SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents approximately 160,000 Hollywood actors, is poised to go on strike after its talks with major studios and streamers have collapsed. The decision comes after the union completed its final day of negotiations with the studios and streamers yesterday, which didn’t produce an agreement, CNN is reporting.
Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, released a statement about the strike. The Nanny alum said that the studio management’s offers were “insulting and disrespectful.”
The Emmy Award-nominated actress added: “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”
The union said its negotiating committee had unanimously recommended a strike. Its governing board decided to vote on that recommendation this morning. The vote came after SAG-AFTRA’s rank-and-file members had already voted 98% in favor of authorizing a strike.
In response to the strike vote, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the body representing studios and streamers, said it was “deeply disappointed” in SAG-AFTRA’s decision. AMPTP also stated that it had offered “historic” pay increases to the actors union.
“Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods,” the AMPTP said a statement.
News of SAG-AFTRA’s upcoming strike action comes after a two-week extension of its contract expired. A federal mediator requested by management and approved by the union joined the final day of talks.
SAG-AFTRA members will now join more than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who have been on strike against the same studios since the beginning of May. That strike had already halted production of most films and scripted television shows. There has seemingly been no progress in ending the action.
There are concerns that with SAG-AFTRA joining WGA on strike, the shutdowns could stretch through not only the summer, but also the end of the year.
The actors’ strike is expected to bring most of the movies and television series that are still in production to a halt.
The only exception may be some independent movies not associated with major studios.
Hollywood actors and writers haven’t been on strike at the same time since 1960. At that point, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who was then working as a performer, was the president of SAG, the precursor to SAG-AFTRA.
The entertainment industry has changed radically since actors last went on strike against studios in 1980. At the time, most television shows were on just three broadcast networks and films were shown first in theaters, before being released on VHS tapes several months later.
“The studios and streamers have implemented massive unilateral changes in our industry’s business model, while at the same time insisting on keeping our contracts frozen in amber,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator.
“Their refusal to meaningfully engage with our key proposals and the fundamental disrespect shown to our members is what has brought us to this point. The studios and streamers have underestimated our members’ resolve, as they are about to fully discover,” Crabtree-Ireland added.
The difficulty of coming up with contract language during the age of streamers and AI is why it’s believed that it will be difficult to reach agreement on a contract quickly. Major media and tech companies that have started working with streamers are most focused on their own cost cutting and profitability.
The AMPTP is negotiating on behalf of the major studios – including Amazon, Apple, CBS, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery. Many of the companies have seen drops in their stock prices in the last year, which have led to cost cuts that have included layoffs.
It had earlier seemed as if the actors’ strike could have been avoided. Drescher recorded a video message to members saying the union was having “extremely productive negotiations” with AMPTP.
But after sending the message, a letter signed by hundreds of high-profile performers – including Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jennifer Lawrence, Bob Odenkirk, Mark Ruffalo, Quinta Brunson and Rami Malek – urged SAG-AFTRA to fight harder for their rights. The actors said they were prepared to go on strike for the contract that members needed.
The actors’ letter said: “We are prepared to strike if it comes to that. And we are concerned by the idea that SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not. We hope you’ve heard the message from us. This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough.”
In their new contracts, the actors are looking for increased pay. They’re also seeking progress on residuals, particularly on streamers. If they do strike, actors won’t be able to work on sets or promote their projects, including at the upcoming 75th Emmys, which is scheduled to be held on September 18. As a result, they won’t be able to receive pay in their trade.