Hollywood deal put to vote

SAG president Bill Daniels expects approval for the deal

Members of the US actors' union are to vote on a deal which could resolve a major dispute with Hollywood studios over pay.

The West Coast chapter of the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) is submitting the deal to a members' vote.

The East Coast chapter of the guilds, based in New York City, is expected to do the same later this week.

The deal struck with the studios means higher salaries for guest stars and stunt coordinators and a big increase in actors' payments for cable TV and work exploited on the internet.

SAG negotiators recommended the three-year deal on 3 July, three days after the previous contract expired.

A simple majority of votes will be enough to ratify it and the guild's 135,000 members are expected to approve it.

'Extraordinary'

The process of the postal ballot is expected to take about five weeks.

SAG president Bill Daniels, best known for his roles on the TV shows St. Elsewhere and Knight Rider, said: "The entire negotiating team - staff and elected - believe this is an extraordinary deal."

Daniels said there was little chance the guild members would reject the deal.

Throughout the last year, many within the US entertainment industry had feared the dispute would result in an actors strike.

This could have crippled TV and movie production and cost the local economy billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Melissa Gilbert, former child star of Little House on the Prairie, plans to run for president of SAG.

A member of the union's national board, Gilbert, 37, said on Wednesday that internal politics had interfered with what she called "the real work that SAG should be doing on behalf of our members".

Ballots go out to SAG members in October, and election results will be announced in early November.

Bill Daniels has not decided if he will seek a second term as president, an aide said.