The votes will be counted on Jan. 23, which will not be in time to potentially disrupt the Golden Globe Awards like the writers' strike did last year.

Approval by 75 percent of members is required to pass the measure. If approved, the SAG national board can call a strike.

Guild President Alan Rosenberg said in a statement Wednesday that the future of professional actors is at stake.

The guild is at odds with Hollywood studios over the treatment of Internet productions and over the benefits that actors can get when earthquakes or other unforeseen events shut down productions. For instance, actors have an outstanding claim for payments they say they are due for work lost during the 100-day strike by writers last year.