With a looming deadline and no signs of progress towards a contract agreement, a Hollywood actors’ strike seemed increasingly likely on Tuesday. This move would join the writers who have been on strike for over two months on the picket lines.
There were reports that some influential figures in Hollywood, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, were attempting to prevent a strike by the SAG-AFTRA union, representing about 160,000 performers. However, as of Tuesday afternoon, there was no indication of any progress in reaching a deal before the SAG-AFTRA contract expires on Wednesday night.
Originally set to expire on June 30, the contract was extended to allow for continued negotiations between the union and Hollywood studios.
Variety reported that Iger, along with other influential figures such as Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros./Discovery’s David Zaslav, held a conference call on Monday night to discuss the possibility of involving a federal mediator to break the negotiation stalemate and avoid a strike. It remains unclear whether SAG-AFTRA would agree to this move and extend their current contract.
The Los Angeles Times, citing sources familiar with the talks, reported that SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP negotiators were considering the idea of a federal mediator.
Variety and Deadline both reported that the heads of major talent agencies in Hollywood, including Ari Emanuel of WME, Bryan Lourd of CAA, and Jeremy Zimmer of UTA, reached out to SAG-AFTRA leadership to offer their assistance in finding a solution to avoid a strike. Deadline stated that SAG-AFTRA officials were receptive to Emanuel’s offer but did not specify how that assistance would manifest.
The contract negotiations have been under a mutually agreed-upon media blackout, so there has been no public update on the status of the talks from SAG-AFTRA or AMPTP.
The actors’ union is focusing on similar issues that led the Writers Guild of America union to strike on May 2. These include revised residual formulas for streaming content and protection against the use of artificial intelligence in film and TV production.
The actors’ union has not gone on strike since 1980, while the WGA went on strike for 100 days in 2007. If SAG-AFTRA calls for a strike, it would be a rare double-barreled labor action that would effectively halt the remaining production since the writers went on strike.
Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP began on June 7.
AMPTP has already reached a three-year contract deal with the Directors Guild of America, which was ratified by DGA members on June 24. The deal includes a 12.5% salary increase over three years for directors and a significant increase in residuals for streaming content. This includes a 76% increase in foreign residuals for major platforms and mutual confirmation that artificial intelligence cannot replace the duties performed by DGA members.
This agreement was reached after less than a month of negotiations, ahead of the June 30 expiration of the previous DGA contract.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
