Studios agree to mediation

No one has ever accused the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers of being hasty. Four days after the actors called for bringing in a federal mediator to resolve stalled contract negotiations, the studios finally got around to giving an answer: OK, but don't expect much.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of the studios, said in a statement today  that "we are, of course, willing to meet with a federal mediator in the hopes of achieving our fifth guild agreement this year."

But the alliance also downplayed expectations of a breakthrough, warning that it will be "difficult to reach an agreement if SAG continues to insist unreasonably that it deserves a better deal than the ones achieved by other entertainment guilds during far better times."

The decision was not unexpected given that the studios would have risked a backlash had they rejected the offer, which was made on Sunday by SAG's national board. Actors have been working without a contract since June 30.

-- Richard Verrier

Photo: Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Yessenia Oropeza]

i am absolutly looking forward to 3 specifec parts 1.when edward saves bella in port angelos 2.when james first smells bella and begins the hunt and 3. when bella and edward first go to shool after port angelos and bella tells jessica
and im also looking forward to the new scene where they go on a field trip...i am so excited