Deal or no deal? At last, SAG members will now have their say on a new contract.

I have been quiet on this issue for some time now, mostly because I really didn't have anything new to say. Today is different; the news is, actually, positive.

The SAG board yesterday approved by 53 percent the new contract with the studios and the producers -- and that's good news. What will be frustrating to those who have watched from the sidelines these many, many months will be the realization that for as long as it took to come this far, very little has been achieved for SAG members.

Yes, some compensation will come their way for use of products they appear in on the Internet; but residuals for this usage are out. That was a huge issue for embattled SAG president Alan Rosenberg; it's a big deal for SAG members because Rosenberg just said "no" many times during this process because the terms -- and specifically this term - wasn't what he claims he was fighting for.

A lot has change in the nearly one-year old fight for a new SAG contract: In short, as we're all experiencing first-hand, the economy has put a serious dent in options and opportunity for most people. The landscape just wasn't right to strive for the kinds of financial gains Rosenberg and the union hardliners were fighting for. Not this time around, anyway.

This new agreement would run for two years and looks a lot like the agreement the other talent guilds have settled upon. Who knows what life will be like two years from now? Maybe, just maybe, it will be a better time then to smartly and realistically revisit these issues taking into account the landscape and the economic climate at that time.

The only remaining hurdle is whether or not the majority of SAG members will vote for this new contract or whether it all goes back to the table -- or worse yet -- to a strike authorization vote.

I encourage you to read up on the terms of the proposed new deal at SAG.org. SAG member or not, it's all about the business of acting and it's important to know what is at stake for all actors, both union and non-union alike.

What are your thoughts on the offer? If you are a SAG member, will you vote for it or not -- and why?

Let's start that dialog here.

I'm eager to read your comments.

BL