The current labor contract between the biggest actor unions and Hollywood studios is set to expire Monday night.  Screen Actors Guild negotiators have been pressing fruitlessly for further demands, as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have come to terms on a tentative contract.  SAG leaders are angry about the AFTRA deal, insisting they can squeeze more from the producers if they aren’t undercut by the smaller union.

Oscar-winner Tom Hanks has strongly endorsed the AFTRA deal, along with Alec Baldwin, Morgan Fairchild, Kevin Spacey, and others.  SAG hauled out its own heavy guns with Jack Nicholson, Ben Stiller, and others, asking fellow thespians to reject the AFTRA deal while SAG soldiers on for more benefits   Making life further complicated is the fact that SAG’s 120,000 members include 44,000 who also belong to AFTRA.

George Clooney urges peace between his actor brethren and urged reconciliation over the weekend. “Rather than pitting artist against artist, maybe we could find a way to get what both unions are looking for,” said Clooney. “Because the one thing you can be sure of is that stories about Jack Nicholson versus Tom Hanks only strengthen the negotiating power of the producers.” 

Hollywood is still reeling from a recent 100-day writer’s strike that crippled production and put other film workers out of jobs.  Among those still feeling the sting is International Cinematographers Guild president, Steven Poster.  

Poster states that another industry strike would deal “a serious blow to our health and pension plans, neither of which has recovered from the WGA strike.”  Poster denounces SAG’S “dysfunctional leadership,” claiming that ”SAG has not brought anything new or promising to the bargaining table, and a factional rift within SAG’s membership is threatening to not only damage the union itself but the industry as a whole… this movie has to end soon!”