No new deal for SAG-AFTRA; national board to vote on strike Thursday

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SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher attends the 65th annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5. The actors union will vote Thursday on whether or not to strike. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

July 13 (UPI) — The television/theatrical/streaming contracts of Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists expired late Wednesday and the organization’s negotiating committee has voted unanimously to recommend a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

SAG-AFTRA’s national board members are slated to vote Thursday on whether to stop work at Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery and other studios and networks.

“SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement Thursday.

“The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us,” she added. “Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal. We have no choice but to move forward in unity, and on behalf of our membership, with a strike recommendation to our national board. The board will discuss the issue this morning and will make its decision.”

SAG-AFTRA plans to hold a press conference at 3 p.m. EDT in Los Angeles to announce the outcome of the vote.

“This is the union’s choice, not ours. In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more,” AMPTP said in its own statement.

“SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”

A Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service representative took part in the negotiations in its final hours, but the union’s most recent contract extension expired without a new deal being reached.

If SAG-AFTRA does go on strike, it will be for the first time since 1980 and will mean scripted TV and film productions employing union members will shut down around the world.

SAG-AFTRA has said it is demanding “economic fairness, residuals, regulating the use of artificial intelligence and alleviating the burdens of the industry-wide shift to self-taping [auditions].”

The use of artificial intelligence is also a top concern of the performers.

“Artificial intelligence has already proven to be a real and immediate threat to the work of our members and can mimic members’ voices, likenesses and performances,” the union has said.

“We must get agreement around acceptable uses, bargain protections against misuse, and ensure consent and fair compensation for the use of your work to train AI systems and create new performances.”

The Writers Guild of America already has been on strike for about two months.

If SAG-AFTRA goes out, too, this would be the first time both unions simultaneously stopped work since 1960.

WGA members are seeking pay increases to offset higher living costs.