Hollywood's top actors' union appeared closer to strike late Thursday after the studios group said the actors had given no ground in contract talks.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) accused the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) of making unreasonable demands in talks Thursday on its proposed replacement of the old contract which expired on June 30.
"The refusal of SAG's Hollywood leadership to accept this offer is the latest in a series of actions by SAG leaders that, in our opinion, puts labor peace at risk," AMPTP said in a statement.
SAG "unreasonably expects to obtain more in these negotiations than directors, writers and other actors obtained during their negotiations," the studios said.
The 120,000-strong SAG did not provide any details of its response to the proposed contract after a five-hour meeting, but said its committee members will meet Friday to discuss the AMPTP's response to their demands.
AMPTP called on union leaders to put their offer to SAG members for ratification, saying it "includes more than 250 million dollars in additional compensation, important new media rights and protection for pension and health benefits."
"The last thing we need is a long, hot summer of labor strife that puts even more pressure on a badly struggling economy and deprives audiences of the entertainment they clearly desire in such difficult times," the studios said.
"Any further delay in reaching a reasonable and comprehensive agreement does a disservice to the thousands of working people of our industry who are already being seriously harmed by the ever worsening de facto strike."
Hollywood is currently in limbo after a previous contract between SAG and the AMPTP expired on June 30 with no new deal ready to replace it.
Ill-tempered negotiations between SAG and AMPTP have echoed the build-up to the strike last winter by screenwriters that paralyzed Hollywood for 100 days. It became the US entertainment industry's most damaging dispute for 20 years, costing an estimated two billion dollars.
Echoing that dispute, actors are seeking an improved share of royalty profits from new media and Internet sales.
