SAG Puts Off Basic Cable Negotiations

With an important emergency board meeting looming next week, the Screen Actors Guild has quietly delayed bargaining over its basic cable contract, which expired three weeks ago, reports Variety. SAG has not set a start date for negotiations with around 20 cable companies as actors continue to work under the terms of the old two-year pact. The deal, which covers live-action shows produced for cable like "The Closer," expired on Dec. 19 after being extended from its original June 30 expiration. "We have advised our members to continue auditioning and reporting for work and expect no changes in our administration of the agreement," SAG spokeswoman Pamela Greenwalt told the trade. The 2006 basic cable deal included a 215 increase in residuals, the first change in its cable deal since 1992.