The Screen Actor’s Guild is talking “Strike”.

We all know what happened last year with the WGA Strike, and hot it devastated not only the Hollywood economy, but television in general. The networks still haven’t really recovered ratings-wise, and shows that had steam behind them like “Pushing Daisies” were killed as a result of the Strike delays.

Now the fighting is starting up again between the AMPTP and SAG. SAG actors have been working under an expired contract since June 30th. The fight, of course, is over new media – just like it was for the writers. AMPTP wants them to agree to the same terms as the writers did and SAG doesn’t want to do that.

So they’re talking strike – and a vote is going to be taken. 75% of the SAG members have to vote for it for it to happen. I am seriously hoping that 75% of the actors in that union have more sense than that.

This economy is NOT the kind of economy where you can win a Strike like this. I understand that they want equal compensation for Internet distribution – but now is not the time for that fight. If they put thousands of hard working people out of work in this kind of economic climate, there will be no understanding from the general public, and SAG will be viewed as the villains in this morality play.

I hope, beyond hope, that they have the good sense to save this fight for another day. In a few years their case for online equality will be better served anyway. We have our fingers crossed here at TV Jab that this doesn’t happen. If it does, it will be absolutely devastating to this industry.