Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have signed a letter to SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher threatening to strike if their needs are not met.
It comes after Drescher released a video message with chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, saying, “We are having an [sic] extremely productive negotiations that are laser focus on all of the crucial issues you told us the most important to you.”
The letter, obtained by Rolling Stone Magazine, included signatures from the likes of Meryl Streep, Quinta Brunson, Ben Stiller, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and several others. It urged SAG-AFTRA leaders and the Negotiating Committee not to compromise.
“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,” it read. “We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories.”
It also further expressed concerns about streaming residuals, healthcare, pensions, self-tapes, and the use of A.I.
“We want you to know that we would rather go on strike than compromise on these fundamental points, and we believe that, if we settle for a less than transformative deal, the future of our union and our craft will be undermined, and SAG-AFTRA will enter the next negotiation with drastically reduced leverage,” the letter said.
Entertainment attorney, Jonathan Handel, told KNX News while the letter “ups the ante”, it’s also possible Drescher’s message was misinterpreted.
“I've been told by sources close to the situation that the message from Fran Drescher was somewhat misinterpreted that they were going to compromise and give away the store,” he said. “That's not the case here.”
SAG-AFTRA’s labor deal expires on Friday. If they don’t reach a deal, the actors will be joining the Writers’ Guild, who have been on the picket lines since early May.
The last time both unions went on strike simultaneously was in 1960.
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