Tensions are rising in Hollywood. SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) – the American professional union of actors – is stepping up efforts to prepare for a strike, even as contract negotiations with major Hollywood studios are intensified. Their requirements? Fair wages and protection for SAG-AFTRA members.
Yesterday, SAG-AFTRA sent out a survey to its 160,000 members alerting them that the union was calling for volunteers to make signs, make mass phone calls, hand out T-shirts and generally support picketing on the streets of Los Angeles. Angeles, New York and other select locations.
The mail includes a survey of members’ availability to picket outside the studios, New York offices and other key locations.
SAG-AFTRA members have already participated in the picketing organized by the WGA (Writers Guild of America), which went on strike on May 2nd. Many rank-and-file members of SAG-AFTRA are highly motivated by the issues that arise during this difficult period of labor negotiations in Hollywood.
By contrast, the Directors Guild of America — the directors’ union — ratified a new three-year contract in a deal reached last month without much drama.
Beginning June 7, SAG-AFTRA will negotiate with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The union’s last contract expired on June 30. Last week, SAG-AFTRA agreed to extend negotiations until midnight on July 12.
temporary break
SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP have agreed to a media blackout for the duration of negotiations. according to varietySources familiar with the situation said the talks were difficult because the union brought a long list of issues to the table and the group’s disagreement over priority issues was slow.
It’s no secret that SAG-AFTRA is looking to studios and broadcasters to better protect actors from the technological threat of generative artificial intelligence.
The union also wants to tackle higher operating rights for streaming platforms and the rise of self-recorded auditions, which put the burden of video production on actors.
SAG-AFTRA executives Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and Fran Drescher (Nanny) gave the industry hope to avoid a historic double strike earlier last week, sharing an upbeat assessment of the negotiations in a video message sent to members on June 24:
“I want to assure you that we are having extremely productive negotiations that focus on all of the critical issues that you have told us are most important to you.“, said the president of the union, Fran Drescher.We are determined and will reach a decisive agreement.”
But that positivity took a different turn later in the week, when a group of prominent players called on SAG-AFTRA executives to stand firm and be ready to strike to win a big contract.
Fran Drescher signed the letter herself, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Poehler, Quinta Brunson, Laura Linney, Ben Stiller and Constance Wu, among hundreds of other signatories.
The actors’ strike, along with the writers’ strike, would mark a historic turning point in Hollywood.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
