AFTRA, SAG haggle over basic cable

March 17, 2008 On Friday, SAG's national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen sent a letter to his counterpart at AFTRA, Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, indicating the guild's desire to implement joint bargaining of basic cable as soon as the two actors unions hash out a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on their primetime TV/theatrical contract. Allen also opened the door to the possibility of the two actors unions deciding at the upcoming wages and working conditions committee meetings to include basic cable in the primetime contract rather than later. Allen's suggestion, however, didn't sit well with AFTRA, which issued a terse statement Sunday that accused SAG of making "an intentional effort to distract from the priority of the primetime negotiations" by raising "extraneous issues."

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