Actors guild delays vote on strike authorization

Actors guild delays vote on strike authorization

LOS ANGELES — Citing division among its membership, the Screen Actors Guild delayed a vote that would authorize the union to call a strike and bring the entertainment business to a halt.

SAG announced Monday it would delay sending out the ballots until Jan. 14 at the earliest, after the union’s national board holds an emergency meeting.

The union initially planned to send strike authorization ballots to more than 100,000 union members Jan. 2, a date that would have put Oscar night within reach of a potential boycott.

Doug Allen, SAG’s national executive director, said the union is split on whether to cast ballots. He said 2,524 members endorse the vote and 1,373 members are opposed, including A-list actors Pierce Brosnan and Cameron Diaz.

SAG leaders had been pushing for the vote amid stalled contract negotiations with Hollywood studios. But on Dec. 12, a New York faction of the union called for a delay, calling it “irresponsible” to threaten a strike while the industry was in an economic downturn.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the major studios, have been negotiating a new deal with SAG since before the previous contract expired June 30.

Today’s birthdays

Author Mary Higgins Clark is 81. Rock singer-musician Lemmy (Motorhead) is 63. Rock musician Ian Burden (The Human League) is 51. Rock singer Mary Ramsey (10,000 Maniacs) is 45. Singer Ricky Martin is 37. “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest is 34.