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An incentive aims to get the ball rolling.<p>The <A class="link" HREF="http://www.aftra.com/">American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA)</a> ratified their deal with the <A class="link" HREF="http://www.amptp.org/">Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)</a> on Tuesday with 62.4% of the ballots cast. The percentage was lower than usual due to a campaign by the <A class="link" HREF="http://www.sag.org/">Screen Actors Guild (SAG)</a> urging joint members of AFTRA and SAG to vote against the contract. SAG was hoping the deal would not get passed, giving the actors more leverage during continued negotiations with the producers, which will resume on Thursday.<p>In order to urge SAG to accept the <A class="link" HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/news/010708_01.shtml">final offer</a> presented on June 30, the AMPTP has decided to sweeten the deal with $10 million. The offer requires that the contract be ratified by August 15. If it is, the producers told the actors the pay increases offered in the deal would be retroactive to July 1.<p>Should SAG decide not to accept the offer, the AMPTP is prepared to go through the steps necessary to declare an "impasse" in the negotiations. At that point, if there is no strike, the terms of the "last, best and final" deal will go into effect according to labor laws. SAG has not asked its members for a strike authorization vote, which would require a vote of 75% in order to pass.<p>The original articles about <A class="link" HREF="http://www.variety.com/VR1117988635.html">AFTRA accepting the deal</a> and the producers <A class="link" HREF="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988659.html?categoryid=18&cs=1">sweetening the offer to SAG</a> are from Variety.<center></center>