Some 500 actors, including prominent stars George Clooney and Tom Hanks, urged members of the largest US actors union to vote “yes” on a new contract with Hollywood's major studios on Friday. In a statement released by the 120,000-member Screen Actors Guild, signers “wholeheartedly recommend that SAG members VOTE YES on our tentative Television and Theatrical Contracts.” It ends with “I urge you to VOTE YES on this contract.” SAG had been embroiled in a bitter labor dispute with Hollywood's major film and television studios for nearly a year until last month when its contract negotiators reached an agreement over a new labor accord. Key sticking points in negotiations had centered on how much actors would get paid for work released on the Internet.
