Statement by the AMPTP

The last year has surely been a challenging one, but after long sessions of hard bargaining, all of the Guilds and Unions in our industry, except one, have reached new labor agreements.  These agreements contain meaningful economic increases and first-ever new media rights and residuals.  We are proud to have made such important agreements even as the national economic crisis has worsened almost by the day.  We sincerely hope that, before too much time passes in 2009, we will also reach a labor agreement with the Screen Actors Guild.  For that reason, we are continuing to urge SAG members to study the Producers’ offer at AMPTP.org, and make an independent decision as to whether it makes sense to strike over a deal that will raise wages, raise benefits, add new residuals and establish jurisdiction in new media for the first time.