>>> THIS MORNING, HOLLOOD
REMAINS ON HOLD.
WRITERS AND STUDIOFAILING TO
REACH AN AGREEMENT ON RESUMING
NEGOTIATIONS.
THE MEETING SOUGHT BY THE
STUDIOS WAS SEEN AS A FIRST
POTENTIAL SIGN OF A THAW BETWEEN
THE TWO SIDES.
AND THERE ARE NO TALKS PLANNED
YET WITH S.A.G.AG-AFTRA, WHICH
REPRESENTS 160,000 ACTORS.
THEY WENT ON STRIKE LAST MONTH.
THE ACTOR'S UNION HAS
HISTORICALLY BEEN MORE WILLING
TO NEGOTIATE.
ACCORDING TO THIS "NEW YORK
TIMES" REPORTING, STUDIOS HAVE
BEEN RECONSIDERING THEIR
STRATEGY.
THE PRIMARY REASON, FRAN
DRESCHER.
WHEN FRAN DRESCHER TOOK A HARD
LINE AS ITS LEADER, THE LEADERS
SHIFTED THEIR FOCUS TO THE OTHER
STARS.
FRAN DRESCHER HAS SHARPLY
CRITICIZED STUDIO EXECUTIVES
CALLING THEM GREED-DRIVEN AND
DISRESPECTFUL PEOPLE.
THAT'S A QUOTE.
WHILE WE MAY THINK OF HOLLYWOOD
ACTORS AS HIGH-PAID CELEBRITIES,
SOME OF THEM ARE.
THE REALITY IS, MANY OF THEM ARE
NOT.
THE AVERAGE SALARY, THIS IS THE
AVERAGE, $65,000, ACCORDING TO
ONE ANALYSIS OF LABOR DATA.
ON THURSDAY, DRESCHER VISITED
PICKETERS HERE IN NEW YORK, AND
URGED THEM TO KEEP UP THEIR
MORALE.
>> IN IT TO WIN IT!
AND OUR NEW HASHTAG IS, OYIELD O
OUR DEAL!
>> SPOKESMAN FOR THE STUDIOS, I
SHOULD NOTE, SAYS WE SHOULD
REMAIN COMMITTED TO FINDING A
PATH TO MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL
DEALS WITH BOTH UNIONS.
JOINING US NOW IN STUDIO, FRAN
DRESCHER, PRESIDENT OF
SAG-AFTRA.
>> GOOD MORNING!
>> HOW ARE YOU BOTH?
>> NO PROGRESS?
>> NO, THEY'RE NOT SPEAKING TO
US.
SO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT
COMMENT WAS THAT THEY WANT TO
SEEK A DEAL WHEN YOU HAVE TO ASK
TO BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE AND TALK
TO THE OPPOSITION TO MAKE A
DEAL.
>> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
CHARACTERIZATION THAT POPPY JUST
READ IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
REPORTING THAT YOU ARE THE
REASON THAT THEY'VE SHIFTED FROM
NEGOTIATING WITH SAG-AFTRA TO
FOCUSING ON THE WRITER'S STRIKE
AND WGA?
>> I CAN'T REALLY COMMENT ON
THAT.
I MEAN, I ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE
THIS IS AN INFLECTION POINT.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL
BE RESOLVED WITH INCREMENTAL
CHANGES.
THIS IS A HOLISTIC SHIFT IN
CONTRACT THAT MUST OCCUR,
BECAUSE THE BUSINESS MODEL HAS
BEEN CHANGED SO DRAMATICALLY.
AND THEY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT
THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE.
AND I JUST WANT TO CORRECT, YOU
KNOW, WHEN WE SAY THAT AVERAGE
IS $65,000, THAT ACTUALLY
PROBABLY INCLUDES ALL OF THE --
>> THE HIGHEST PAID.
>> YES, VERY HIGHEST PAID.
>> SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS MOST
ACTORS MAKE WHAT?
>> I CAN TELL YOU THAT 86% OF
OUR MEMBERS CANNOT MEET THE
26,500 A YEAR THRESHOLD TO GET
THEIR MEDICAL BENEFITS.
THAT'S 86% CANNOT MAKE 26,500.
IN THE REAL WORLD, THAT'S A
PART-TIME JOB.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT
WE'RE -- THAT'S WHO WE'RE
FIGHTING FOR, WORKERS.
>> 86% OF THE UNION'S 160,000
MAKE LESS THAN THAT $26,500.
YOU TOLD NBC THAT YOU ARE
PREPARED FOR THIS TO GO FOR SIX
MONTHS.
>> AT LEAST.
>> BUT IF THEY DON'T MAKE -- IF
86% OF THE MEMBERS MAKE LESS
THAN $26,500, HOW CAN THEY LAST
FOR SIX MONTHS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THEY'RE
THE ONES THAT WANTED IT.
WE HAD UNPRECEDENTED STRIKE
AUTHORIZATION VOTE OF 97.91%.
SO THEY'RE AT THE BREAKING
POINT.
IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS DO
OR DIE.
SO THAT'S THEIR ATTITUDE.
THAT'S WHY THEY'RE ALSO
SUPPORTING INTERIM AGREEMENTS,
SO THAT THE JOURNEYMEN PERFORMER
AND CREW CAN FIND WORK.
