Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have told their 120,000 members that they don’t want to strike — even though they’re seeking an authorization from them to do so.

SAG made the declaration late Monday in a fiery message to members in response to the “open letter” by eight studio CEOs, accusing the guild of being elitist and unrealistic in its approach to negotiations. Talks between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers collapsed on Nov. 22, triggering the move by SAG to ask members to endorse the strike authorization.

“SAG does not want a strike,” the union’s missive said. “We made the decision to seek a strike authorization only after the AMPTP continued to stonewall through negotiations and mediation. Now, the AMPTP is attempting to use today’s economic uncertainty to intimidate us into signing away our future for decades to come.”

SAG’s continued to insist that it needs a “yes” vote on the authorization to bring the majors back to the table. And it noted that the AMPTP’s cost of placing the letter as an ad in the Los Angeles Times had been $100,000.

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