April 15 (Bloomberg) -- The Screen Actors Guild began solo negotiations with Hollywood studios for the first time in 27 years after the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists rejected an offer for combined talks.

SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group representing Hollywood studios and television networks, met today and exchanged proposals, the two sides said in a joint e-mailed statement.

``We will meet again tomorrow,'' the negotiators said. ``We have no further comment at this time.''

Aftra refused to reunite with the guild for contract talks, after breaking away last month over concerns SAG was trying to poach members -- a charge the guild denies. SAG's board, in meetings over the weekend, offered Aftra 72 hours to reconsider. SAG is ready for the negotiations, Rosenberg said.

``I'm prepared to go in and fight like hell,'' Rosenberg said yesterday. That doesn't mean SAG won't be flexible, he said. ``We're going in to make a deal. I have no desire to be on strike.''

Aftra spokeswoman Kelly Mullens declined to comment yesterday. The two unions work under the same contract that expires June 30.

SAG will focus on expanding compensation for new media, obtaining a larger cut of DVD sales and gaining pay for product endorsements placed within scripts, Rosenberg said.

The guild is also concerned studios are compressing work into fewer days, reducing pay for actors who aren't in starring roles, Rosenberg said.

The Writers Guild of America won increased pay for work on the Internet and mobile devices after a 100-day strike shut down scripted television shows and delayed films such as ``Angels & Demons,'' the Tom Hanks sequel to ``The Da Vinci Code.'' Directors also gained an increase in pay for online work.

Earlier Deals

``There are whole realms of issues not in the writers deal or the directors deal that affect actors only,'' Rosenberg said.

Neither union is likely to gain much beyond what writers and directors obtained in their agreements with the studios, said Norm Samnick, a New York-based entertainment attorney with Bryan Cave LLP.

``We're not starting anew,'' Samnick said in an interview. ``They're all going to sit with the CEOs just like the writers did and the directors did.''

SAG represents 120,000 film and television actors, and Aftra has 40,000 members working predominantly on daytime television shows.

The studios will be represented in the talks by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Its members include Time Warner Inc., Walt Disney Co., News Corp., General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, Viacom Inc., CBS Corp., Sony Corp. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

To contact the reporters on this story: Andy Fixmer in Los Angeles at afixmer@bloomberg.net; Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 15, 2008 20:51 EDT