LOS ANGELES (KNX) - SAG-AFTRA will begin bargaining with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Wednesday, with barely three weeks to reach a deal before a strike is on the table.
The actors' union, which represents over 160,000 performers, overwhelmingly voted Monday to authorize a strike if a deal isn’t reached before the current contract expires on June 30, with nearly 98% voting in favor.
In a video message, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told members they’re “in it to win it.”
“We are going to enter this negotiation with the AMPTP with a great deal of strength and solidarity and unity that is unprecedented in our union’s history,” Drescher said.
The talks begin as the Writers Guild of America strike enters its fifth week, with no progress made on reaching a deal with AMPTP. Both unions’ negotiations are focused on issues like streaming residuals and restricting the use of AI.
While writers are asking for a total ban on using AI to generate literary material, SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland says that’s not their goal. The actors’ union is only looking for regulations to ensure that performers’ likeness isn’t used unscrupulously to train AI models or create artificial performances.
Cynthia Littleton, co-editor-in-chief of Variety, told KNX News a strike by the actors could make Hollywood “literally grind to a halt.”
The Directors Guild of America reached a tentative deal with the AMPTP last weekend. WGA and SAG-AFTRA leadership both said that the DGA deal will have no impact on their bargaining strategy or positions.
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