Producers offer SAG 'last, best' deal

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers says it has offered the Screen Actors Guild a last, best and final offer.

AMPTP said late Thursday that its proposal contains important enhancements to the "final offer" it presented SAG with last year. The last SAG-AMPTP contract expired June 30, 2008 and talks between the two sides were stalled for months before resuming this week.

"The AMPTP has offered SAG a last, best and final offer that contains important enhancements to the final offer -- a final offer that already represented a $250 million increase over SAG's now-expired contract," AMPTP said in a statement. "The AMPTP made these enhancements in an effort to conclude the AMPTP's sixth major labor agreement in the past year. The terms in the offer are the best we can or will offer in light of the five other major industry labor deals negotiated over the past year and the extraordinary economic crisis gripping the world economy."

The producers said they will leave their offer on the table for 60 days and, after that, they reserve the right to modify or withdraw the terms of the pact.

"We urge SAG members to review the offer for themselves at amptp.org and consider not only the enhancements, but the significant gains in wages, benefits, new media residuals and jurisdiction," AMPTP said.