Hollywood's two actors unions have officially ended their two-year feud.

The Screen Actors Guild board of directors voted Saturday by a ratio of 78% to 22% to revive a joint bargaining agreement with its smaller rival, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

The move, which was widely anticipated and follows a similar vote by AFTRA's board last month, clears the way for the two unions to join forces when negotiations begin this fall on a new prime-time TV and theatrical contract that expires in June 2011.

The long-standing bargaining partnership ended two years ago after the unions sparred over negotiating strategy and jurisdiction. The dispute severely weakened SAG's clout with the studios and cleared the way for AFTRA to gain a significant toehold in an area that SAG has traditionally dominated: prime-time television. Virtually all prime-time TV pilots this year are being done under AFTRA's contract.

Although the two unions share about 40,000 members, AFTRA has a more diverse membership, representing not only actors but also recording artists, disc jockeys and newscasters, among others.

-- Richard Verrier

Hollywood's two quarrelsome actors unions took a big step toward ending their blood feud and presenting a united front in upcoming contract negotiations with the studios.

The board of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which represents more than 70,000 actors, recording artists and other performers, voted Saturday to revive a longstanding joint bargaining agreement with its larger sister union, the Screen Actors Guild, which represents 120,000 actors.

The move was widely expected after a change in leadership at SAG last year led to a thawing in relations between the two groups. SAG's board is now dominated by a group of actors who favor merging the unions.

"I look forward to continuing our work with SAG President Ken Howard and the leadership and members of our sister union as we move forward to bargain the strongest possible contracts for professional talent,'' AFTRA President Roberta Reardon said in a statement.

AFTRA pulled the plug on its bargaining partnership with SAG nearly two years ago after the unions sparred over negotiating strategy and turf, freeing AFTRA to bargain its own prime-time TV contract. The fallout severely weakened SAG's leverage with the studios and allowed AFTRA to secure the lion's share of contracts for new prime-time TV shows (AFTRA does not negotiate film contracts).

Saturday's vote, assuming SAG's board follows suit, clears the way for the two unions to begin joint negotiations with the studios on a prime-time TV contract starting this fall. The unions' contracts expire in June 2011.

-- Richard Verrier

Hollywood's squabbling actors' unions appear to be ready to bury the hatchet.

It's been almost two years since the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists broke off its 27-year bargaining partnership with the larger Screen Actors Guild, with which it has clashed over contract goals and jurisdictional turf battles over TV shows, including an ugly tiff over the CBS soap "The Bold and The Beautiful."

But there has been a significant thaw in the frosty relations between the unions since a moderate coalition of actors consolidated their power on SAG's board and vowed to push toward an eventual merger of the unions. SAG's recently elected president, Ken Howard, made ending the feud a top priority of his successful campaign and has talked with AFTRA's President Roberta Reardon about ways of mending relations.

While a merger is not on the immediate horizon, representatives on both sides are paving the way toward restoring the longstanding so-called Phase One joint bargaining agreement, a necessary step before the unions can move toward consolidation, which remains unpopular among a significant group of actors in Hollywood.

To that end, on Sunday a key committee of AFTRA is expected to recommend to its national board that the union resume joint bargaining with SAG for prime-time TV contracts, people familiar with the meeting said.

If the boards of both unions agree to the idea, it would clear the way for joint early negotiations with the studios in October. Although SAG's two-year contract approved last April doesn't expire until June 2011, the sides agreed to begin early talks, by Oct. 1, for the next round of bargaining.

There is a complication: The timing would conflict with another contract -- covering actors who work in daytime television -- that AFTRA must negotiate by Nov. 15. AFTRA is expected to either accelerate those talks or seek an extension so that it can once again partner with SAG for prime-time TV negotiations.

The falling-out between the unions has been disastrous for SAG. It severely weakened its bargaining leverage in the last round of contract negotiations when AFTRA secured a separate deal a year before its sister union did.  Parting ways also gave AFTRA an opportunity to secure the lion's share of contracts for prime-time TV pilots, an area that SAG had previously dominated.

That trend has continued for the current pilot season. Although it's still early in pilot season, AFTRA has already picked up contracts for 15 pilots for network prime-time shows this year and is on track to secure more than the 25 shows it covered last year.

Still, a restoration of "Phase One" is unlikely to end the source of friction between the unions, which still bargain separately in a number of other areas, such as video games and daytime television. Howard has made it clear that the ultimate goal is to have the unions merge so they can present a united front in dealings with the studios. AFTRA leaders also have expressed support for merging the unions.

The idea remains controversial with SAG, however. Opponents defeated previous merger attempts, fearing their union would lose its autonomy and that the unions have little in common. AFTRA's 70,000 members include not only actors, but also recording artists, disc jockeys and broadcasters. SAG represents 120,000 actors.

-- Richard Verrier

Photos: Top right: Ken Howard. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times. Bottom left: Roberta Reardon. Credit: Dan Johnson / AFTRA.

The generally cozy relationship between Hollywood's unions and the Obama administration is coming under strain.

The source of friction: President Obama's support for a so-called Cadillac tax that is part of the healthcare bill passed by the Senate. The tax, intended to help finance a revamp of the nation's healthcare system,  would apply to the most expensive health insurance plans.

As the Los Angeles Times reported today, in a meeting Monday with Obama, union leaders including James P. Hoffa of the Teamsters and Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO complained that the tax would harm their members, who often are covered under expensive insurance plans.

Playing a supporting role in the effort is the industry's second-largest actors union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. In a letter last week to Obama and senior congressional leaders, AFTRA President Roberta Reardon and the union's national executive director, Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, warned that the proposed tax would "hurt middle-class and low-wage working union members that have negotiated over the years for health benefits at the expense of higher wages to keep pace with the high cost of healthcare."

Today, Christine Dubois, CEO of the AFTRA Health Fund, chimed in with a similar letter to Obama and others in the Democratic leadership. "The Health Fund welcomes the efforts of this Administration and Congress to deliver healthcare reform and expand access to the nation's health system. However, the health reform bill recently passed by the Senate would penalize funds, like ours, that for decades have reliable provided working Americans with access to healthcare."

AFTRA's health plan has about 17,000 participants, who include actors, broadcasters and other performers. The larger Screen Actors Guild is studying the issue and is expected to take a similar position as its sister union.

Update (Jan. 13, 3:00 p.m.): The campaign to oppose the proposed tax on so-called "Cadillac" health care plans gained more momentum in Hollywood today. In a blistering open letter to members of Congress, Matthew Loeb, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents Hollywood's technical workers, said the union's executive board was firmly opposed to "any legislation that imposes any tax on hard fought benefits."  Calling the measure a "travesty," Loeb added "that the unions, the true champions of workers and the prime vehicle to move America's health care agenda, could end up worse off than we were before is unacceptable." Similar objections were raised by the Screen Actors Guild, whose leaders sent letters to members of Congress asking them "not to pass health care reform legislation that will place a tax burden on the health plans of the members of SAG."

-- Richard Verrier

Photo: President Obama. Credit: Jewell Samad/AFP/Getty Images.