A long roster of Hollywood stars - including Oscar winners George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Morgan Freeman and Sally Field - urged the leaders of Screen Actors Guild (SAG) on Monday to halt the strike authorization vote.

The petition by the A-list stars has put the SAG leaders under pressure to call off plans for a vote next month to approve a possible strike against movie and television studios. It was after months of deadlock that the union had renewed Hollywood labor jitters last week, by announcing plans to conduct a strike authorization vote in January, in the hope of bringing studio executives back to the bargaining table.

The letter, marking the latest sign of sharp divisions within the 120,000-member union, was circulated on the Internet as union leaders - including SAG President Alan Rosenberg - met in New York City with rank-and-file members to seek support for a strike authorization.

While board members from SAG’s New York division came out against a strike vote, a smaller group of stars - including Mel Gibson, Holly Hunter, Martin Sheen and Sandra Oh - announced a “solidarity campaign” in favor of it on Friday.
 
The strike authorization ballots are slated to be mailed on January 2, and tallied on January 23. Of those who vote, 75 percent must approve the authorization for it to pass.

While Rosenberg has insisted that a “Yes” vote is intended to gain leverage in contract talks and would not automatically launch a strike, opponents say the vote is misguided.