Hollywood writers’ strike continues and now another group may join them. SAG-AFTRA union, which represents 160,000-plus movie and TV actors and other performers, voted Monday evening to authorize a strike if an acceptable new contract isn’t reached with studios before the old one with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires on June 30. The union said the strike authorization, which comes two days before it begins negotiations with the studios, was approved by 98% of the 65,000 or so members who voted, per the AP.
“Together we lock elbows, and in unity we build a new contract that honors our contributions in this remarkable industry,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, known best for her role in The Nanny, said in a statement. The New York Times notes that the issues to be broached in a potential actors strike would mirror many of the issues that Hollywood writers are wrangling with, including demands for higher pay and more of a share for residuals from services such as streaming. Safeguarding against actors’ likenesses being used without consent in artificial intelligence endeavors is also a key sticking point.
The Directors Guild of America reached its own deal with the studios over the weekend. Actors in the industry have not gone on strike since 2000. An actors strike would likely have a greater impact on content production than a writers strike, as much of the writing for slated content has been completed. “Los Angeles Times” reports that SAG-AFTRA getting the strike authorization shows how committed the union is to standing firm in its demands. The strike would only affect film and TV productions, while news and broadcast work would continue as usual. (Read more actors stories.)
