Recent Articles

SAG/AFTRA Members: Will your dues go up or down? Now you can tell ...

Jonathan Handel
March 04, 2012 05:41

There's been a lot of discussion about how dues will change if SAG and AFTRA  merge, but no one's made it easy for you to know exactly what will happen to your own. For a detailed breakdown -- and a graph that encompasses earnings from $0 to $250K, see The Hollywood Reporter. Whether you're...

Snowe Rains on Republicans' Parade

Jonathan Handel
February 28, 2012 22:50

Sen. Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican who's represented Maine in the Senate since 1994, announced today that she won't seek reelection in November, citing polarization in Washington as the reason. Her retirement, coming from a state where Democrats hold a registration edge, is a blow to the GOP...

Live on Larry Mantle re SAG-AFTRA Merger

Jonathan Handel
January 17, 2012 17:40

I'll be live on Larry Mantle (http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/) this morning at about 11:05 a.m. PT for a 14 minute segment on SAG-AFTRA merger. Tune in (is that still the verb?) if you have a chance. It'll probably be available archived as well. __________   Check out my new book...

AFTRA, Networks Reach New Three Year Deal

Jonathan Handel
December 10, 2011 07:38

AFTRA and the television networks reached agreement on a new three-year contract today, with the new pact featuring now-standard 2% annual wage increases and an unusually large 1% increase in employer contributions to health and retirement. Notably, the union achieved the H&R increase without...

Health and Retirement are the Hangup in AFTRA Netcode Negotiations (Exclusive)

Jonathan Handel
December 06, 2011 15:07

AFTRA’s negotiations with the networks and television producers resume this week and the big issue, according to a source close to the process, is the same one that’s bedeviled Hollywood labor for the past several years: health and retirement. Negotiations began November 7 under a press blackout,...

Homeless Military Widow: “My heart is sad for my teenager”

Jonathan Handel
November 12, 2011 10:47

Cindy Kureth just wants a job and a place to call home. She had both not long ago, but she got laid off, unemployment ran out, and the mortgage company took her home.Now all the Richmond, Virginia mother has is a motel room for herself and her 16-year old son. That, and memories of her husband,...

Exclusive: WGA East and LA County AFL-CIO Endorse Occupy Wall Steet / Occupy LA

Jonathan Handel
October 04, 2011 01:02

In exclusive statements to the Hollywood Reporter, the Writers Guild of America, East and the LA County Federation of Labor have endorsed the Occupy protests in NY, LA and elsewhere. The WGA East slammed a “system that has diverted capital (to) a tiny handful of people,” while the LA County Fed...

New York SAG Election Becoming a Tinderbox

Jonathan Handel
August 26, 2011 20:46

Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin endorse USAN, while OSU issues a bill of particulars and personal attacks fly in all directions. With both factions pro-merger, members wonder why they’re fighting. Details: The Hollywood Reporter. __________   Check out my new book “Hollywood on Strike!,”...

The Laurel Canyon Goats are Leaving!

Jonathan Handel
July 25, 2011 09:49

There comes a point in everyone’s life when it’s time to gather one’s herd and leave the hustle and bustle of the big city. For Elaine and Michael Fresco, that time is now. And although the herd in question numbers only two, they’re much beloved – and they’re goats.Yes, Laurel Canyon, long a home...

How to Settle the Viacom iPad Lawsuits Now

Jonathan Handel
July 09, 2011 06:44

Back in April, Viacom and Time Warner Cable sued each other; then last month Viacom sued Cablevision. Interestingly, that came just a day after Viacom and TWC filed a standstill agreement so that they could negotiate without the pressure of ongoing court deadlines. In both sets of suits, the issue...