SAG-AFTRA has agreed to what they have described as a “last minute request” to bring in federal mediation in contract talks with studios and streamers, one day before the Guild’s current agreement expires.
The Screen Actors Guild said on Tuesday afternoon it did not intend to further extend contract negotiations, which are scheduled to expire at midnight Wednesday July 12, PST. The talks have already been extended prior to this, with an original deadline of June 30th 2023.
If the guild goes on strike, it will be the first time in 60 years that Hollywood has experienced a double strike. The WGA have been on strike for 11 weeks, having begun their strike on May 2nd.
“The AMPTP [studio negotiator Alliance Of Motion Picture And Television Producers] has abused our trust and damaged the respect we have for them in this process,” SAG-AFTRA said. “We will not be manipulated by this cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to make a fair deal.”
The decision to bring in federal mediators was discussed on Monday in a call between SAG-AFTRA leadership, Warner Bros Discovery head David Zaslav, Disney executives Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
The WGA strike has already delayed the writing and filming of numerous productions, and a simultaneous SAG-AFTRA strike would cause further disruptions if a new agreement is not met before the deadline.
SAG-AFTRA held a Zoom call earlier this week with publicists in which they outlined the protocols of a strike. This would involve acting talent being unable to promote upcoming film and TV productions by struck companies through red carpets, interviews, and electronic press kits.
This would conflict with upcoming premieres this summer in which SAG-AFTRA members are scheduled to attend, such as the upcoming London and New York premieres of Oppenheimer. The press tour for Barbie has begun already, moved forward from its original starting date in anticipation of a potential strike.
In a message to members SAG-AFTRA said, “We are seeking reasonable protections that will guarantee that writing remains a sustainable career for current and future writers. For Amazon, the cost of our proposals is just $32 million per year, 0.006% of the conglomerate’s annual revenue.”
