Film workers outside SAG meeting protest against strike 

[December 18, 2008]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A dozen film industry workers protested outside a town hall meeting of the Screen Actors Guild on Wednesday night, pleading with actors not to authorize a strike that would bring the entertainment business to a halt.

The workers held up signs saying "Please No Strike Now -- The Crew" in the rain outside the complex housing the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards.

SAG is preparing to send out strike authorization ballots Jan. 2, which could imperil the gala awards night on Feb. 22 if actors boycott.

The group of protesters, location scouts, technicians and camera-equipment vendors, said work has dried up since the actors' contract expired in June because studios have delayed making new movies for fear of a damaging walkout.

"Since the last contract expired in June, it's basically killed the feature film business," said Rob Frank, a 48-year-old location manager from Los Angeles. "People are losing their homes. I just think the timing is off for a strike."

Since wrapping location shooting on Disney's "Bedtime Stories" in August, Frank said he has been out of a job. "I'm usually going from movie to movie to movie with no break in between," he said.

The demonstration was the latest sign of unhappiness with the guild. On Monday, some SAG members at a meeting in New York reportedly booed President Alan Rosenberg and asked him to resign.

The New York group of SAG board members also issued a letter Friday calling a strike vote "irresponsible" and demanding the negotiating committee be replaced.

More than 130 A-list actors including Cameron Diaz and Pierce Brosnan also came out against a strike in a letter made public this week.

But some of the 400 actors attending Wednesday night's meeting remained determined to press their case with the major Hollywood studios.

Actor Ed Asner, 79, said a strike was necessary to achieve the guild's goals and that the length of a possible walkout depends on the Hollywood studios. "It all depends on how greedy they are for product."

The guild is seeking union coverage for all Internet-only productions regardless of budget, residual payments for Internet productions replayed in ad-supported platforms online, and continued actor benefits during work stoppages, including those caused by strikes by other unions.

The studios have said a formula for payment in new media formats has already been agreed upon by directors, another actors union and writers, whose 100-day strike derailed the Golden Globe Awards in January.

It is urging SAG's 120,000 members to agree to the same deal.

Elliott Gould, a 70-year-old actor who played one of the plotters in the "Ocean's" movie series, said he confronted the group of anti-strikers outside.

"I said, 'Look, we respect you as much we respect ourselves," Gould said. "'But don't threaten me.'"

The strike vote must be approved by 75 percent of voting members to succeed. If it is approved, the SAG national board can call a strike. Votes will be counted on Jan. 23.

[Associated Press; By RYAN NAKASHIMA]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.