SAG wants mediator in talks with AMPTP

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors has requested a federal mediator be brought into its talks with a group of U.S. TV and film producers.

SAG and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers negotiating committees met for 44 days of formal negotiations and haven't yet reached a successor agreement to the TV/theatrical pact that expired June 30. AMPTP has repeatedly said a package it presented that day was its final offer.

"We hope mediation will help move this process forward. This action by the board demonstrates our commitment to bargain with the strength of our unified membership behind us. Economic times are tough for all Americans, but we must take a stand for what is fair," SAG National President Alan Rosenberg said in a statement.

AMPTP noted in its own statement it "has successfully negotiated four major labor pacts with Hollywood guilds this year, and we would like to close a fifth with SAG."

"That said, there is simply no justification for SAG to expect a deal that is in excess of

what the other guilds negotiated in better economic times," the statement said. "No matter what SAG does -- whether it be authorizing a strike or following a different approach --

it will not change the harsh reality that currently confronts our industry."