“Dancing With the Stars,” from left: Val Chmerkovskiy, Gabby Windey, “Premiere Night Party”
Eric McCandless/Disney+/Courtesy Everett Collection
As the Writers Guild of America continues to picket rehearsals for “Dancing With the Stars,” SAG-AFTRA says its production members are not violating its strike rules.
“Our members who perform on Dancing with the Stars operate under the Network Code Agreement, which is an open-ended contract. “They must go to work, do not violate the SAG-AFTRA strike rules and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations,” said the artists’ union, which has been striking for months against major studios and streamers, unresolved film and television contracts – it said in a statement on Thursday. “The program is a non-dramatic SAG-AFTRA production under a separate agreement that is not subject to the union’s strike order.”
The union also offered some information about members’ contractual obligations to the show. The “majority” of SAG-AFTRA members on the show, the union said, signed their contracts before the strike. The union added that many members had option agreements that required them to appear on the show if the producer exercised the option, “which the producer did.” And it went on to say that SAG-AFTRA has a “no-strike clause” in its collective bargaining agreement, meaning members working under that contract cannot strike on covered projects during the term of the contract.
“Failure of our artists to show up for work may result in a breach of contract and the union is prohibited from advising them not to work,” the union said.
The statement comes just hours after it was revealed that network ABC may delay the return of the competition show after striking members of the Writers Guild of America picketed rehearsals in recent days. The show, which is a WGA signee, returns without its typical WGA writer.
On Thursday, Dancing With the Stars cast member Matt Walsh (Veep), a member of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, announced that he would be ceasing his involvement with the series “until an agreement is reached with the series.” [Writers Guild of America]Walsh added: “I was excited to take part in the show and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and fell under a different agreement. This morning, when I was informed by my union, the WGA, that this was strike work, I walked out of my rehearsal.”
“Dancing With the Stars,” whose Season 32 premiere was originally scheduled for Sept. 26, has been targeted by WGA pickets during rehearsals since Wednesday. Striking writers have targeted stars appearing in this 32nd season, including Walsh, in their signs. The final season cast includes Mira Sorvino, Alyson Hannigan, Mauricio Umansky, Jason Mraz and Xochitl Gomez.
The union’s efforts on “Dancing With the Stars” are similar to its successful pressure campaign against talk shows that were WGA signees and that tried to return amid the strike. After WGA pickets broke out outside the set of The Drew Barrymore Show in New York and the set of The Talk in Studio City, both shows paused their scheduled revivals, in addition to The Jennifer Hudson Show and Real Time With Bill Maher. (However, Maher specifically said he is postponing the revival of his show now that the WGA and AMPTP are back at the negotiating table.)
Now SAG-AFTRA appears to be trying to shield its participating members on Dancing With the Stars from criticism. In the conclusion of its statement, the union noted that it is fighting against AMPTP member companies during its own strike, “not against members who are required to go to work every day under other union contracts or personal service agreements.” The union added: “We stand with our union brothers and sisters across the industry as we also recognize our obligations under federal labor law.”