More than 130 Hollywood stars oppose strike vote

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE4BF08P20081216

Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:11pm EST

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than 130 Hollywood stars including Oscar winners George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Morgan Freeman and Sally Field, joined on Monday in opposing a strike authorization vote by the Screen Actors Guild.

The A-list performers registered their opposition in a letter that circulated on the Internet as union leaders, including SAG President Alan Rosenberg, met in New York City with rank-and-file members to seek support for a strike authorization.

The letter marked the latest sign of sharp divisions within the 120,000-member union over tactics employed by Rosenberg and his allies to squeeze a better contract offer from major studios, especially for pay from work put on the Internet.

A smaller group of stars including Mel Gibson and Martin Sheen on Friday voiced support for a strike vote, while board members from SAG's New York division came out against it.

After months of deadlock, the union renewed Hollywood labor jitters last week by announcing plans to conduct a strike authorization vote in January, hoping to force studio executives back to the bargaining table.

The ballots are slated to be mailed on January 2 and tallied on January 23. A "yes" vote from 75 percent of those who return ballots is required to give SAG's governing board permission to call a strike at its discretion.

FULL story at link.

[question everything]

1. If they go on a srike they will push LA and CA into a very deep recession

and they will kiss any chances of most of them working again good bye.

Many actors have found a second career on TV and the network now choose "reality based" programs which are cheap and do not require actors.