AND THE LONGER THAT THEY CAN
SUSTAIN THEIR RENTS AND PAY FOR
FOOD ON THE TABLE, THE MORE WE
CAN HOLD FIRM ON OUR RESOLVE.
>> OKAY, I WANT TO DIG INTO THAT
A LITTLE BIT MORE.
I HAD THOUGHT THAT ALL ACTORS
THAT WERE PART OF THE UNION WERE
STRIKING.
BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE
ALLOWED TO CONTINUE ON WITH
THEIR WORK.
SOME PRODUCTIONS ARE STILL GOING
ON WITH SOME BIG NAMES, LIKE
ANNE HATHAWAY, KEVIN COSTNER,
MEL GIBSON.
SARAH SILVERMAN TAKES BIG ISSUE
WITH THIS.
I WANT TO PLAY WHAT SHE SAID AND
GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
HERE SHE IS.
>> THE STRIKE IS SUPPOSED TO BE,
ESPECIALLY WHEN SAG JOINED THE
STRIKE, IT'S MOVIE STARS AREN'T
MAKING MOVIES FOR YOU ANYMORE.
NOW WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
WELL, THEY'RE MAKING MOVIES.
WHAT THE [ BLEEP ]?
>> IS SHE WRONG?
>> UH, YEAH, SHE'S WRONG, AND I
TALKED TO HER ABOUT IT AND SHE
UNDERSTANDS THAT SHE WAS
UNINFORMED.
>> OH, SHE TOOK THAT BACK TO
YOU, PRIVATELY?
>> YES, YES.
AND SHE ALSO PUBLICLY DID, AS
WELL.
I THINK THAT AS LEADERSHIP, WE
NEEDED TO GET OUR COMMUNICATION
PUT FORWARD IN A BETTER WAY, SO
THAT PEOPLE WOULDN'T START
TALKING AMONGST THEMSELVES
WITHOUT THE CORRECT INFORMATION.
BUT THIS IS A VERY SMART AND
STRATEGIC PLAN, SO THAT WE CAN
GET JOURNEYMEN PERFORMERS AND
CREW WORKING.
ALSO, IT SHOWS THAT WE AS A
UNION ARE BEING EQUITABLE AND
FAIR IN WHAT OUR PROPOSALS ARE.
BECAUSE THERE ARE INDEPENDENTS
THAT ARE WILLING TO DO IT.
THEY'RE COMPLETELY VETTED.
THEY HAVE NO ASSOCIATION WITH
THE AMPTP.
AND IF DOWN THE ROAD, THEY
DECIDE THAT THEY CAN TAKE THIS
AND TRY AND DO IT, THE AMPTP
ESSENTIALLY WOULD BE AGREEING TO
EXACTLY WHAT THEY REFUSED TO
AGREE TO.
SO, IT'S EVERYTHING THAT WE WERE
AT THE TABLE WITH, THESE
INDEPENDENTS MUST AGREE TO.
SO ANYBODY THAT'S GOING BACK TO
WORK RIGHT NOW IS ACTUALLY
MAKING MORE MONEY THAN THEY'VE
EVER MADE.
AND IT'S SHOWING, IT'S APPROVING
THAT WE -- THAT ALL WE WANT IS A
FAIR DEAL.
>> THE AMTPT, THE ALLIANCE OF
MOTION PICTURE TELEVISION
PRODUCERS, THEY SAY WHAT THEY'VE
OFFERED IS WORTH MORE THAN $1
BILLION IN WAGE INCREASES,
IMPROVEMENTS ON RESIDUALS, AND
HEALTH CARE CONTRIBUTIONS OVER
THREE YEARS.
IS THERE A WAY TO QUALIFY, PUT A
DOLLAR AMOUNT ON HOW FAR APART
YOU ARE, IF THAT NUMBER IS
ACCURATE?
IF THAT $1 BILLION IS THE RIGHT
NUMBER THEY PUT ON THEIR DEAL?
>> WELL, LET ME PUT IT INTO
PERSPECTIVE FOR YOU.
THEY WANT TO OFFER US THEIR LIKE
BOTTOM LINE WAS, A 5% INCREASE
ON THE BASE PAY OF PERFORMERS.
THAT IN REAL MONEY WOULD BE LESS
THAN WHAT WE WERE MAKING IN
2020, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T CATCH
US UP TO INFLATION.
AND THEY WANT US TO ACCEPT A
DEAL THAT IN REAL MONEY IS LESS
THAN WHAT WE MADE IN 2020, AND
TAKE US THROUGH 2026.
I'M SORRY, BUT THAT'S
UNACCEPTABLE.
AND THEY HAVE PRESENTED US WITH
A BUSINESS MODEL THAT
ESSENTIALLY SQUEEZES US OUT OF
OUR RESIDUALS.
NOW, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY
THOUGHT, OH, GOODY, THIS
BUSINESS MODEL IS GOING TO SAVE
US A LOT OF MONEY ON RESIDUALS
OR THEY DIDN'T THINK OF US AT
ALL.
BUT EITHER WAY, IT'S A SHAMEFUL
STANCE TO TAKE AS A COMPANY,
ESPECIALLY WHEN DEALING WITH
FOUNDATIONAL CONTRIBUTORS TO
THEIR ENTIRE BUSINESS.
>> FRAN DRESCHER, SO MANY MORE