrest this year, a performers union that was expected to wrap up quick contract talks with the studios said Monday it had run into "challenging issues, and a resolution may not be quick or easy."

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) president Roberta Reardon shared her concerns in an email to members, breaking a nine-day press blackout during talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), the bargaining arm of the studios.

But Reardon added that the discussions for a new primetime TV contract, which expires June 30, "have been professional and businesslike, and we remain focused on continuing negotiations in this vein."

Among the most high-profile of those issues: new media and how its members "will participate in original new-media productions, and under what circumstances employers can exploit excerpts from traditional TV programs in new media," Reardon wrote.

She said AFTRA was mindful "of the hard realities affecting the television business today -- including audience fragmentation, piracy and the other complexities arising out of the fast-evolving new-media landscape -- and the impact this has on the wages and job opportunities for working performers."

AFTRA has been negotiating the primetime TV contract on its own after suspending its 27-year joint-bargaining agreement with the Screen Actors Guild, which has taken a tougher line against the studios. SAG's contract also expires on June 30, but talks with the studios broke down on May 6.

Hollywood is anxious about the actors talks as it struggles to get back on its feet after a 100-day writers strike that ended in February. Film and TV producers are trying to squeeze in as much shooting as possible before any walkouts.

Some observers had suggested AFTRA would be in a position to make a deal quickly with the AMPTP since the two sides agreed upon the union's Network Code early this year. Conversely, some suggested AFTRA would be hindered by its decision to forego joint bargaining with SAG.

While Reardon's message points out the hurdles facing AFTRA, industry labor attorney Ivy Kagan Bierman said that it doesn't mean there can't be a timely deal.

"I think that this is a very smart message to the AFTRA members," she said. "I believe that the purpose of the message is to manage the members' expectations. Rather than spewing passionate rhetoric, it sends the message that the negotiating committee feels an obligation to its members to be 'pragmatic' and 'solutions-minded' while at the same time ensuring that its members participate in a 'fair and reasonable' way in Internet and mobile content."

The AMPTP declined comment on the e-mail because of the news blackout. SAG also declined to discuss the message.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter