Los Angeles - Following two days of federal mediation with movie and TV producers that failed to produce new contract terms, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) plans to launch an educational campaign for its 120,000 members that will urge them to support a referendum authorizing the guild to call a strike, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "We have already made difficult decisions and sacrifices in an attempt to reach agreement. Now it's time for SAG members to stand united and empower the national negotiating committee to bargain with the strength of a possible work stoppage behind them," the guild said in a statement.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said in its own statement that it will "continue to place the burden squarely on SAG to explain why it deserves better deals than the other entertainment Guilds received earlier this year -- particularly in light of the fact that the earlier deals were negotiated during better economic times, and SAG is attempting to reach a deal now during a period of tremendous economic upheaval."

SAG added that no timeline has been set for the mailing or return of strike authorization ballots.

Poll: Will SAG Actually Go Out on Strike?

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/6p4yw (Hollywood Reporter)

http://www.sag.org/press-releases/november-22-2008/sag-amptp-mediation-fails

http://www.amptp.org/files/AMPTP_message_to_companies_112308.pdf (PDF)

http://snipurl.com/6p5t3 (DMW previous coverage)