Hollywood is officially on hiatus. The 160,000 members of actors’ union SAG-AFTRA went on strike Thursday after failing to negotiate their collective agreement with film and television studios. This is the first major strike by actors since 1980 and the first joint strike by actors and screenwriters in 63 years. The union protest, which gathered strength after two organizations merged in 2012, is bringing the industry closer to the brink by leaving hundreds of factories and companies without their essential raw material, talent. Unemployment is near total, exacerbating the labor dispute in California. The actors are now joining the Screenwriters, whose 11,500 members have been protesting since May 2 to improve their conditions. Only the directors agreed with the studies, which prevented the three main unions in the sector from going on strike at the same time. It is the first time in six decades that actors and screenwriters have gone on strike together.
“After four weeks of negotiations and with the employer not giving up, it was agreed to go on strike from midnight [del jueves en California] to guarantee its members a sustainable future,” said the negotiators this Thursday during a press conference in Los Angeles, where they announced the interpreters’ strike. “The actors deserve contracts that reflect their role in the industry,” they continued, stating that there will be a strike “until justice is achieved.”
“We are all disappointed with the results of the negotiations and the attitude of the bosses. “What happens matters because what happens to us also applies to all workers in all sectors of employment,” actress Fran Drescher, president of the actors’ union, said in the same meeting with the press. And he added: “The seriousness of this matter affects millions of people not only in this industry but also families in this country.” We are the victims here. We are the victims of the system. I am shocked at how the industry we work with has treated us. I can not believe it”.
The extent of unemployment is incalculable. For reference, the three-month writers’ strike in 2008 had an economic impact of $2.5 billion (€2.226 million at current exchange rates), according to official calculations. The writers’ strike had already slowed, if not halted, the schedule for filming series and movies. With the cast strike of the actors, the currently filmed productions remain on the set without staff. The strike also prevents artists from promoting their products. It’s not even known when (if ever) the Emmy Awards will take place, the nominations for which were announced on Wednesday: Possible dates are September (almost impossible), November and January.
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According to January data from the Motion Picture Association, the US audiovisual industry generates 2.4 million jobs nationwide and $186 trillion in salaries through about 122,000 companies. The labor dispute, which has escalated today, has been exacerbated by the collective agreement of the actors, who are asking for an increase in the amount they will receive for the second life of their productions made in the past, and for guarantees in the face of the collapse of artificial intelligence in the sector , a problem that also destroyed the agreement with the screenwriters.
Negotiations between the actors and the studios, grouped together in the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), collapsed on Tuesday when it transpired that executives were seeking the intervention of a federal mediator in the final stage of the process, but failed to do so notify counterparty. The leaked petition to the trade press angered SAG-AFTRA executives: its president, actress Fran Drescher, and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “The AMPTP has betrayed our trust and damaged any respect we have for the negotiations. We will not be fooled into this cynical attempt at an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to negotiate a fair deal,” the union said on Tuesday.
The actors have been out of contract since June 30. This syndicate is considered one of the most important powers in Hollywood. When the joint writers’ and actors’ strike broke out in 1960, Ronald Reagan was President of the SAG. The position prepared him for his political career, as he became governor of California in 1967. SAG, which turned 90 this week, brings together such powerful names in the industry as Meryl Streep, Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron, David Duchovny, Ben Stiller and Jennifer Lawrence, but also thousands of anonymous non-star actors and most of them Sometimes they don’t have a job.
Meredith Stiehm, president of the WGA, the screenwriters’ union, protests outside Paramount Studios May 8, accompanied by Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union. Chris Pizzallo (AP)
One of the keys was the negotiation of the so-called residuals, the revenues from the sale of film or series rights in different markets. The union considers these amounts to be small in the streaming age. The negotiations for the agreement took place in 2020, with the pandemic leaving little room for maneuver; The previous one took place in 2017, when these platforms didn’t yet have the strength they have today. So this is the crucial moment to negotiate the increase. In addition, it was put on the table who should pay for the cost of the castings that the actors record at home and send to the agencies and studios (a complex and expensive process that the interpreters pay, often non-refundable).
Studios the actors have worked with include Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Paramount, Disney, Sony, Warner, and Universal. The negotiations took place parallel to the writers’ strike and lasted until the last minute of July 12. In the early morning hours of this Wednesday, SAG announced that the negotiations had not led to any result. Drescher – known as the protagonist of the 1990s series The Nanny – explained that these were made “in good faith” but that the employer’s suggestions were “offensive and disrespectful” given the “very important contributions to the industry” made by their interpreters . “Until they negotiate in good faith, we cannot reach an agreement. “We have no choice but to move forward together,” he assured in the evening and explained that the decision to strike would be submitted to a discussion in his national committee. On June 7, 98% of union members voted in favor of the strike.
In a letter signed by more than 2,000 well-known faces from film and television, the actors assured that it is not “the time to take intermediate positions”. “It is no exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are upon us,” the letter said, calling for “the changes that are needed and the protection that they deserve.” And they added: “If you are unable to get there, we ask that you use the power we give you as members and join the Writers Union strike.” For our union and our future is this the moment. Let’s hope on our behalf that you find the moment and don’t let it pass you by.”
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