Guild election to show whether actors are ready to fight Hollywood or merge with other union

September 24th, 2009 Election tests actors' resolve on labor talksLOS ANGELES — The Screen Actors Guild's choice of its next president could indicate whether actors are ready to go it alone in another bruising fight over Internet compensation or would rather merge with a smaller union for better bargaining leverage. Ballots were being counted Thursday in SAG's election pitting union-merger proponent Ken Howard, who recently won an Emmy, against Anne-Marie Johnson, a hard-liner who promises to seek strike authorization before the next round of studio negotiations.

September 24th, 2009 Merger proponent Ken Howard elected SAG presidentLOS ANGELES — Actor Ken Howard, a proponent of merging two actors unions for better negotiating clout, has been elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, the union said Thursday. Howard's election — along with that of slate partner Amy Aquino as secretary-treasurer — raises the likelihood that the guild will have tighter coordination with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in new contract talks.

July 28th, 2009 SAG votes to oppose Hollywood hospital closureLOS ANGELES — The Screen Actors Guild has voted to oppose closing a motion picture home where many actors and others have spent their last years. By a slender margin, the SAG board voted Saturday to oppose closing the Motion Picture & Television Fund's long-term care facility in Woodland Hills.

June 24th, 2009 Boston Globe, union reach tentative agreementBOSTON — The Boston Globe and its largest union have reached a tentative agreement that will save the newspaper $10 million through salary and benefit cuts. The Globe and the Boston Newspaper Guild issued separate e-mail statements late Tuesday announcing the agreement.

June 18th, 2009 Boston Globe union postpones meeting with NLRBBOSTON — A meeting between The Boston Globe's largest union and the National Labor Relations Board has been postponed as the union continues its talks with management over $10 million in contract concessions. The meeting was postponed on Tuesday and again on Thursday after the union and management restarted negotiations.

June 16th, 2009 Talks continuing between Guild, Boston GlobeBOSTON — The Boston Newspaper Guild says it is hopeful after a meeting with managers at The Boston Globe and the National Labor Relations Board. Dan Totten, president of the Guild, said in a statement released early Tuesday that talks would resume later in the day.

June 9th, 2009 Ballots due Tuesday in new actors union contractLOS ANGELES — Ballots are due Tuesday on a new contract for actors in Hollywood's biggest movies and TV shows. The vote follows a bitter dispute that has seen Screen Actors Guild members fighting among themselves and left further behind than they started.

May 5th, 2009 Boston Globe to resume talks with largest unionBOSTON — The owner of The Boston Globe will resume negotiations with its largest union. This development comes more than a day after talks to cut millions of dollars from the union's contract ended at an impasse.

May 4th, 2009 Boston Globe's Guild says owner threatens shutdownBOSTON — The Boston Globe's largest union says the newspaper's owner responded to its proposal of $10 million in concessions with a copy of a notice threatening to shut down the newspaper in 60 days. The Boston Newspaper Guild says Globe management told the union it's prepared to file the notice if negotiations are not successful by a midnight Sunday deadline.

April 28th, 2009 Hollywood agencies William Morris, Endeavor mergeLOS ANGELES — Two of Hollywood's biggest talent agencies are merging. The 111-year-old William Morris Agency said Monday it will merge with upstart Endeavor, a 14-year-old agency cofounded by Ari Emanuel.

April 18th, 2009 LOS ANGELES - Hollywood's movie studios Friday reached a tentative pay agreement with the Screen Actors Guild, the largest actors' union, ten months after the previous contract expired. The Los Angeles Times reported that the proposed contract contains some minor improvements over previous offers but is largely similar to the one studios presented to SAG nine months ago.

April 17th, 2009 Actors union relents in tentative studio dealLOS ANGELES — The Screen Actors Guild and the Hollywood studios said Friday they have reached a tentative deal on movie and prime-time TV show productions, capping a yearlong battle that ended with the Guild giving up its fight for better Internet compensation. The Guild said its leaders would recommend approval by the board and ratification by its members, which could be completed next month.

February 18th, 2009 NEW YORK - Forbes has listed Aishwarya Rai as India's most bankable star in Hollywood, pushing down the Khans of Bollywood in the ratings of the best bet for a film's financial success. Aishwarya is among six Bollywood actors in the new Forbes list of Hollywood's Most Valuable Actors.

February 1st, 2009 LOS ANGELES - After winning the top honour from the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for the Mumbai-set hit film 'Slumdog Millionaire', British Director Danny Boyle appears to be on the inside track for an Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony Feb 22. The DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film is often an accurate indicator of who will land the Oscar for directing as 55 of the 60 past DGA award winners also went on to win the Academy Award for directing.

January 27th, 2009 LOS ANGELES - The largest actors' union in the US has ousted its combative executive director in a backlash against his hard line negotiating style that had nearly brought the Screen Actors Guild to the brink of a debilitating strike. The board of the union fired executive director Doug Allen Monday night, and appointed a new chief negotiator who is expected to immediately jump start long-stalled talks with studio representatives.