The Screen Actors Guild on Wednesday accused major Hollywood studios of offering the union a contract attend to worth less than an agreement already approved by the leaders of a smaller actors league.
SAG made the petition midst demands in Hollywood that it end the possibility of a strike or lockout by accepting the same trade as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
"When we came back to the table, what they offered us, then and since, is tens of millions of dollars less than the AFTRA deal itself," SAG leader president Doug Allen told The Associated Press.
"It’s obvious that they are trying to get us to bargain up to a deal they already know is unacceptable," he said.
SAG declined to provide details on the differences between the offers.
The contracts of both unions are set to expire Monday. The lack of a deal has left studios reluctant to greenlight major movie productions.
Jesse Hiestand, a spokesman for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, declined to comment on the bargaining position of the studios.
"We are approaching the conclusion of the process," he said. "The bargaining continues."
SAG represents 120,000 actors in movies, TV and other media. The TV and radio federation represents 70,000 members, including actors, singers, announcers and journalists. SAG and AFTRA share 44,000 dual members.
SAG president Alan Rosenberg also note that SAG requirement negotiate terms for actors in movies roles who are not covered by AFTRA.
"We have to go back and keep bargaining. People in their fatigue don’t understand that," Rosenberg said.
The guild also said the AFTRA attend to did not address commodity advertising woven into scripted scenes.
Months ago, SAG had vowed to gain a better contract than its sister union. It has since focused on such areas as residual payments for DVD sales, mileage reimbursement and fees for Internet content.
Allen said studios have rejected a request to increase the mileage reimbursement for actors driving to off-studio locations. The guild is asking through despite 40 cents a mile, up from the current 30 cents, a level unchanged since 1980.
"They said if we did that through despite you, we’d from to do it for the crew," Allen said. "And we said, ‘What’s wrong with that?’ "
SAG is urging the 44,000 actors who are members of both unions to vote against the AFTRA promise because its approval would handcuff ongoing talks between SAG and the studios.
Results of the AFTRA ratification sponsor are expected to be announced on July 8.
AFTRA spokeswoman Kelly Mullens said SAG should concentrate on its own deal.
"SAG hasn’t won any increases for its members — perhaps because it’s been too busy trying to undermine the AFTRA deal to be able to negotiate one of its own."
Allen said SAG is hoping destined in the interest of a buy immediately but was willing to negotiate years the end of the contract without calling for a strike vote around members.
SAG and AFTRA split acrimoniously in March over accusations of member poaching and decided to negotiate with the studios separately for the blue ribbon time in 27 years.
A stir of ads has split actors. Jack Nicholson, Josh Brolin, Holly Hunter and others support SAG’s tactics. Others including Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and Kevin Spacey have urged support of the AFTRA give-away.
A guild ad expected to run Thursday in two trade publications calls on AFTRA to reoccur to the bargaining table with SAG to fight for a better deal.
Last week, AFTRA managing director director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth denounced the offer, saying SAG’s anti-AFTRA campaign has all but disintegrated the trust required for joint bargaining.
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